Ontario Helmet Law being pushed through - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

11-04-2004, 01:28 PM

The law would apply to people who skateboard, ride scooters or in-line
skate. Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
now.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

My favourite part:

"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

--
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under
robber-barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber-
baron's cruelty may at some point be satiated; but those who
torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they
do so with the approval of their own conscience."

- C.S. Lewis

11-04-2004, 01:39 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

Amazing, isn't it, how people read what they want to read into the
statement "Helmets cannot always protect against injury. Even a very
low speed impact can result in serious injury or death. Any helmet
subjected to a sever impact should be discarded and destroyed, even
though damage may not be outwardly visible. Since this helmet is made
of polystyrene foam, there is a chance it may be penetrated by sharp
objects" (instructions from a Bell helmet)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

11-04-2004, 01:39 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

Amazing, isn't it, how people read what they want to read into the
statement "Helmets cannot always protect against injury. Even a very
low speed impact can result in serious injury or death. Any helmet
subjected to a sever impact should be discarded and destroyed, even
though damage may not be outwardly visible. Since this helmet is made
of polystyrene foam, there is a chance it may be penetrated by sharp
objects" (instructions from a Bell helmet)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

11-04-2004, 01:39 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

Amazing, isn't it, how people read what they want to read into the
statement "Helmets cannot always protect against injury. Even a very
low speed impact can result in serious injury or death. Any helmet
subjected to a sever impact should be discarded and destroyed, even
though damage may not be outwardly visible. Since this helmet is made
of polystyrene foam, there is a chance it may be penetrated by sharp
objects" (instructions from a Bell helmet)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

11-04-2004, 01:39 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>:

>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

Amazing, isn't it, how people read what they want to read into the
statement "Helmets cannot always protect against injury. Even a very
low speed impact can result in serious injury or death. Any helmet
subjected to a sever impact should be discarded and destroyed, even
though damage may not be outwardly visible. Since this helmet is made
of polystyrene foam, there is a chance it may be penetrated by sharp
objects" (instructions from a Bell helmet)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

11-04-2004, 06:49 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>The law would apply to people who skateboard, ride scooters or in-line
>skate. Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
>now.

Oops, I was mistaken. This law will apply to cyclists of all ages as
well.

>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>My favourite part:
>
>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

11-04-2004, 06:49 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>The law would apply to people who skateboard, ride scooters or in-line
>skate. Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
>now.

Oops, I was mistaken. This law will apply to cyclists of all ages as
well.

>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>My favourite part:
>
>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

11-04-2004, 06:49 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>The law would apply to people who skateboard, ride scooters or in-line
>skate. Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
>now.

Oops, I was mistaken. This law will apply to cyclists of all ages as
well.

>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>My favourite part:
>
>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

11-04-2004, 06:49 PM

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>The law would apply to people who skateboard, ride scooters or in-line
>skate. Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
>now.

Oops, I was mistaken. This law will apply to cyclists of all ages as
well.

>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>My favourite part:
>
>"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
>accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
>on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
>I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
>them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
>this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

11-04-2004, 10:23 PM

<Crosspost re-inserted>

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 23:20:55 -0500, "Micheal Artindale"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>Are you for or against it? I am FOR it.
>
>Micheal

I wonder why. Are you aware that mandatory helmet laws implemented in
Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Zealand and parts of Australia have not only
not shown benefits but have actually had negative effects (decreased
numbers of cyclists in all cases and sometimes an increase in the rate
of head injury after the law is enacted)?

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Helmets are already mandatory for children in Ontario (not that the
law is enforced). If reducing the rates of injury and death to
cyclists is such a priority, time, money and energy would be far, far
better spent on teaching cyclists to ride lawfully and skillfully on
the road. Children nowadays don't have any idea of how to ride safely
because their parents, who themselves haven't cycled in years if at
all, also have no clue. When one looks at how cycling is portrayed by
the safety zealots, the media and even many cyclists who should know
better, it's no wonder that so many refuse to ride a bike stating
'it's too dangerous'.

Don't you think that it's at all possible that adults are capable of
informing themselves sufficiently to evaluate the risks of the
activities they are engaging in and deciding for themselves what
safety equipment is necessary, if any?

Does cycling without a helmet really need to be be criminal?