Yes, Jeffbloggs, you've got to love Mike Rubbo's work.
I agree entirely with you, Jeffblogs, on the insanity of individual ownership of means of transport. Did you know that when the BOS reports on the census data next year the second item in the Australian household accounts is likely to be transport? Insanity. Elsewhere, mobile technology, smart cards, e-commerce combos are allowing car shares to become a genuine component in the transport mix. Hertz has just started car sharing in Madrid and NYC. Bike sharing is huge in other cities around the world but will not be in Australia until we get rid of the silly helmet laws. I easily envisage a future where every railway station would have a bike share alongside proper facilities for private bikes which would easily replace the standard car journey (less than 5km on average-- all those ineffective and unnecessary car trips). This can't happen when we blindly insist that our compulsory helmet laws stay in place.
It's very dubious to say that as a matter of public policy that compulsory bike helmets save lives. An individual decision is very different from a mandated public policy objective and, regardless of how anyone chooses to cover their own noggin, we need to realize that on helmets our governments and laws are wrong.
Every activity carries a risk to the person. The danger of peddling a bike is way overstated in Australia and is one of the main reasons why uptake of cycling is so low, and fairly much concentrated around a demographic of middle-aged male commuters. Australians are no lazier than anyone else, but they are fatter. We are fatter because we don't walk, don't cycle. We are fatter because our children don't ride to school but learn very early on that the only mode of transport is the car. The health benefits that would accrue from us ignoring the silly culture of fear that's evolved would save many more lives and produce fewer injuries than our current frozen state of inaction.
No arguments from me, Buzzman, on compulsory helmets for motorcyclists. The benefit of these laws has international statistical backing, unlike cycle helmets. I also have no problem with society picking up the tab for the care and support of those injured as a result of motorcycling accidents even though I choose not to use that form of transport.
Posted Wednesday 25 Aug 2010 @ 12:27:41 pm from IP
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