Our World

Do Helmets Really Help?

One would think that wearing helmets would make people riding bikes safer. Ian Walker, a traffic psychologist, did a test to see if wearing helmets really do make you safer on the streets. Walker had a group of engineers rig up a bike that would detect how much "room" passing drivers would give him. When he was carrying out his experiment, half the time he would wear a helmet and then other half he would go without it. After being passed by about 2,500 motorists he discovered that when he was wearing his helmet drivers passed three inches closer.
Now this makes one think. Helmets are supposed to make bikers safer, but is the "helmet" setting off the wrong impression?Walker theorized that drivers thought that helmeted bike riders are more skilled and need less riding space. One driver said, "We know who the good ones are out there. They are the ones in the cycle lanes with helmets on."As another part of his test, we put on a wig so passerbies would get the perception that he was a female. He recorded that he was given about five and a half more inches that when he rode without a wig.
But these statistics don't mean chuck your helmets aside and ride helmet less. This headgear serves a good purpose for the youth who are just learning how to ride a bike. They will help greatly when they have their little spills that could cause some damage.
But we don't want this to send the wrong message. People might get the idea that helmets are safer so we can take more risks. Kind of like the idea of drivers wearing seat belts. They make them feel safer so they believe they can drive faster.
When I read this article I was amazed. I never really realized what other people's perspectives were when people wore helmets. I always thought that it was a good thing, but in this case it kind of makes me wonder. What if a youth was biking on the side of the road wearing a helmet, would a driver pass on by leaving them little room for error? Let me know what you think of this mind boggling subject. What do you think when you see someone biking along the side of the road with a helmet on?

posted by Anonymous @ 9/20/2006 08:40:00 PM