Sport seems to be immune from all the H&S regulations that apply everywhere else
"If I ride in a competitive event I will be forced to wear a helmet by the rules. Cycling helmets (and before them skiing helmets) have been driven by sport, without which they probably wouldn't exist. It is the mis-application of their relevance in sport that is spreading to their use in general life, not the other way around."
I'll have to take your word for it. What I meant was that if sport was anything else it would be regulated by H&S. Going back to my example above of my scooter, though that goes slower than a tour de france rider on a downhill I'm forced by law to wear a helmet that can cope with impact at that speed yet cyclsists are not. Nor are skiiers last time I looked, nor are darts players forced to wear protective glasses, or horse riders and safety belts, or surfers life jackets, or mountainboarders full body armour.. In any other field these would all be obligatory under the mad H&S laws.
> Probably not if you're a sunday afternoon cyclist or ridetowork cyclist boming a hill on the route.
FFS, Woozle. Most of the time I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes you come out with some nonsense.
Scroll to the bottom of this page. Look at the right-hand side, and the list of other Magicalia websites. See those links for 'BikeMagic' and 'RoadCyclingUK'? Just who do you think they're aimed at? Lance Armstrong?
I used to skateboard. I came off a lot more times than I have done on a bike, and I ride a bike a hell of a lot more than I ever rode a skateboard. Let's say you're boarding down a hill at 70kph. And you hit a stone. What happens? IME, you come off. Hit a stone of the same size at that speed on a bike, and nothing happens; tyres and suspension just mop it up.
> Admittedly I dislike bikes but I haven't heard much general informatino about them, their safety, faults etc. being put about for everyone.
I find it's generally a good idea not to express forthright opinions on subjects about which I know little or nothing. That way, I hope to avoid making a fool of myself.
Well I like expressing forthright opinions and think others should too. As I ride bikes only on sunday afternoons with the kids I have zero interest in the subject and consider it a form of transport (albeit boring one) and not somethuing I need to read up about therefore I haven't heard much general information about cycling safety. Period. But you missed my point. The point was that most people (like me perhaps?) are not that into cycling to warrant a delve into the delights of the millions of cycling websites or magazines that exist. Therefore the latest leaps and bounds in cycling safety remain unknown to them. Hence why I see cyclists every day zooming about at high speed in flimsy helmets and no protection. People on mountainbikes peddling up hill and then bombing it down it at breakneck speed with no protection. If they had the info they probably wouldn't. I don't belive sunday afternoon cyclists or ridetowork cyclists bother to look at bike magic etc or buy the mags. Can't see where the nonsense lies.
What I meant was that if sport was anything else it would be regulated by H&S
Errrrr, no.
In any other field these would all be obligatory under the mad H&S laws.
Much that there is some degree of madness in H&S, a great deal of it is people assuming that H&S Nazis will require them to stop doing anything and imposing draconian measures with no actual requirment to do so, and that is just as true both sides of a sport/"civilian" line.
My kids ride to school. It is not sport. Legislation they have to conform to is stuff like lighting and braking requirements for pedal cycles on the road which I don't think anyone is suggesting is "mad H&S law". Until I provided some documentary evidence to the contrary the school initially tried to have them wear helmets on the assumption it was something they should be doing. If they went racing at the local cycle club (on the flat, at speeds well below anything like downhill MTB gets to) you can bet good money they'd be required to wear a helmet despite no obvious body of evidence their heads would be in any particular danger.
My kids go to Judo. Judo is codified quite carefully to ensure that people don't get hurt. Kids larking about play-fighting aren't subject to anything like the same level of regulation and care as those sparring in a formal setting (for which even 8 year olds will have a license to take belt grade evaluations!), yet I've seen no suggestion that kids larking about play-fighting is An Accident Waiting To Happen And Must Be Stopped Think Of The Children!!!
Darts players don't wear protective glasses. That's not because darts is a sport, it's because it's a non-issue for darts players. H&S intervention is usually a reaction to either a problem or at least something perceived as a problem. I've never been aware that darts is perceived as a short-cut to blindness.
(scratches head) Not sure if you are deliberately not seeing the bigger picture or if I'm not explaining it well enough. The examples I give were just by way of an example to convery a point. No need to deal with them individually nor give other individual sports as contrary examples. Ping pong doesn't require safety gear either, not sure that it matters.
It is compulsory in the Tour De France for riders to wear helmets. In Down Hill MTB racing it's compulsory for riders to wear helmets and body armour.
In certain countries it is compulsory to wear a helment. IIRC, Belgium is one.
As to not being any use, I'd dissagree. I was knocked off by a car, hitting a tree at around 25mph or so. The helmet did shatter to bits but it did save me from serious injury, (apart from a headache). I'd hate to think what damage would of occured if I had't been wearing a helment.
Huskyman I know it's compulsory for TdF rider and for MTB bombers. I'm obviously not explaining myself very well, sorry. I'm make a distinction between sports riders who will know the available technology and recreational riders who probably won't due to there not being any information around. Anyway any info there is is contradictory.
The fact that TdF riders are obliged to wear helmets imo makes my point. They are obliged to wear something that even boarders consider inadequate. If they were not sports riders they'd be obliged to wear serious helmets which they're not. They're exempt because it's a sport (just the way I see it).
. In any other field these would all be obligatory under the mad H&S laws.
