Concussion denial: in mixed marital art (or UFC) fighting like bike helmet debate?

[Nandy]

I didn't mean you, specifically. It seems like way too many Americans don't know how much better it is elsewhere and I frequently get that "whoa, you ride a bike to get around town? You're so XTREME". Like I emphasized earlier, choosing to use a helmet can be a beneficial personal decision, particularly if you're prone to falls. It's when people get into that whole "everyone on any bike at any time must wear a helmet because it's exactly as dangerous as MMA fighting" that I start to question their research and intentions. Besides, the great thing abut bikes in bad conditions is that you're already going a manageable speed and are pretty safe, compared to other modes of transport (see that video of winter commuting in Utrecht I posted up there).

[lph]

Ya know… I recently read that it is more often than not it is pointless to try to talk someone out of viewpoint…. worse yet that often, in perverse opposition to reason, presenting a person with facts only entrenches them more strongly in their beliefs… so I'm going to remember that this was a discussion primarily about intentionally participating in sports where concussion is likelihood or even an inevitability and not about mandatory helmet wearing on bike rides (even if it was peripherally compared to that debate).

Eden, I read something fascinating recently from Dan Ariely, the human behaviour guy. He wrote about what happens when someone with a strong opinion on something is confronted with an extreme opinion *in the same direction*. The tendency was for them to be more conciliatory, and more open to changing their minds. Which is really weird.

And FWIW, I've gotten so mellow with the years that the only bike-related thing that makes me froth at the mouth any more is bike salmon. I bike as I please, and you bike as you please, but if I catch you biking upstream on *my* side I swear I will scream at you ;-)

[Nandy]

That reminds me of this great video (http://http://www.vox.com/2015/12/1/...m-mansplainers) about a famous math problem that most people have a natural inclination to guess wrong on. Even when the correct answer was explained to people only a few more changed their minds, but that number grew significantly when they were encouraged to conduct their own experiments on it.

I'm a firm believer that presenting people with well-documented facts and opportunities to do more research can influence public opinion. Growing up in this culture, I used to unquestioningly wear helmets, just because that seemed like the right thing to do. When my husband stopped wearing one at work a few years ago, I was concerned. Looking at facts helped me understand how helmets actually function, how they're useful and when, how they're made, what they'll actually protect against, how laws and peer pressure to wear them affect people, and more effective ways to make cycling safer among many other things. People need information to make informed decisions. There is no single correct answer. Without information, people tend to make irrational choices based on their unexamined feelings or what has become basically folklore.

Ride smart!

[Crankin]

I am definitely not frothing at the mouth, because I will choose to do what I do, and others will choose for themselves, in this case.

[rebeccaC]

I'm mortal, fallible and imperfect.

indeed, as we all are…..and we do need more infrastructure advocates like your partner and you!

I see some of the best european cities for bicycling as those who have put the onus on society to provide a safe environment to ride in, Amsterdam and Copenhagen being good examples. Then there are also a lot of cities like central London and Rome where you have to learn how not to die. With good infrastructure you can also have more car drivers also being cyclists thus being more positive about bicycling issues, again like in Amsterdam etc. There are also some U.S. and Canadian cities that have done/are doing some really good work on infrastructure and can be used as models for other cities. I guess I just like to be positive about how I see and advocate for bicycling being a legitimate mode of urban mass transportation. I'm sure that being born and raised in France has an important role it that. I also feel that my generation is seeing bicycling as more of a transportation issue rather than just exercise and leisure, which gives me hope.
...being protective of my head, i like my brain, is something i like too.

but if I catch you biking upstream on *my* side I swear I will scream at you ;-)

and i've seen the screaming at someone riding the wrong way, in Amsterdam especially