We live in a country where the news will cover cyclists protesting about not wearing helmets but won’t cover NZDF lying about war crimes – consider that for a moment

1. Yes, the corporate media at work.

   You do need to educate yourself on the helmet issues. As a long time cyclist I do wear one, I also believe that people should have the choice.

   With at least 20% of head injuries due to car crashes, another large part due to trip and fall and than there’s sports injuries your logic would have us all wearing helmets most of the time.

2. Well the theory is that so many more people in NZ die each year from obesity (and related health problems, like diabetes) than they ever did from head injuries from cycling, that if we reallowed people to not wear helmets more people would not only get out of their cars (reducing traffic congestion and burning fossil fuels), but also massively improve their health. If that conjecture was actually true (which I’m almost certain it isn’t because most obese people are lazy [ducks] – but you know it’s true), it would actually be a bigger story than the war crimes given the amount of lives it would save (relative to the number murdered by our SAS in their war crime).

3. We have much bigger issues to worry about than wearing helmets people need to get real.

4. I don’t believe for a moment that a flimsy polystirene bike helmet would save me in the case of being hit by a vehicle with any force. There’s plenty of research to suggest that the helmets have very limited benefits in the case of vehicle strikes.

   “In Western Australia where bicycle helmets have been mandatory for all ages since July 1992, the annual cyclist death toll from 1987 to 1991 (pre-law) averaged 7.6 fatalities per year. From 1993 to 1997 (post-law) it was 6.4 fatalities per year, representing a 16% reduction (Meuleners, Gavin and Cercarelli, 2003; CHC, 1). Government cycling surveys show cycling declined in Western Australia by approximately 30% during the 1990s following mandatory helmet law enforcement (WA, 1). Thus the increase in helmet wearing as a result of the law did not reduce fatalities relative to cycle use and may have led to an increase.

   Comparing Australia-wide fatalities in 1988 (before any helmet law) with 1994 (when all states had enforced laws and about 80% helmet wearing), cyclist, pedestrian and all road user deaths fell by 35%, 36% and 38% respectively. Head injury deaths fell by 30%, 38% and 42%. Despite very high helmet use, the reductions for cyclists were less than for the other road users (Curnow, 2005). The differences are much greater still if the considerable fall in cycle use as a result of the helmet laws is taken into account.”

   http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1012.html

5. Have you driven on the Wellington motorway lately your not even safe in your car so bad is the driving. Who would want to be on ya bike.

   • Who’d want to be an unhelmetted pedestrian on the footpaths when the kids in helmets on bikes, scooters, skateboards come racing by?

     Not to mention the pie-eating grandpas on their death-mobiles hurtling along at running speed… (They can also be found trundling down the middle of the road.)

     For Wellington – I thought there was a cycle track behind a fence, beside the railway line and the sea? Seems to be. And they’re told to avoid the motorway and use the ancient lumpy road from Ngauranga to the hazards of Thorndon. Now THAT is a nightmare.

   • Yeah CHCH is just as bad for the amazing sueperb driving skills of these morons.
     If they want to ride a bike on the open road without protection then they forfeit any ACC claim for a accident where they suffer head trauma when not wearing protection.
     Operation murder sanctioned by Key- Burnham will not be given any coverage because it is a cover up and the NZDF and its special forces are ABOVE THE LAW and will never be held accountable for anything they are involved in including killing children in a foreign country.

     The only way this will be given any attention is if Kiwis protest their outrage at this atrocity.

     At the moment Plunket and its $180.000 salaried staff heading a charity is more important ( but not a surprise in the neo liberal economy ) or Lumsden National voting mothers giving birth on the side of the road in Clutha Southland due to underfunding.

     The rot set in after Erebus when human error caused the death of 257 people but was then covered up by Air NZ and the Muldoon government until Justice Mahon and the orchestrated litany of lies uncovered the truth.

6. Holy shit, you bring up the very important topic pointing out how bad our media are at reporting actual news and items of world importance and nearly every comment is about bike helmets?

   Give up Martyn. We are doomed. Just like Jacinda this morning on RNZ repeating her nonsensical fawning to our “allies” by stating that “there is no other plausible scenario except Russia is responsible”.

   That is the LEAST plausible scenario. If it was a game of Cluedo the Putin token wouldn’t even be in the box ffs.

7. Waiting for the new Minister of Defence to show how he intends to deal with this.

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