Far from being laughable, the absurd Japanese suggestion
that schoolchildren should be compelled wear helmets when walking
to school in fact opens up new possibilities.
Might it not be an idea for instance, for "sensible" people to start
writing letters to the newspapers such as the Reading Post, insisting
that all schoolchildren should be compelled to wear helmets when
walking to school? Based on the Japanese study.
It might also be the case that many deaths from the more common
types of accidents are cause by head injuries.* Such as falling down
the stairs. So that possibly if most of the people who die by falling down
the stairs had been wearing helmets, many or most of them need not have
dies. In fact given impact speeds etc its likly that helmets might have
been more effective in such situations in preventing death, than in
the case of bikes.
So possibly there should be someone out there campaigning for, for
instance, compulsory helmets for stairs users etc. - but all based on
unimpeachable statistics.
Rather than simply trying to meet stupidity and wilful ignorance with
reason, and playing the idiots at their own game, maybe its also possible
to go along with them and show them the ultimate absurdity of what they're
suggesting. Show why compulsory helmet wearing would in effect benefit
almost everyone anyone in danger of banging their head - (car drivers
and passengers we already know about) and often to a fair greater extent
than in the case of cyclists.
But obviously the people suggesting this, should have no connection
with cycling. As indeed they shoudn't need to have. Passing stupid
laws as a sop to popular prejudice - as a non dog owning anti
gun person the dangerous dogs and hand gun legislation immediiately
spring to mind - should be resisted on principle anyway.
Curious
* i.e this is pure conjecture. This whole area of primary cause of death
being controversial in itself. i.e the cyclist's lower body was crushed
by the vehicle but the cause of death was massive cerebreal bleeding.