“0.5% of Dutch cyclists wear helmets, and that’s really just sport cyclists.
They’ve ultimately decided that it’s far more important to build this culture of everyday cycling, and to build safe streets, instead of requiring people to protect themselves.”
@modacitylife neuralsurgeons in the Netherlands regularly ask locals to wear bike helmets. There see a lot of head injuries that would be easially prevented, far more than other countries when adjusted for number of people using bikes
@modacitylife It only took me watching one person have a technical failure with his front wheel at a reasonable speed, fly over to the handle bar, go head first into the asphalt, and be rendered motionless in the middle of the street to convince me to start using a helmet as frequently as I can manage.
Sure, I still frequently forget and it would never stop me from cycling to a party or home tipsy or, but for cycling to work every day it's just an incredibly small inconvenience for adding an extra level of security should something go wrong somewhere.
Granted, I currently live in Italy, which is the opposite of the Netherlands in terms of bike infrastructure. Still, I'm considered a weirdo foreigner for cycling around in my dorky helmet. I'll take it.
@modacitylife I live in Netherlands since more than 2 years and I can tell you one thing. Going back tipsy on bike is the best thing ever.
I simply love to bike after 2 beers and people sho say it's dangerous never seen how good Dutch cycling infrastructure is. People have beer holders on their bikes or cycle with joints in their mouths.
@modacitylife I don’t think mandating them is wise (and prioritising safe biking infrastructure is unquestionably more effective), but I don’t see why we can’t build a culture of everyday cycling and helmet wearing at the same time.
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