Obligatory Helmet Thread

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 11:50:43 GMT, "Steven L. Sheffield" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/BikeHelmetUseLawsWeb/pages/index.htm

Discuss.

Nothing to discuss.

First; This document simply presumes that helmet laws are good and discusses the
lobbying effort needed to enact them.

Second; It complete ignores effectiveness and the authors do not seem to
consider such an evaluation important.

This is a religious text, not a public policy document. This is the
proselytizing plan of some cargo cult like movement that has fetishized various
plastic products that promise enhanced safety for the adherent. They want us all
to join in their celebration of cabinet latches, baby seats, condoms, bike
helmets, 5mph bumpers, air bags and rubber baby buggy bumpers.

Ron

On 08/16/2005 06:43 AM, in article
[email hidden], "RonSonic"

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 11:50:43 GMT, "Steven L. Sheffield"
<[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/BikeHelmetUseLawsWeb/pag
es/index.htm

Discuss.

Nothing to discuss.

First; This document simply presumes that helmet laws are good and discusses
the
lobbying effort needed to enact them.

Second; It complete ignores effectiveness and the authors do not seem to
consider such an evaluation important.

This is a religious text, not a public policy document. This is the
proselytizing plan of some cargo cult like movement that has fetishized
various
plastic products that promise enhanced safety for the adherent. They want us
all
to join in their celebration of cabinet latches, baby seats, condoms, bike
helmets, 5mph bumpers, air bags and rubber baby buggy bumpers.

The US Department of Transportation is a cargo cult?

I actually found the document to be interesting because it does NOT ignore
effectiveness (as you assert above), and discusses the difficulty of
measuring the effectiveness of MHLs, for a multitude of reasons, including
a) what is the definition of "effective" (is it increased helmet usage, or
decreased injury), b) did effectiveness studies include potential decreases
in overall bicycle usage (they did not).

It does not conclude that MHLs are a bad thing, nor does it conclude that
they are a good thing.

Which means that BOTH sides will find plenty to argue about in the document.

--
Steven L. Sheffield
stevens at veloworks dot com
bellum pax est libertas servitus est ignoratio vis est
ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee sea eye tee why you ti ay aitch
aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you
double-yew double-ewe dot veloworks dot com [foreword] slash

"The US Department of Transportation is a cargo cult?"

The "safety" depatrment is and always was. Not that you'd have noticed
what with your head up your ass and all.

http://www.magma.ca/~ocbc/kunich.html

Steven L. Sheffield said:

Discuss.

Wrong newsgroup.

Bob Schwartz
[email hidden]

"Bob Schwartz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Steven L. Sheffield said:

Discuss.

Wrong newsgroup.

Bob Schwartz
[email hidden]

rec.bicycle.soc but the helmet war was won three years ago by Richard
Kaufman defeating Tom Kunich and Avery Burdett.

Steven L. Sheffield said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Discuss.

Bob Schwartz said:

Quoted message said:

Wrong newsgroup.

B. Lafferty said:

rec.bicycle.soc but the helmet war was won three years ago by Richard
Kaufman defeating Tom Kunich and Avery Burdett.

That was HW I. HW III may be fought with WMD if Kunich and Co. can
make the appropriate contacts in N Korea.

RonSonic said:

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 11:50:43 GMT, "Steven L. Sheffield" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/BikeHelmetUseLawsWeb/pages/index.htm

....

Quoted message said:

This is a religious text, not a public policy document.

Oh, they're usually the same thing. LOL.

B. Lafferty said:

"Bob Schwartz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Steven L. Sheffield said:

Discuss.

Wrong newsgroup.

Bob Schwartz
[email hidden]

rec.bicycle.soc but the helmet war was won three years ago by Richard
Kaufman defeating Tom Kunich and Avery Burdett.

Has that been released on DVD?

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

"Mark & Steven Bornfeld" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:U5qMe.460$wb.342@trndny08...

Quoted message said:

B. Lafferty said:

"Bob Schwartz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Steven L. Sheffield <[email hidden]> wrote:

>Discuss.

Wrong newsgroup.

Bob Schwartz
[email hidden]

rec.bicycle.soc but the helmet war was won three years ago by Richard
Kaufman defeating Tom Kunich and Avery Burdett.

Has that been released on DVD?

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

AFAIK, no release date yet.

Steven L. Sheffield said:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/BikeHelmetUseLawsWeb/pa
ges/index.htm

Discuss.

No.