Cyclists safety helmets and registration

[ferrarilover]

The emergency services personnel and the carers sign up for the job knowing what it entails. If I kill someone with my car because they weren't wearing a crash hat, so be it.
The feckless won't obide the law anyway, so once again it will be me who is punished when I cycle 100 yards up the road at 0500.
The police and the criminal justice system has criminals to deal with, real criminals who destroy the lives of others. It's not there to ensure the personal safety of every Tom, Dick and Harry too dumb to do it for themselves.

There's far too much of that going on. Being a bloody retard should be a burden to the individual, not to the rest of us.

Fine, make a public information film about the benefits of safety helmets. Issue practice directions to retailers offering guidance on how to broach the subject with customers. Bring back cycling proficiency and introduce it to the national curriculum, use that service to promote helmets. Do this by all means, but leave the choice up to the individual. My personal safety is my concern. If I want to make toast while in the bath, that's my business. If I want to use a couple of pints of petrol to give my barbeque a bit of a kick, that's my business. If I want to ride my Harley in a pair of board shorts and flip flops, that's my business (I tried it and hated it, far too cold).

I do these things because it's my life. If I'm constantly told how I must live for my own protection, then there's no point. I want to live my life, not the life that's been approved by the Health and Safety ministry.

We need less regulation, much less. Please don't keep asking for more.

Matt.

[arcadia]

It shouldn't be compulsory at all. We already suffer far too much legislation "for our own protection". It's bollocks. People who are too f**king stupid to look after themselves are also too stupid to usefully contribute anywhere in society. They're a burden on the rest of us and, if anything, should be encouraged to do dangerous things.

Stop dumbing us down to the level of the terminally stupid, I'll make my own decisions and live with the consequences, not be dictated to by those hell bent on defeating Darwinism one pathetic regulation at a time.

Matt.

I think if your a Torquay United supporter, that the Pop side should all where yellow hats and the club bring in legislation to make it compulsery. Matt you can wear your wig so we can see you. Oh and ride their bikes to the games.
If your a lawyer Matt perhaps you could get it passed, your going to be against it but a good lawyer would get it through even if he was against it.
Been told you turn into someone else as soon as you go on the forum that sounds like a lawyer.

[Alpine Joe]

A frightening thought that there might ever come a time when you couldn't go for a ride on your bike without having to follow Government instructions regarding the clothes that it was permissible to wear, and having to have a Government issued number stamped on your back while peddling. Quite what punishment the Government officials watching on the Government CCTV would have lined up for transgressors is anyone's guess, but I'd be off to North Korea where a less advanced surveillance state could well be preferable to the British Big Brother Bicycling Regime I'd be leaving behind.

[stefano]

A frightening thought that there might ever come a time when you couldn't go for a ride on your bike without having to follow Government instructions regarding the clothes that it was permissible to wear, and having to have a Government issued number stamped on your back while peddling. Quite what punishment the Government officials watching on the Government CCTV would have lined up for transgressors is anyone's guess, but I'd be off to North Korea where a less advanced surveillance state could well be preferable to the British Big Brother Bicycling Regime I'd be leaving behind.

I'm just pleased Cornish Joe that I am old enough (just) to have had a few years on my Lambretta 150 touring the streets of Torquay without a crash helmet. The wind blowing through the hair (of which there was some then) and looking utterly shagable (ladies only may apply!). Mind you shovelling some brains up from the road in later years convinced me of the motor cycle element of safety, and as I got older myself I decided myself. I was wearing a seat belt on every journey before it was made compulsory and I wear a helmet when skiing (which is not yet compulsory but will be).

Switching phone off tonight as do not want any temptation to look at how we are getting on at York. Off to dinner with a lady who was at Margaret Thatcher's funeral (yes in the bloody big Church and 8 rows back from the old girl who does the Christmas message). She goes out with a Knight. Never seen his horse but I know he is a Sir!. Spent Christmas lunch with them 2 years ago so I shouldn't really worry about spilling my wine, but it's all the power to behead that worries me. Phone definitely off and going to pretend I have never heard of soccer!