Helmet?
Saturday I rode out to the Casino. The wind was from the southwest but fooled me into thinking it might be quartering enough that I’d be protected on the return. Not true, or at least until I got back to town where I seemed to have hit the eye of the storm. Still I was tired, hungry, and a little bit foggy in the head when I pedaled up Peasly. I don’t recall hearing anything but some sense made me lift my head. Two boys on heavy bikes hugging the absolute edge of the road came riding down on the uphill shoulder.
Since I usually ride close to the fog line and a second sense had warned me, there was no problem. Why they hadn’t called out a warning, I don’t know. I guess they thought they were being safe by hugging the edge and not crossing the busy road to be on the correct side (assuming they even knew there was a correct side.) But all I could think of was that neither wore a helmet. –Corrie
Austin bicycle helmet study completedResults of a year-long hospital emergency-room survey in Austin find that bicyclists are 65% to 88% less likely to get a head injury if they’re wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle.The full report from 7 area hospitals run by Brackenridge Hospital and St. David’s HealthCare will be issued in a couple of weeks.The study was designed to put some hard information into the debate that ensued when a mandatory helmet law for adults was put before the Austin City Council. Opponents charged, among other things, that the law diverts attention away from the need for bicycle lanes and more training for cyclists and motorists.Read the rest of the story.