Posted by: cooperquinn
Nice. I like that study, where they don't have helmet data for 85% of the victims, zero data on "thoracic protection" for either injury prevention OR usage rates, and yet still conclude cyclists should wear both to prevent injury. Seems like good science.
You could compare/contrast that with the myriad of research around helmet use around the globe for commuting, safe infrastructure, cycling rates, and injury rates, and it might be interesting. Or the causes of crashes and injuries (hint: its drivers). But I'm not here to do anyone's homework for them.
Cars are very dangerous to the people and property around them - its the responsibility of the user to ensure they don't injure or kill others. Putting some lens of "eQuAl rESpoNsiBilITy" for people on bikes is absolutely victim blaming bullshit, and needs to be called out loudly at every opportunity.
Yes, the authors stated that a limitation of the study was that helmet usage data was unavailable for 85% of the patients in the study. However, they also noted that 48.3% of Albertans over 12 wear a helmet while cycling. So instead of cherry picking a limitation that the authors noticed maybe consider the bigger picture in that safety gear can help reduce the severity of injuries. As the lead author stated in the news article I also linked to: “Trauma to the head is still the No. 1 injury in both cycling groups, which underscores the importance of wearing a good-quality, properly fitted helmet,” says Dr. Chad Ball, the senior author of the research paper. “At the same time, almost half of the injuries we noted were either to the chest or abdomen, suggesting that greater physical protection in those areas could also help reduce or prevent serious injury.” - emphasis mine
Likewise, a pragmatic approach says that it makes sense for an individual to take some precautions in face of potential injury for an activity they participate in. Pretty much everyone I know wears a helmet while cycling. Lots of people wear knee/elbow pads when mtb'ing. Lots of people use lights when cycling on city streets at night. All these things are examples of measures that can help reduce the risk of crashes/collisions and hopefully injury as well. My point is not to say someone is at fault if they get hit for not having a bright enough light or the right colour helmet, the point is that there are measures that people can take to reduce the risks of cycling on the road. It's up to the individual whether they want to use those measures or not.
I find it just bizarre that people want to twist info on cycling safety into some sort of witch hunt where apparently I think that Andrew is to blame.