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From the Western Australian newspaper:
Review could see bike helmet laws ditched
=========================================
Compulsory bike helmet laws could be scrapped after new research cast
doubt on whether they saved lives, the State Government said
yesterday.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the study
by NSW University of New England senior statistician Dorothy Robinson,
which claimed there was no evidence helmets lowered head injury rates,
would be reviewed.
The report said there was evidence the laws stopped people cycling and
so had negative effects on health and the environment.
Ms MacTiernan said there were problems with the more controversial
aspects of the research but it would be foolish to dismsiss it.
"We would be very silly if we were not prepared to look at the
research," she said.
The move comes after The West Australian obtained proof the State
Government had no idea whether bike helmets saved lives - as outlined
in letters from Ms MacTiernan.
The two letters, one while she was in opposition and one last year,
state there is no evidence that mandatory bike helmet laws work.
In May 2000, as Labor spokeswoman for planning and transport, Ms
MacTiernan wrote to fellow MLA Jullian Grill saying there were
concerns
about the effectiveness of the 1992 laws which made bike helmets
compulsory.
"Research suggests that compulsory helmet legislation may be counter
productive in public health terms," she wrote.
In September 2005, Ms MacTiernan's acting chief-of-staff Richard
Farrell wrote to cycling advocate Avery Burdett that there was no
consistent data to allow reliable conclusions about the impact of the
laws on community health.
Ms MacTiernan said the Government had data about the health of people
engaging in exercise but there was no cycling specific data.
WA Council for Civil Liberties president Peter Weygers said Dr
Robinson joined a growing list of people concerned that mandatory
helmet laws were harmful.
But health professionals criticised any move to review helmet laws.
Royal Perth Hospital trauma surgery director Sudhakar Rao said
hospital data showed helmets reduced the chances of a serious head
injury. He said it seemed a poor swap to have more healthy people but
more with serious head injuries.
Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk
85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound
Review could see bike helmet laws ditched
=========================================
Compulsory bike helmet laws could be scrapped after new research cast
doubt on whether they saved lives, the State Government said
yesterday.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the study
by NSW University of New England senior statistician Dorothy Robinson,
which claimed there was no evidence helmets lowered head injury rates,
would be reviewed.
The report said there was evidence the laws stopped people cycling and
so had negative effects on health and the environment.
Ms MacTiernan said there were problems with the more controversial
aspects of the research but it would be foolish to dismsiss it.
"We would be very silly if we were not prepared to look at the
research," she said.
The move comes after The West Australian obtained proof the State
Government had no idea whether bike helmets saved lives - as outlined
in letters from Ms MacTiernan.
The two letters, one while she was in opposition and one last year,
state there is no evidence that mandatory bike helmet laws work.
In May 2000, as Labor spokeswoman for planning and transport, Ms
MacTiernan wrote to fellow MLA Jullian Grill saying there were
concerns
about the effectiveness of the 1992 laws which made bike helmets
compulsory.
"Research suggests that compulsory helmet legislation may be counter
productive in public health terms," she wrote.
In September 2005, Ms MacTiernan's acting chief-of-staff Richard
Farrell wrote to cycling advocate Avery Burdett that there was no
consistent data to allow reliable conclusions about the impact of the
laws on community health.
Ms MacTiernan said the Government had data about the health of people
engaging in exercise but there was no cycling specific data.
WA Council for Civil Liberties president Peter Weygers said Dr
Robinson joined a growing list of people concerned that mandatory
helmet laws were harmful.
But health professionals criticised any move to review helmet laws.
Royal Perth Hospital trauma surgery director Sudhakar Rao said
hospital data showed helmets reduced the chances of a serious head
injury. He said it seemed a poor swap to have more healthy people but
more with serious head injuries.
Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk
85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound
