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The article linked above on diet vs. sugary drinks has a passing reference to arguments about bike helmets—specifically, those that claim that helmets don't work. That does indeed sound silly. But the best argument I've heard against bicycle helmet laws (not against helmets in general) goes something like this:

1) Bicycle helmets help prevent traumatic head injuries in the event of an accident.

2) Some traumatic head injuries are sustained in bicycle accidents, but many more are sustained by people riding in cars and by pedestrians. This is, more or less, true even once you adjust for the number of journeys taken by these various methods.

3) Therefore, if one thinks it would be silly/overreach to mandate the wearing of helmets in cars or while walking, it does not make sense to advocate strenuously for bicycle helmet laws, or to shame people for not wearing bicycle helmets.

4) Motorcycle helmets are an entirely different case, as that mode of transit is almost uniquely dangerous, with a far greater risk of traumatic head injuries than other modes of transit.

So, the argument is that if one thinks the risks of traumatic head injuries justify bicycle helmet mandates, then one should also think that those risks justify mandates for helmets for drivers/passengers in cars, or by pedestrians. Many lives would unquestionably be saved if people—kids especially—who get in car wrecks wore protective helmets. But most people see this as completely absurd.

This argument seems pretty sensible to me—IF premise 2 is true. And it's a big if! I have long wanted to see a calm and impartial look at the data on this. Years ago, I emailed BBC's More or Less about the issue, but they never took it on. Perhaps Stuart could do a piece? The question is: in terms of risk of traumatic head injury on any given trip, is traveling by bicycle comparable to driving and/or being a pedestrian?

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