In a follow up to my post on compulsory helmets, I found this piece from the BBC’s More or Less programme. This interesting statistical-mathematical-economics programme asked ‘is it really safer to wear a helmet when cycling.’

Citing a study that ‘found that for those wearing a helmet, motorists drove much closer when overtaking.’ The study’s author also concludes that motorists ’use a cyclist’s physical appearance to judge the specific likelihood of the rider behaving predictably.’ But another report rejects all behavioural research and says ‘that none of the studies was robust enough to prove that helmets affect behaviour.’ The problem, the reports says is that;

‘the data available about injured cyclists, from the police or hospital admissions, does not record whether they were wearing helmets or not. It is therefore difficult to draw definitive conclusions in favour of helmets.’

More or Less concludes the programme by saying;

‘Wearing a helmet does seem like common sense – if it doesn’t encourage you or other road users to take extra risks. But in the absence of really compelling evidence either way, it’s up to individuals to make their own choices.’

As I have said previously, it is the motorists’ behaviour that will determine whether I will wear a helmet or not. One of the comments left on the More or Less site makes an observation:

‘Countries with a higher proportion of cycle use and proportionately little helmet use (like Germany and Holland) have proportionately fewer head injuries than we do in Britain. It’s the behaviour of car drivers that is the problem, not the bicycle or cyclist.’

But I think the cyclist’s behaviour is also important, as A Unified Theory of New York Biking points out:

‘Bikes can and should behave much more like cars than pedestrians. They should ride on the road, not the sidewalk. They should stop at lights, and pedestrians should be able to trust them to do so. They should use lights at night. And — of course, duh — they should ride in the right direction on one-way streets. None of this is a question of being polite; it’s the law. But in stark contrast to motorists, nearly all of whom follow nearly all the rules, most cyclists seem to treat the rules of the road as strictly optional. They’re still in the human-powered mindset of pedestrians, who feel pretty much completely unconstrained by rules.’

This is what I wrote about before, ’Cyclists also have a responsibility as well. In the CBD, people will often equate cyclists with bicycle couriers who are accused off speeding past pedestrians and cutting into traffic.’

We all have a responsibility on the roads. I will continue to wear my helmet in the English-speaking world, and will not in the Dutch, Germanic and Nordic worlds.