“In four years Mike van Erp has filmed 1,400 drivers using their phones, leading to 1,800 penalty points, £110,000 of fines — and him being assaulted by disgruntled motorists. Is he a road safety hero or just a darned nuisance? Nick Rufford joins him on patrol”
I’ve watched a few of his videos. I should be surprised that he catches so many drivers in their phones, but in and around London? Not surprised at all.
There are situations where it turns out to have been detrimental to have been wearing a seatbelt in a car too. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea in general.
A helmet might not help much if he goes under the wheels of anything that can be measured in tonnes, but it’ll help if he gets nudged (or slips) and tries an unexpected game of tarmac headbutt.
Yes; circumstances matter. The Highway Code gets around all of this by stating (note it’s a should not a must):
“You should wear a cycle helmet that conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened. Evidence suggests that a correctly fitted helmet will reduce your risk of sustaining a head injury in certain circumstances.”
That’s from Rule 59; link here
Agreed. My wife came off her bike while we were riding together and if she hadn’t been wearing a helmet I don’t even want to think about the outcome. As it was she was knocked out cold, and lost her memory for several hours. There was a huge dent in her cycle helmet that would have been in her head instead if she hadn’t been wearing it. Will always wear a helmet when cycling.
