I came acrossPedalMe cargo bike companylast year, and was impressed.
It provides a last-mile cargo and passengerebikeservice.
Sounds pretty good, hey?
But theres a quirk their riders are not allowed to wear bike helmets.
Instead we systematically work to reduce risk.
(1/n)
Pedal Me (@pedalmeapp)February 4, 2022
40% off TNW Conference!
Instead, they focus on systematically tackling risk through data collection and data-driven decision making.
Do they save lives?
Well, it depends on whos asking and who you ask.
Helmets are made of hard plastic and lined with foam, to state the obvious.
However, this is less effective when riding at speed.
Of course, to be effective, a helmet needs to be well fitted.
So the pro-helmet stance holds that they reduce the risk of serious head injury or death.
For example, this would posit that those wearing seat belts drive more recklessly than those without.
This approach also looks at the idea of social health.
Where are bike helmets legally required?
The city of Tacoma had previously repealed the requirement in 2020 due to similar concerns.
The city of Tacoma, Washington, repealed its requirement in 2020, citing similar equity concerns.
Whats it like living somewhere with compulsory helmets?
I find that there are massive differences between Australia and Europe regarding bike safety.
The reality is that there is a huge culture of disrespect and antagonism towardscyclistsin Australia.
We also havepoorer quality roadsand fewer bike lanes.
And, significantly, unlike places like Berlin and Amsterdam, few drivers are cyclists themselves.
Compulsory helmets make it harder to introduce a cycling culture.
For example, in Australia,
And yes, you needed a helmet.
Incidentally, its the same for the currentescootersin Australia, but the helmet comes locked to the escooter.
A friend told me, I havent got lice yet, fingers crossed!
So maybe, theres hope yet.
