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Helmet Wars: A gripping account of the great bicycle helmet campaigns

by Elly Blue, 20 Dec 2010, Grist

 

Which one of them is making the right choice?  Photo: Ed Yourdon

There's a burgeoning worldwide anti-bicycle helmet movement. Troops are mobilizing, talking points in hand. This movement recently reached a crescendo in a well-circulated video of a talk titled "Why We Shouldn't Bike With a Helmet."

Equally fervent are the pro-helmet advocates around the world. In many places, they are backed up by laws mandating helmets either for children or for everyone who rides a bicycle -- most recently, and with amusing effects, in Dubai.

As in the battles waged on the U.S. Senate floor, both sides claim rationality and cultural superiority for their own. The opponents are engaged in a bloody, winner-take-all contest, with little talk of compromise and perfect willingness to let ideology wash away all science and common sense.

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