It’s the zombie idea that never dies. Once again a mandatory helmet bill is being considered that would apply to all adult cyclists. This time it is happening in New Jersey:
A new bill introduced by Assemblyman Reginald Atkins would make New Jersey the first state in the nation to require everyone, including adults, to wear a helmet while operating a bicycle, scooter, or motorized scooter, or face a $25 fine. Assemblyman Atkins, who spoke with ABC news framed the proposed legislation as a way of “protecting us from the what-ifs.”
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), of the nearly 9k bicycle deaths in the U.S. from 2010 to 2020 84% of those riders were not wearing a helmet.
And 99.9% of those bicycle fatalities were from car collisions (which helmets don’t protect against).
To be fair, helmets would likely slightly reduce the danger cars pose to cyclists and helmets are designed for head against surface impacts as in some car accidents. But weighing that against the many occasions where a helmet would discourage/deter bicycle use and the benefits that would have to the individual and society, most countries believe that mandatory helmet use is a net loss overall.
If you want to poke fun at the concept of helmets, turn it around and point out people inside cars are actually the ones in danger:
https://colvilleandersen.medium.com/the-case-for-motorist-helmets-d1d6c4ae3ed2
What a windshield perspective to it all. Public health analyses generally point to helmets for motorists and pedestrians before cyclists.
This is a real jerk putting this out there.just another way to squeeze money from nj.its not enough that our taxes are threw the roof. An that we have so many programs that people don’t have to work.now .but now your pushing everything on everyone. Pretty soon you will be making dogs wear diapers out side because you don’t want them to go in the grass..go on with your lives an stop trying to ruin everyone else’s.