To the editor,
I was glad to see Lezlie Lowe’s honest look at skateboard helmet law
enforcement last week in “Skate free and/or die.” I think it’s worth
noting that almost all of the conclusions in the article can be
directly transferred to cycling: The effect of enforcing the same law
among cyclists has the effect of discouraging an activity with
significant and proven environmental and personal health benefits, and
cyclists on city streets are similarly disdained by police. Meanwhile,
as a means of transportation, cycling is about as dangerous as walking
(per kilometre travelled). The difference is that while typical
hard-shelled skateboarding helmets may actually provide protection
against head injury from falls, bike helmets provide virtually no
protection against collisions with heavy moving objects
(cars)—they’re simply not designed or tested for such scenarios.
—Zachary Howarth-Schueler, Halifax
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2009.