BBC presenters using helmets?

[Si]

As I've recounted before.....don't point out the idiocy of their views until you are leaving. When I came off a 6ft jump and landed on the end of my bar/wrist I went off to A&E to have it checked. Not a scratch on me apart from the knackered wrist. But the first thing the nurse had to ask was: "were you wearing a helmet?" I made the mistake of answering "Oh, would that have saved my wrist?" (despite the fact that I had been wearing a helmet, and funnily enough it hadn't saved my wrist or anything else, but being in pain my tolerance for idiot questions was low). Alas, having had the idiocy of her question pointed out, treatment became noticeably more painful from that point on.

So yes, the effectiveness of helmets in cycle-accidents may be debatable, but wearing one in hospital can save considerable pain.

[Jonty]

So yes, the effectiveness of helmets in cycle-accidents may be debatable, but wearing one in hospital can save considerable pain.

Another plus for helmets!
jonty

[Steady rider]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... wear-crash

A comment in the Guardian blog


“The other day I had a stand-up row in the middle of Broad Street, Oxford, with a BBC crew who were filming me on my bike. They insisted it was BBC policy that anyone shown onscreen had to wear a helmet”

BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/inside ... uidelines/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguideline ... -behaviour

The policy appears to be just to show helmeted cyclists.
The policy is censorship and is not a suitable policy for several reasons. The BBC may say that they are just following the advice in the Highway Code. The UK cycling culture is pro choice for helmet use and the BBC should respect this by showing both helmeted and non-helmeted cyclist.

Robinson DL; Head injuries and bicycle helmet laws; Accid Anal Prev, 28, 4: p 463-475, 1996
http://www.cycle-helmets.com/robinson-head-injuries.pdf
Table 2 in the report. The equivalent number of injuries for pre-law number of cyclists increased from 1310 (384 head + 926 other injuries) in 1991 to 2083 (488 head + 1595 other injuries) in 1993. For children helmet wearing may reduce their safety, so the evidence is not sufficiently strong to justify censorship type activities.

[Ron]

A comment in the Guardian blog.

There is some incorrect/misleading info. in the article regarding compulsory helmet wear around the world.

[Mike Sales]

I think that the CTC should have a policy of never showing helmeted cyclists in the magazine, leaflets etc. Given the BBC is far from the only media source with a policy of pushing helmets, this would go a little way to redressing the balance.

[gaz]

Perhaps with a strapline "Whilst all riders pictured are unhelmeted, other headgear choices are available".

IMO it would be a little difficult for CTC to campaign for freedom of choice but only publish pictures of one choice.

[Mike Sales]

IMO it would be a little difficult for CTC to campaign for freedom of choice but only publish pictures of one choice.

I take your point, but if the Club wants to preserve freedom of choice we need to combat the impression that helmet wearing is the only sensible and inevitable choice. The preponderance of images of only helmet wearing cyclists is so overwhelming that I think it is fair and necessary to make the point that it is possible to ride bareheaded, and that the main non racing cycling club sees this as unexceptionable.
Images of experienced and responsible cyclists without foam should be made as commonplace as the CTC can make them. Such a policy would certainly not mean that befoamed riders would never be seen in media images. Quite the contrary, it would make very little difference. But I think it would be defensible for the CTC to try to ensure that there does appear an occasional picture of a cyclist au naturel.

[PaulB]

I watched "This Week" on Thursday night - late night political programme on BBC1 - and a jounalist was pedalling a four wheeled recumbant cargo bike around London with a poster on the side. He was wearing a helmet! I don't think he was doing more than five miles per hour and, having four wheels, the vehicle was in no danger of falling over. He wore a helmet! Would he have been wearing a helmet if he'd been driving an open topped sports car?

Programme may still be available on iPlayer if you want a look.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24665570

[Geriatrix]

I watched "This Week" on Thursday night - late night political programme on BBC1 - and a jounalist was pedalling a four wheeled recumbant cargo bike around London with a poster on the side. He was wearing a helmet! I don't think he was doing more than five miles per hour and, having four wheels, the vehicle was in no danger of falling over. He wore a helmet! Would he have been wearing a helmet if he'd been driving an open topped sports car?

Programme may still be available on iPlayer if you want a look.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24665570

If the trike still carried the slogan that was the topic of the story he probably would have needed the helmet to protect against anyone with a good arm and a supply of eggs.

[RickH]

They insisted it was BBC policy that anyone shown onscreen had to wear a helmet”

Having been reading this topic, I happened upon a re-run of the Horizon "Monitor Me" programme this week (it doesn't appear to be on iPlayer) presented by Dr Kevin Fong. In various parts of the programme he can be seen walking & running but I noted that in a shot of him cycling to a meeting (near the end of the programme) he was bare-headed (& in normal clothes). I thought that was interesting as the subject of the programme was to do with ways of improving health & "to help us live longer, healthier lives" (including his own - he was one of a group monitoring their activity levels), primarily by self-monitoring. He obviously didn't consider a helmet as a significant factor in improving/preserving his own health and helping him live a longer, healthier life!

Edited to add: I found a copy of the programme on Vimeo (thank you Google). & have added a couple of screen grabs (about 51 mins into a 58min programme )

Rick.