Nice, Deb! Thanks for posting that.

I'd heard about the study on the radio, but somehow missed this thread. It's good to see a full discussion. As LisaB. said, "The study is spurious at best (the results are observed, not causal)."

I give cyclists as much room as I can, period. I give extra room to non-helmet wearers, because I assume that they're stupid as it is. Given that they're stupid and don't value their own brains, I presume that they may make other stupid decisions. As I don't want to end up in an ER or court room with them, I cut them a wide bearth. The dingbats who ride, oblivious, with their ipods in and helmets dangling from the handlebars are a particular annoyance to me. But they're not as likely to be daredevils like the roadies with no helmets. Oblivious, however, is very dangerous on Chicago streets. The other night I spotted a guy in dark clothes, on a bike with no lights, coming toward me the wrong way down a one way street. Of course, on his head he sported only a baseball cap. There was no one behind me, so I just crawled to a stop in my car and let him pass me, going the wrong way. He stared at me as if *I'd* lost my mind. But I wasn't going to keep driving straight at him when I had no idea what bone-headed move he might make. At least I had headlights and bright red tail lights, and if someone were coming behind me, I could start creeping forward again until he passed.