FeedsFreedom or Safety- Where Do We Draw the Line?
This afternoon, I read about a new Vancouver, Washington law: all bike riders are now legally compelled to wear helmets. The decision has raised an uproar, as many individuals believe the law is unconstitutional and violates their personal freedoms of choice. Indeed, a protest rally/ride has been scheduled for this upcoming Monday, March 10.
While I certainly don't want to infringe on personal freedoms, I also have trouble seeing the problem on a general level. People obviously deserve personal freedoms, but with certain freedoms and actions come responsibilities. This reminds me a lot of the seat-belt: doing a little thing to save a lot of hurt and trouble. And I'll be blunt: seatbelts save lives, and anyone who doesn't wear one is an idiot. Take this PSA from New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine:
How does this apply to helmets? Well, it's obvious: helmets save lives, and anyone who doesn't wear one is just being ridiculous. Every day, I see Portlanders biking around without helmets, which I find terrifying. Wearing a helmet is an easy act, one that can and will save your life, and yet people still won't wear them?
Let me put it this way: late last year I was in a bike accident. The gears on my bike jammed, and I went over the handlebars. I landed on my left side and my head, but I was alive (albeit shaken) due to my helmet. Without my helmet, I'd have been in the hospital at least, and who knows what else at worst.
Maybe I'm being callous, but I have a hard time finding sympathy for people who bemoan being forced to wear seat-belts and bike helmets. They are little things that have no downside and tremendous, life-saving upside. I'm especially shocked that a 12-year-old is the one organizing the ride in protest of helmets. What the heck is a 12-year-old doing riding around without a helmet, anyway?
I'll say it again: both bike helmets and seat-belts save lives. And in this modern era of fast cars and transit peril, that isn't a bad thing.
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Comments from site editors have a darker background than comments from everybody else.I think there are a few points here. First of all, I have a real problem with government making laws like this. I wholeheartedly agree that it is downright stupid not to wear a helmet or a seat belt, but I see no reason for the government to require them either. You mention that you have a hard time finding sympathy for people being forced to wear a helmet. My lack of sympathy is for those who get hurt because they weren't wearing one. But just because it is easy and smart to do doesn't mean that the government should feel the need to regulate it. I could probably ramble on about this for awhile, but I'll leave that part there.
The other point I wanted to mention, mostly just because it's interesting, is that there is some very compelling evidence that things like seat belts and airbags (and probably helmets for cyclists as well, though I haven't read that literature) actually make things MORE dangerous, because people are not as careful when driving. I can't find a link right now, but I was just reading about an experiment (in Denmark, I think, but I'm probably wrong), where the local government removed the vast majority of road signs in order to encourage attentive driving. Anyway, a bit of food for thought.
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I'd love to read that seatbelt lit, but I still have a hard time believing it. It seems just downright silly!
As for the helmet, I hear where you're coming from. I've also heard of compromise legislation where you're forced to wear helmets if you're a minor. What would you say to something like that?
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The one convincing argument I've heard is that the government is usually the one that ends up paying for your hospitalization/disability/long-term care, so they have the right to implement such laws.
Also the studies on the increase in risk-taking do not show that seat belts make people more dangerous, but that they increase the riskiness with which they drive or ride to compensate for the extra safety. In short, the two cancel each other out.
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