Colorado HB 1147: Helmet legislation for children

“I will pursue any legislation in order to protect children as best I can,” says Colorado state senator Bob Bacon of Fort Collins. To that end, Senator Bacon and Represenative John Kefalas (also of Ft Collins) are sponsoring legislation to mandate helmet use for children under age 18. The proposed law doesn't have teeth -- enforcement will consist of police lecturing bike riders to ride their helmets, instead of any actual citation or fine.

Kefalas says he's responding to "numerous tragedies on Fort Collins roads involving car collisions with children riding bicycles," according to the Coloradoan. There were 38 bike / car collisions involving children in Ft Collins in 2008 reported to the Ft Collins police.

Long time cycling advocate Rick Price of Ft Collins believes cycling education for children would be a much more valuable use of state resources to improve cycling safety for children.

Dallas bike helmet law and selective enforcement

From The Dallas Morning News:

Sergio Portillo, 33, was stopped July 11, 2008, as he rode his bicycle while not wearing a helmet near downtown. He was then searched and charged with drug possession after police said they found that he was carrying crack cocaine.

Abuse of power is one of [Attorney David] Pire's concerns. Complaints from clients about the helmet law "popped up periodically and it's always a minority" who has been stopped by police, he said. "I started looking at it and I thought this law can't be valid."

And then the Dallas police claim (falsely) "...hospitals are filled with patients from those injuries who were not wearing helmets." What a bunch of hokum.

Via Streetsblog.

Seattle cyclist claims helmet saved his head from certain death

Mark Seawall was hit from behind by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle. He was knocked unconscious and didn't know what happened. "I knew something bad had happened. I knew I had been in a bicycle accident apparently," he said about the moment he came to in the ambulance. But now the news media claims the truck ran over Mark's head and he was saved by his helmet!

If you're naive enough to believe this ludicrous claim, consider these photos. This is your brain:



This is your helmet-protected brain under the wheel of a car.



Any questions?

See more photos and commentary about these types of claims that helmets can protect against rollovers by cars and trucks, see the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute page. There are more photos here along with a description of the testing.

Moldable goo withstands shovel whacks

I can definitely see some useful cycling applications for this material.


The material is called D30, which is described as a "lightweight material is very flexible and malleable, until subjected to abrupt force, making it useful in protective clothing in situations where the wearer may be exposed to blunt trauma." D3O has been used for protective ski gear, soccer gloves and shinguards, and motorcycle gloves.

Via CycleDog, who found it via WIRED.

Pollution filter for cyclists

This "Breathe Air" helmet was created by 22-year-old Brunel University industrial design and technology student Luke Pannell. This helmet and face shield covers the cyclist's nose and mouth with an air filter to remove particulate matter from the breathed air.

Air pollution is a concern for me, but I don't think I'll rush out to get this particular helmet. There's no comment on how much this thing restricts air flow, and it looks unbelievably hot to me. Fishbowl wonders what happens if you sneeze while wearing this? Many cyclists also know that mucous buildup in the throat and nose that collects while cycling and must be periodically cleaned out.

Read more in the London Times Online.

See also the Puma Vexed Cycling jacket which also features a built-in air filter.

Bicycle safety video: wigs versus helmets

Dave Wild demonstrates the safety benefit of wearing a wig while bicycling.

ABC News 20/20 Intouch has a series on what Americans fear. In this video, John Stossel interviews Dr. Ian Walker, the psychologist who did the infamous study comparing motorist behavior around a cyclist wearing a helmet versus wearing a wig. You can see both Dr. Walker and Mr. Stossel riding their bikes with a wig.

Watch it on 20/20 InTouch: "Unintended Consequences".

Update: I just noticed that Graham posted his commentary about this video after he saw it posted (with complete text) at C.I.C.L.E.

Tags: bicycle, safety,