---------------------------------------------------------------- The following was posted to rec.bicycles.misc by Norman Carr, and I submit it to you with his permission. I did some editing to make it a bit easier to read. ---------------------------------------------------------------- It would appear that the 'Great Helmet Debate' is not going to go away in a hurry, so may I therefore suggest that in the future anyone wishing to post on this subject makes use of the following all- purpose form to register their opinion. Simply edit as required then post, no more composing erudite rebuttals of the other chaps point of view necessary! Handy helmet opinion registration form: [I / my (boy/girl)friend / child / cat / (other) _______ ] [was / were] [cycling / driving / walking the dog] the other day. It was [light / dark / sunny / raining / snowing] when [I / they] collided with a [car / bus / truck / other cyclist / tree / the ground / item of street furniture / (other)] ________ which hit [me / them] [from behind / head on / from the side / from above / from below]. [I / they] [was / were] [travelling at ____ Km/h / ____ mph / stationary] at the time and [I / they] landed [head first / _____ first]. The ______ which hit [me / them] was [trying to avoid an accident / silly / stupid / drunk / asleep / insane]. There was [nothing / something] [I / they] could do to avoid the collision and it was [partly / entirely] [my / their] fault. [I / they] suffered [no injuries / minor head injuries / minor injuries (not head) / permanent disablement / brain damage / death]. Boy, am I glad [I / they] [was / were] [wearing / not wearing] a helmet. I think this experience makes it obvious that it [should / should not] be a legal requirement for [everyone / nobody / people below the age of consent / experienced cyclists / novice cyclists / drivers / pedestrians / people walking dogs / dogs / bus drivers / people with inadequate medical insurance / trees] to [always / sometimes / ocassionally / never] wear a helmet when [on the road / off road / popping down to the shops / in the supermarket / cooking / using stairs / in bed]. Furthermore, I [have / do not have] the statistics to prove it. Thus, anyone who disagrees with me is [free to do as they please / entitled to their opinion / misguided / stupid / mad / a danger to democratic civilisation]. I hope you all find this a useful contribution to the debate. Happy cycling [with / without] helmet, Norman. -------------------------------------------- And Tim Vaughan, his humble r.h.f publicist --------------------------------------------
(From the "Rest" of RHF)