Q: Tasmanian helmet laws?

[Hippy]

"Bradley C. Goldsmith" <brad@black_spam_sheep_spam_software.com.au>
wrote in message news:SRT1c.87635$Wa.47823@news-
> I will be hanging left from now on.

Good lad ;-)

> The comment about having nowhere to go and that drivers will expect
you to
> bail left in a pinch has totally sold me. I was always hanging left
when
> underway - it was just an issue with right hand turns. Its just such a
pain
> to make a right hand turn from so far left when traffic is underway!
How do
> you guys do it? As today I have found myself having to swap to
pedestrian
> at right hand turns and waiting for the crossing as when I have tried
to
> merge when the lane can go right or straight ahead most cars don't
seem to
> happy about it.

I used to do that. Cross at ped crossing and suchlike. It's a confidence and skill thing. Practice
looking over your shoulder while riding while riding in a straight line. Practice this with your
inside hand off the bars, i.e. signalling a RH turn. Check for traffic and when clear, signal and
move across. Sometimes I just give up and continue on waiting for a different gap or waiting to do
the cheeky "safety" turn I described earlier. Depending on the light cycle, it is sometimes quicker
to do the safety turn, rather than change across to the RH turning lanes. It is generally safer too.

hippy

 

[Etxy]

Originally posted by Jens Herrmann
Hello, i am from Germany and i survived 8000 km without a helmet trough Australia last year. ;-) I
do not want to start a new helmet-flame-war-thread here as it happens in german newsgroups when
somebody writes that helmets are/are not reasonable. The question i just want to ask you is: How
does the majority of Australien people think about the helmet law? Do most cyclists support the
law or not?

Regards Jens

I figure that helmets are so good these days (or good helmets are so good) that its not such a hassle to wear them. I regard my helmet as just another piece of my cycling outfit, like knicks, shoes, etc. helps. And if you have a nice helmet, you're going to be happier to wear it then a big orange stackhat. My helmet is one of the nicest (Selev Atom fdjeux.com edition)... I'd never go without it, laws or not. Also, the fact that the last helmet I had saved me from almost certain brain damage is a powerful reminder... on top of that, I'm a law-abider by nature; I try not to rock the boat and basically do what I'm told. A combination of these 3 reasons is why I wear a helmet.

But thats just me. As for the average Aussie, most of them seem to wear helmets from what I've seen. Oh, they might occasionally grumble, but on the whole...