BIKE: New Texas helmet law

[Roger Baker]

Probably the theory that is largely driving this helmet issue is that 
frail little bikes and their riders needed to be shielded from their 
foolish and careless encounters with cars, which crashes I think are 
the real source of the most serious bike injuries.

I imagine helmets probably help some, but I don't know how much. But it 
may well be that different street standards designed to protect bikes 
could save far more bike rider lives. There must be cost-effectiveness 
calculations on all these safety alternatives somewhere. Where are 
they?

I imagine Texas state laws regarding bicycles are probably incurably 
crazy, since I know that to be the case with anything TxDOT touches 
having to do with roads, and frequently post that stuff here.

However on the local city level, I think bike riders should demand 
bike-safe streets, as one of the things they expect when they pay 
taxes, and that young bike riders can haul those yard signs and 
leaflets around to help to make sure old fashioned car-obsessive city 
council candidates do not get elected.

The time to discuss these issues (on this list?), and to extract 
SPECIFIC pledges of better street design standards, more conducive to 
bike safety, from the candidates  -- is well before the political 
campaigning gets under way.  -- Roger




On Jan 3, 2005, at 11:57 AM, Michael Bluejay wrote:

> The reply from Robin Stallings of TBC, and my response.
>
> For the record, I'd consider supporting mandatory *training* for kids 
> in bike safety, since that could actually prevent their getting hit, 
> and also increase safety for other road users.  But helmets -- 
> especially forced helmets -- do neither.  Of course, the training 
> would have to be super-easy to get (such as at their regular school, 
> during school hours).
>
> -MBJ-