thanks for pointing to this, bethany, and for the follow up, mark. yes i'd love that on rsn2 if either of you are up to doing it. i'll post something later if not.

my take is that even if there's evidence that some drivers give you less room if you look skilled or prepared, i still believe that if something does happen, i'll be far better off with a helmet on, or certainly no worse off.

as a driver, i also give more room to people who are biking unsafely, who are wobbling or weaving, without a helmet or other gear, or don't have lights at night, but i feel more respect and courtesy for those who are skilled and safety-equipped. i am much more supportive of a person's right to share the road when it seems to me they are competent and prepared.

i think it says to drivers that i take what i am doing seriously and that i want to be safe and responsible. some of them may still resent this, but i think most are supportive of people who want to share the roads when they see you have safety gear (including blinkies and headlights when needed).

i also believe that if anything goes to court, it is an important part of supporting that I am operating in a reasonable and prudent manner to show that i'm wearing a helmet and sliders and lights when appropriate, just as it looks bad for a driver if they have a light out or some other obvious safety issue.

i respect other people's opinions on this, and their desire to not wear a helmet, but i also have no desire to skate with people who aren't wearing helmets when skating or biking. they have a right to their boundaries, but so do event planners and other skaters. that's just my opinion, obviously.

skateylove too!

blake
----- Original Message ----
From: bethany soule <bsoule Æ gmail.com>
To: inlinenc <inlinenc Æ yahoogroups.com>; improvetheworld Æ umich.edu
Sent: Friday, September 22, 2006 2:38:11 PM
Subject: [InlineNC] helmet usage

I wanted to send out a counter argument to this article claiming that
cycling (and we can probably infer skating too, though I guess drivers
are often so surprised to see you on the road, they're likely to give
you a pretty wide berth) with a helmet is actually "more dangerous":
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 1/hi/england/ somerset/ 5334208.stm

Check out this report from the NYC DOT on bicycle accidents in the
city over the past 10 years. Of 225 fatalities, 97% of the riders were
not wearing helmets, and 74% involved a head injury. Drivers may be
more reckless around you if you're wearing a helmet (because you look
more competent or something) -- but you're still at a much higher risk
of serious injury and death without the helmet.
www.nyc.gov/ html/doh/ downloads/ pdf/episrv/ episrv-bike- report.pdf

(One could also conclude from the nycdot's data that nyc is actually a
pretty safe place to bike comparatively. The accident rate per million
is the same as 'elsewhere' in the country, while there are twice as
many cyclists per million out there. (#2 under the 'key findings'
section))

Bethany