helmets increase danger
in [UK Drivers]
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From: JMS jmsmith2010 on 8 Apr 2010 07:57 On Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:20:56 +0100, David Hansen <SENDdavidNOhSPAM(a)spidacom.co.uk> wrote: >On Wed, 7 Apr 2010 11:04:49 -0700 (PDT) someone who may be Derek C ><del.copeland(a)tiscali.co.uk> wrote this:- > >>The participants in most dangerous high speed sports, such as motor >>racing, motorbike racing, downhill skiing, skateboarding, downhill >>mountain biking, horse racing, show jumping, etc, etc, wear head >>protection of some sort. > >Cycling is not a dangerous high speed sport, it is a means of >getting to the shops and so on. > >Next. And as a means of transport it is more dangerous than walking. (And that's before the recent London deaths are included in the next issue of the stats) -- Latest DfT Figures: Passenger casualty rates by mode Per billion passenger kilometers: Killed or seriously injured: Pedal Cyclists : 527 Pedestrians 371 All casualties: Pedal Cyclists : 3494 Pedestrians : 1631
From: Derek C on 8 Apr 2010 10:31 On 8 Apr, 12:57, JMS <jmsmith2...(a)live.co.uk > wrote: > On Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:20:56 +0100, David Hansen > > <SENDdavidNOhS...(a)spidacom.co.uk> wrote: > >On Wed, 7 Apr 2010 11:04:49 -0700 (PDT) someone who may be Derek C > ><del.copel...(a)tiscali.co.uk> wrote this:- > > >>The participants in most dangerous high speed sports, such as motor > >>racing, motorbike racing, downhill skiing, skateboarding, downhill > >>mountain biking, horse racing, show jumping, etc, etc, wear head > >>protection of some sort. > > >Cycling is not a dangerous high speed sport, it is a means of > >getting to the shops and so on. > > >Next. > > And as a means of transport it is more dangerous than walking. > > (And that's before the recent London deaths are included in the next > issue of the stats) > > -- > Latest DfT Figures: Passenger casualty rates by mode Per billion passenger kilometers: > Killed or seriously injured: Pedal Cyclists : 527 Pedestrians 371 > All casualties: Pedal Cyclists : 3494 Pedestrians : 1631 Cycle helmet specifications: Without a cycle helmet, your head only has to fall 40 cm to give a 250g head acceleration if a hard surface is struck. A cycle helmet will increase the drop height to 1.5 meters for the same head acceleration. Cycle helmets are tested up to an impact speed of 5.4 m/ sec, which I calculate to be 19.44 kph, or about 12 mph. They should largely prevent head injuries up to this speed, and reduce the severity of injuries in higher speed speed accidents. This is all discussed in Sections 3 and 4 of the TRL Report PPR446, which is available online for free downloads. The TRL researchers felt that the drop height should be increased to 2.0 metres. If you buy a helmet certified to the US Snell B-95 spec, the drop height is 2.2 metres. To some extent, cycle helmets have to be a compromise between strength, weight, size and ventilation. A motorcycle or motor racing spec helmet would be too heavy and poorly ventilated to be comfortably used on a push bike. Derek C
From: JMS jmsmith2010 on 8 Apr 2010 19:32 On 8 Apr 2010 06:52:30 GMT, Adrian <toomany2cvs(a)gmail.com> wrote: >Derek C <del.copeland(a)tiscali.co.uk> gurgled happily, sounding much like >they were saying: > >> So there is no need for jockeys and show jumpers to wear helmets then, >> because horses go at about the same speed as bikes! I understand that >> cyclists in cycle road races can get up to 60mph or more when going >> downhill. >> >> If you read TRL PPR446, you will find that even just falling sideways >> off your bike from a seated riding position can cause a skull fracture, >> with no need for any speed. > >Cyclists head - around same distance from ground as pedestrian's head. Spot on - so why are the stats as follow: -- Latest DfT Figures: Passenger casualty rates by mode Per billion passenger kilometers: Killed or seriously injured: Pedal Cyclists : 527 Pedestrians 371 All casualties: Pedal Cyclists : 3494 Pedestrians : 1631
From: Derek C on 8 Apr 2010 20:28 On Apr 9, 12:32 am, JMS <jmsmith2...(a)live.co.uk > wrote: > On 8 Apr 2010 06:52:30 GMT, Adrian <toomany2...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > >Derek C <del.copel...(a)tiscali.co.uk> gurgled happily, sounding much like > >they were saying: > > >> So there is no need for jockeys and show jumpers to wear helmets then, > >> because horses go at about the same speed as bikes! I understand that > >> cyclists in cycle road races can get up to 60mph or more when going > >> downhill. > > >> If you read TRL PPR446, you will find that even just falling sideways > >> off your bike from a seated riding position can cause a skull fracture, > >> with no need for any speed. > > >Cyclists head - around same distance from ground as pedestrian's head. > > Spot on - so why are the stats as follow: > > -- > Latest DfT Figures: Passenger casualty rates by mode Per billion passenger kilometers: > Killed or seriously injured: Pedal Cyclists : 527 Pedestrians 371 > All casualties: Pedal Cyclists : 3494 Pedestrians : 1631 Cyclists have to mix it with road traffic whereas pedestrians are more separated, they go faster than pedestrians and take more risks, pedestrians have a wider base to balance on and generally get more practice at it. Derek C,
From: Tony Raven on 9 Apr 2010 04:09
Derek C wrote: > >> Spot on - so why are the stats as follow: >> >> -- >> Latest DfT Figures: Passenger casualty rates by mode Per billion passenger kilometers: >> Killed or seriously injured: Pedal Cyclists : 527 Pedestrians 371 >> All casualties: Pedal Cyclists : 3494 Pedestrians : 1631 > > Cyclists have to mix it with road traffic whereas pedestrians are more > separated, they go faster than pedestrians and take more risks, > pedestrians have a wider base to balance on and generally get more > practice at it. > > Derek C, Actually its much simpler than that. Those are the figures for deaths and injuries involving a vehicle. So a cyclist falling off their bike on their own would be recorded (because a vehicle, their bicycle, is involved). A pedestrian tripping over or falling on their own would not. The number of pedestrians deaths and injuries with no vehicle involved dwarf those figures. There are no good national figures but for example in Northern Ireland alone there were 1,800 injury compensation claims in 2008 for trips and falls from defects on roads and pavements putting the national figures well into the tens of thousands. -- Tony " I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong." Bertrand Russell |