Good article! But it is a bit interesting the comment on helmets. I can fully understand a driver being scared and frightened when suddenly confronted with a cyclist wearing dark clothes and moving fast, he or she is a direct threat to the driver and in danger of causing an accident. But not wearing a helmet will not cause an accident. To the driver, the cyclist not wearing a helmet should make no difference at all, unless he's "planning" on hitting the cyclist...

Or does the driver have the same reaction I do as a cyclist, that a cyclist not wearing a helmet has not thought through the situation, does not know what he is doing and is likely to behave unpredictably? This because where I live the helmetless ones are most likely to be young jeans-clad "pinball machines" bouncing through traffic, and only the occasional nostalgic roadie in a cycling cap.