Issue: Proposed California Bicycle Helmet Law

Date: Feb 24, 2015 

The proposed California-wide bicycle helmet law has stirred up a passionate debate on blogs and bike club lists as well as in the media. Unfortunately, many discussions have degraded quickly into name-calling and personal insults–like the oh-so-droll “hard-headed bicyclists” headline several media outlets thought was so clever. Many people also expressed off-the-point misunderstandings of objections to the proposal, and questionable statistics have been endlessly repeated. 

But there’s no need to settle the question of whether, in total, a helmet law will make bicycling safer. 

What’s at issue is whether it’s a wise idea for the state to pass a law that would require every bicycle rider to wear a helmet.

(Read the rest … including a thought experiment … here.)  

 -cw

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 16

Pub: Feb 24, 2015