Mandatory bicycle helmets urged by Ontario coroner

[GameBoy27]

I'm torn.

On the one hand, I'm all in favour of letting people stupid enough to ride without helmets get their heads broken.

On the other hand, I don't want to pay their lifetime of health costs because they are injured and need care for life.

Perhaps the best law would be to that if you get a head injury while biking, and you didn't wear a helmet, OHIP does not apply. Make it the same for car seat-belts. That way, people get all the freedom they want but the rest of us don't have to pay for their idiotic choices.

There is no private health care option so you can't tell people their medical expenses won't be covered for head injuries sustained from not wearing a helmet, wearing a seat belt etc. If people had an option to purchase private care like they do in many other countries, then that's a different story.

I wasn't trying to be a wise-ass. It's good that you were wearing a helmet and escaped more serious injury. I'm all for helmets. I got one this year that I could take the padding out and wash. They do get sweaty and smelly.
Not a lot of people don't know that if a bike helmet has suffered an impact, its trash. There aren't re-usable.

No worries CA, I didn't think you were being a wise-ass. I'm sure there's a lot of people who don't know the integrity of a helmet can be compromised from a relatively minor impact.

Pedestrians get killed by cars every year, we should make them wear helmets. The cost to maintain sidewalks just for them is outrageous, we should force them to pay licence fees, get registered and carry insurance to pay for their recklessness.

That is a one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Cyclists share the road with cars at speeds in excess of 50kph. It makes sense to make helmets mandatory, as seat belts are for cars.

 

[GameBoy27]

Every motorist speeds, every motorist rolls through stop signs, and on a daily basis I see cars doing really wacky things like u-turns without signalling, driving with the 4 way flashers on...today I saw a guy slam on his brakes in the middle of the road because a squirrel ran out. If someone had been behind him there would have been a collision. But the squirrel lived. Two days ago while biking I saw a guy screech his tires making a left turn through an intersection as the light turned red. I had to laugh when a cop stepped out of an unmarked car and made him pull over while I rode past.

I both cycle and drive and although I agree that there's bad drivers out there, I don't see cars constantly driving on the wrong side of the road, the wrong way down one way streets, sailing through red lights and stop signs without even attempting to slow down and driving at night without lights. Oh, and don't forget about all the cyclists who ride on the sidewalk weaving through pedestrians.

Maybe it's because I drive a car but I rarely have a problem with other motorist while on my bike. When I'm in my car I'm constantly avoiding nutcases on bikes. For example, I'll come to a 4 way stop and see a cyclist approaching from my left or right. It's almost like they expect you to remain stopped until they run the stop sign. If you pull out in front of them they more often than not give you a dirty look, yell at you or give you the finger.

 

[bobobots5]

If you buy a helmet with a visor, take the visor off. Basically if you fall, the helmet should slide smoothly along any surface and the visor prevents that.

Sometimes having the visor there is useful as well. Even with good sunglasses, having a visor helps in situations when the sun still impairs vision. That in itself is a preventative measure to avoid a fall or mishap in the first place. Maybe a new look in the design where the visor would detach more easily in the event of a fall on the front part of the helmet.

There are lots of cool looking helmets out there now but for the very same reason wetnose mentioned about having the helmet smoothly slide and not stick to the ground, I'd avoid any helmets with that cloth that holds firm to the helmet such as these...

Someone would be more prone to getting a neck injury if the helmet didn't slide along the ground.

 

[woodee]

Who will enforce the rule if they make bike helmets mandatory for everyone?
I see so many kids riding around without helmets on.
No one is enforcing the existing rules so why add more?
Is this really what we want the police to spend their time on?

 

[Rockslinger]

We should ban tinted windows in cars. When I am on my bike I can't see through a car's tinted window if a person is about to swing their car door open. Also, I like to make eye contact with car drivers and I can't do that when they are behind tinted windows.

 

[MattRoxx]

Some day...

 

[Anynym]

As a cyclist, I am furious that the article (and, presumably, the coroner's report) says nothing about actually enforcing the provisions in the Highway Traffic Act which make it illegal for a driver to place a cyclist's life in danger.

Instead, cyclists are blamed because cars fail to properly share the roadway as they are required to under the law. Motorists are not permitted to pass unless it is safe to do so: this includes all slower vehicles, motorised or not, yet too many drivers will pass a cyclist with only a few inches or a couple feet to spare.

 

[Rockslinger]

As a cyclist, I am furious that the article (and, presumably, the coroner's report) says nothing about actually enforcing the provisions in the Highway Traffic Act which make it illegal for a driver to place a cyclist's life in danger.

Also, those drivers who stop or park their cars in the bike lanes (the few bike lanes that we have), thus forcing the cyclist into traffic.

 

[HEYHEY]

Ban bicycles, there you go, zero deaths.

 

[MattRoxx]

Ban bicycles, there you go, zero deaths.

I didn't realize Adam Vaughan was a terbite!

Here's a differing point of view: Roads Were Not Built For Cars

Motorists are the johnny-come-latelies of highway history. The coming of the railways in the 1830s killed off the stage-coach trade; almost all rural roads reverted to low-level local use. Cyclists were the first group in a generation to use roads and were the first to push for high-quality sealed surfaces and were the first to lobby for national funding and leadership for roads.

Without cyclists, motorists wouldn't have hit the ground running when it came to places to drive this new form of transport.

'Roads Were Not Built for Cars' is a history book, focussing on a time when cyclists had political clout, in Britain and especially in America. The book researches the Road Improvements Association - a lobbying group created by the Cyclists' Touring Club in the 1880s - and the Good Roads movement organised by the League of American Wheelmen in the same period.

 

[larry]

Also, those drivers who stop or park their cars in the bike lanes (the few bike lanes that we have), thus forcing the cyclist into traffic.

it's far better that they park close to the curb than block a lane and force the rider to go between the car and the curb. a cyclist IS traffic. just merge smoothly as you can. if you can't pause for a moment as you would in a car.

 

[esoterica]

That is a one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Cyclists share the road with cars at speeds in excess of 50kph. It makes sense to make helmets mandatory, as seat belts are for cars.

I think he was making a point using reverse logic.

 

[Rockslinger]

Ban bicycles, there you go, zero deaths.

Nope, cars kill people in other cars, pedestrians and also police officers. Cars kill!

 

[oldjones]

it's far better that they park close to the curb than block a lane and force the rider to go between the car and the curb. a cyclist IS traffic. just merge smoothly as you can. if you can't pause for a moment as you would in a car.

As with cars, it's no biggie to pause and block a lane for a few seconds, but who actually parks in traffic and leaves their car as they often do in bike lanes?

If it was possible to make drivers obey a 'no parking in bike lanes' law it would make a real point to all: A lane is a lane and you do not block it. Until that is reflected in enforcement, cyclists have every right to complain they're treated as second-class road users.

 

[SirWanker]

As with cars, it's no biggie to pause and block a lane for a few seconds, but who actually parks in traffic and leaves their car as they often do in bike lanes?

If it was possible to make drivers obey a 'no parking in bike lanes' law it would make a real point to all: A lane is a lane and you do not block it. Until that is reflected in enforcement, cyclists have every right to complain they're treated as second-class road users.

May as well have a physically separated bike lane(s) a la Montreal.
Even now you have those inconsiderate waste of flesh parking...where ever they want while they run their little just-a-sec-errands

 

[GameBoy27]

We should ban tinted windows in cars. When I am on my bike I can't see through a car's tinted window if a person is about to swing their car door open. Also, I like to make eye contact with car drivers and I can't do that when they are behind tinted windows.

That would be a tough thing to do. Who is going to determine what degree of tinting is permissible since just about every car has some level of tint. It is illegal to have add additional tinting to the driver and passenger side windows. This bothers me as both a cyclist and driver because you can't see if the driver is looking your way as you're approaching from the side.

As a cyclist, I am furious that the article (and, presumably, the coroner's report) says nothing about actually enforcing the provisions in the Highway Traffic Act which make it illegal for a driver to place a cyclist's life in danger.

Instead, cyclists are blamed because cars fail to properly share the roadway as they are required to under the law. Motorists are not permitted to pass unless it is safe to do so: this includes all slower vehicles, motorised or not, yet too many drivers will pass a cyclist with only a few inches or a couple feet to spare.

What about the cyclists who place their own life in danger by riding like idiots? Or how about cyclists who ride at 20 kph in the center of a lane when the posted speed is 50 or kph. Technically you are allowed to take the whole lane but you're a fucking idiot if you do so. You're just asking for it IMHO.

When I ride a bicycle or motorcycle I assume cars don't see me and I'm always on the defensive. You have to be, cars are bigger than me, I'm harder to see and I have little to no protection. It's in my best interest to be overly aware of what's going around me. I signal all my turns and stop at red lights and stop signs. Maybe that's why I have so few incidents with cars when riding. The vast majority of problems I have is with the stupid cyclist who don't obey the rules of the road. I can't think of how many times I've narrowly missed hitting a cyclist with my car because of stupid actions on their part. If it wasn't for my quick thinking and avoidance, they'd be kissing the pavement!

Also, those drivers who stop or park their cars in the bike lanes (the few bike lanes that we have), thus forcing the cyclist into traffic.

If I see someone ahead stopped in a bike lane, I do a shoulder check to see what's coming up behind me so I can move into a gap, signal that I'm going to be moving to my left around the stopped car and make eye contact if possible, ring my bell and ride around them. What's the big deal!

it's far better that they park close to the curb than block a lane and force the rider to go between the car and the curb. a cyclist IS traffic. just merge smoothly as you can. if you can't pause for a moment as you would in a car.

Exactly! I also find that if you signal well in advanced that you're going around the stopped vehicle and make the eye contact bu looking right at them, drivers will cut you some slack and let you in. It doesn't hurt to give them a little wave of thanks after the fact.

I think some cyclist have way too much attitude on the road which gets them into trouble.

 

[Rockslinger]

If I see someone ahead stopped in a bike lane, I do a shoulder check to see what's coming up behind me so I can move into a gap, signal that I'm going to be moving to my left around the stopped car and make eye contact if possible, ring my bell and ride around them.

And then the driver opens the car door. Make sure you go really wide around that car parked in the bike lane.

 

[SirWanker]

And then the driver opens the car door. Make sure you go really wide around that car parked in the bike lane.

Why bother? If I can't avoid the collision, may as well ensure the idiot feels my pain.

 

[GameBoy27]

And then the driver opens the car door. Make sure you go really wide around that car parked in the bike lane.

Like I said, you have to ride defensively. That means you might want to leave a bit of extra room passing that car stopped in the bike lane and ring your bell. You're on a bike, people do stupid shit, prepare yourself and ride smart.

 

[Rockslinger]

Check your rearview mirrors for cyclists before opening the door.

We should ban tinted windows. When possible I like to look into a car to see if there is a human at the wheel because then the risk of a "door prize" increases expotentially(sp).