True or false: "Australia was the first country in the world to impose uniform national mandatory bicycle helmet legislation, beginning in 1990. "
I discovered this little fact from a website written by people who are very strongly opposed to the whole "Australian helmet enforcement". The author seemed bitter about the "police enforcement" by adding not only that the law "increased cyclist hospitalization" and "decreased cycling popularity" but severely "damaged public health". It even connected this law with Australia's struggle with obesity throughout the population.
I thought, initially, that the law was just some weird joke and a confused Australian had made it up. However, there truly is a helmet law in Australia (including Queensland and Western Australia). Numerous studies show that their has been a huge decrease in biking in Australia. Honestly, I think that the law is a pretty good idea. The government has a reason for it I'm sure, otherwise they would have taken away. In many ways, it relates to the "seat belt" law we have here (having your seat belt buckled is a reasonable law). So why, Australian bikers, do you stop biking because of a law? I honestly think you should all just wear your helmets (though it may be annoying). Did people stop driving their car just because they saw a sign that said: "buckle up, it's the law"? No, they just buckled up or faced the small punishment. Also, blaming the government for promoting public safety is not the best idea. I'm not saying that I want this law in the United States, but I don't think the concept is horrible. One article I found gave me a lot of satisfying statistics about the positive influence the law has made on safety of Australian bicyclists (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/04/bike_helmet.html) saying that brain damage amongst young cyclists has decreased more than 18 percent since the law was passed. So get on your bikes Australian cyclists and wear a helmet. If not, be prepared to pay the fine if you commit the crime.
I discovered this little fact from a website written by people who are very strongly opposed to the whole "Australian helmet enforcement". The author seemed bitter about the "police enforcement" by adding not only that the law "increased cyclist hospitalization" and "decreased cycling popularity" but severely "damaged public health". It even connected this law with Australia's struggle with obesity throughout the population.
I thought, initially, that the law was just some weird joke and a confused Australian had made it up. However, there truly is a helmet law in Australia (including Queensland and Western Australia). Numerous studies show that their has been a huge decrease in biking in Australia. Honestly, I think that the law is a pretty good idea. The government has a reason for it I'm sure, otherwise they would have taken away. In many ways, it relates to the "seat belt" law we have here (having your seat belt buckled is a reasonable law). So why, Australian bikers, do you stop biking because of a law? I honestly think you should all just wear your helmets (though it may be annoying). Did people stop driving their car just because they saw a sign that said: "buckle up, it's the law"? No, they just buckled up or faced the small punishment. Also, blaming the government for promoting public safety is not the best idea. I'm not saying that I want this law in the United States, but I don't think the concept is horrible. One article I found gave me a lot of satisfying statistics about the positive influence the law has made on safety of Australian bicyclists (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/04/bike_helmet.html) saying that brain damage amongst young cyclists has decreased more than 18 percent since the law was passed. So get on your bikes Australian cyclists and wear a helmet. If not, be prepared to pay the fine if you commit the crime.
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