Almost 9 in 10 people back headphones ban and compulsory helmets for cyclists say survey

Personally, I'd be very disappointed if headphones were banned. I'd never go out without a helmet, but I often listen to my iPod whilst I'm riding. Most of my riding is done alone and out on quiet roads in either the Pays de la Loire or Derbyshire countrysides, so it's not really a problem, because I don't need to have the volume up loud to be able to hear my music above the traffic. I'd never listen to my iPod whilst cycling through a busy city, though. I know form experience that you need all your senses when navigating through Paris during rush hour and I imagine London is the same.

I find this whole headphone thing bizarre. Are there even any stats to back up the idea that wearing headphones is a contributory factor in accidents? I regularly see cyclists in London with headphones in, who are clearly aware of their surroundings. In contrast I also regularly see cyclists who don't even seem to understand the need to look over their shoulder regularly. Whether the latter group have earphones in or not they are far more dangerous. The whole argument just seems to be part of an attempt to blame cyclists for being hit by someone else.

It actually reminds me of an accident I had back when I was a student. I was riding to a local park to study for an exam when a left turning van took me out. After I picked myself off the ground I checked my belongings. This included the items in my rucksack (books, food, etc) and my Walkman (yes, this was a while ago). Of course I'd not been using it at the time, but as it had been in my back pocket I was worried it might be damaged when I hit the ground. As soon as the driver saw it he started shouting that I was listening to music and that is why the accident happened, which was complete rubbish. However, it demonstrates the way that someone causing an accident will jump on any reason to blame the victim. The same is true with helmets. Most of the recent fatal accidents involved the victim being crushed to death. Presence or lack of a helmet makes no difference when a tonne plus lorry drives over you, but it seems to be easier to blame the cyclist for their death. No doubt if they'd asked the question whether cyclists wearing HiViz should be law the answer to that would be yes too....

really dont understand why people are fiercly against helmets. Yes they arent stylish but they are better than nothing and they could very well save your life one day!! All arguments ive seen against helmets are people just saying that they dont need to wear one.

I think we should ban headphone wearing and texting
by pedestrians unless they are fully trained, wearing hi-vis
and appropriate safety wear. Also car drivers should be
forced to wear helmets for hteir own safety too ....

ooohh is that my alarm clock !!!!

can we have a survey about driving standards? and specifically ask lots of pedestrians and cyclists about this??

I just went for a walk in my local area (camden town) and within 30 minutes of being in the centre area around the tube station and high street saw:

-numerous motorists using smartphones in their cars

-numerous motorbikes, cars and HGV / Bus sitting right in the ASL at the traffic lights

-2 specific instances where 2 motorists got caught of out place after red lights had changed, and then tried to drive through pedestrians crossing on green light, with pedestrians shouting and signalling them both to stop before they got run over. This was:

at lights next to Sports Direct, this is where the women on the bike was run over by lorry recently

at lights next to barclays bank/gym/Vans shop and tube station

no sign of any Police enforcement in this area, and this is one of the busiest Tourists destinations in the UK for people coming to Camden markets

I would have preferred to see the helmet question worded,
"I'm aware that a compulsory helmet law would cause more deaths than it saves, as a result of inactivity among those who subsequently choose not to cycle, and I know that it will cause increased car use and more congestion, making cycling more dangerous for those continuing to cycle, but, since I have a tendency not to think things through in the longer term, I still think compulsion is a good idea".

Here's a quick link to Jeff Brewster's well documented University of Bath study into the effects that helmets have on overtaking vehicles, http://www.drianwalker.com/overtaking/overtakingprobrief.pdf,
in which he concludes that,

"the helmet effect is likely the result of drivers judging cyclists' skill levels from their appearance and adjusting their overtaking accordingly",

and that ,

"drivers of buses and heavy goods vehicles got significantly closer than other vehicles".

The xkcd for today is particularly appropriate for the discussion about regurgitating results of studies

http://xkcd.com/1295/

how many people know what the design parameters of a bicycle helmet?

How many see helmet and assume it gives the same level of protection as a motorbike helmet, if you think it is obvious it can't, but this isn't about common sense.

Hey, look - there's a dead cat!
http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2013/11/24/the-dead-cat-strategy-how-the...

I read the article yesterday. What it highlights is how few people actually understand what causes most cycle crashes and cyclist injuries and deaths. DfT research shows that over 80% of incidents involving a cyclist and a motor vehicle are not the fault of the rider.

The survey also shows how most people (and that includes some cyclists apparently) are unaware that wearing a helmet would make no difference to the outcome for most cyclists involved in incidents that result in serious injuries or fatalities. And it shows too how most people are unaware how ineffective cycle helmets are due to the pathetically low impact standards they're designed to.

That said, I think anyone wearing headphones or earbuds while they ride is nuts. All well and good off-road but on-road, your hearing is really important to your safety.

Wishful thinking? Those are things *you* can easily influence, much more so than people driving at 40mph while steering with their knees and texting two handed, or deciding that they're cross with your cycling and skimming your elbow at 50mph, or thinking you should be in the ice covered bike lane, and deciding to tailgate you.

If the problem really was bad cycling, or earphones, or helmets, you can tell yourself that *you'll* be ok, and that choosing the cycle as a mode of transport in the UK isn't a triumph of hope and misplaced faith in other people.

So, if and when the legislation is passed, and no significant statistical effect is seen (that controls for numbers of cyclists), as it hasn't been anywhere else... would the law be rescinded?

Me thinks that is unlikely. Meanwhile life becomes slightly worse.

Out of only So lets look at the breakdown
60% motors,
25% neither
9% more motorist than cycle
...that's 94% not regular/primarily a cyclist out of only 1867 people. Leaving 7% (rounding error) who are primarily cyclists.

Just sayin

Note to motorists completing a survey for cyclists.

Don't criticise what you don't understand.

Why are we not commissioning a survey with a 60% response return rate from cyclists on the standard of driving and justice in this country?

Our survey says: Most people regurgitate things they've read in the papers back at surveys.

Garbage. The opinion of the general public equates to uninformed opinion.

*yawns*

Polls mean nothing aside from it shows the motorists agenda - they can't bully riders who can't hear them tooting their horn, revving their engine etc which happens daily... ; )

Lets hope we never have a true democracy then, because as ever the misinformed prejudices of the majority will cause real punishment of minorities. Mob rule.

I suspect a fairly large proportion of people will have exaggerated their bike use, because they won't want to be seen as sedentary carknobs. Rather like people won't admit to being racist in surveys. Or even that they might vote Conservative.

So that would tend to screw the survey up a bit.

What's more, I am not sure that a poll is the right way to determine something that is better determined by evidence than by anecdote.

Wearing headphones when riding...well I think natural selection takes care of that...oh I didn't hear that motorbike coming...arrrrrrrrr!