“I celebrate anything that gets children off the couch and into the fresh air to excercise......there is a but here.....what happens when the incentive ends?
Surely a training course, no matter how short, funded by the same monies would be of more benefit by helping children understand the key elements of safe cycling/scooting/skateboarding. Bright clothes, lights, signalling, road position, road awareness and so on. A helmet protects the wearer from injury......an active, trained, and knowledgeable young mind is more likely to prevent that accident occurring in the first place.”

“I¿ve cycled over 20,000 miles this year alone, and I hold a Guinness World Record for cycling around the world. I¿ve only ridden helmetless during hot afternoons in Malaysia or Sumatra. I really do support wearing helmets ¿ just not relying on them or overstating their importance.
Kids who cycle, with or without a helmet, will be healthier and develop useful life skills. The doctors of the British Medical Association have been echoed by various cyclists organisations in stating that cycle helmets should not be compulsory. It¿s not that there¿s anything wrong with helmets, it¿s just that it puts some people off doing something which would be good for them and the environment, and it makes some cyclists and drivers behave like riders are now immune from all danger.
Good training and a safe attitude, from cyclists and other road users alike, are much much more important than the use of a helmet. I suggest that more true safety benefit for this school could be got from cycle training and maybe even a cycle club at the school, then also a campaign to change driver behaviour and attitudes.”

“I have to agree. I work as a National Standard cycling instructor in North Devon (and sometimes East Cornwall too!) I can say that whilst helmets are undoubtedly a useful aide in road cyclist safety they are of limited effectiveness. This initiative regrettably gives the impression that Police feel helmets are the only thing that will make child cyclists safe and this is very far from the truth. Proper cycle training for on-road cycling is what is required for all children and adults to make them as safe as possible on the roads. So many accidents occur as a result of poor road-cycling style by cyclists combined with poor knowledge of the issues and rights of cyclists on the road by drivers. ALL children should have free access to Bikeability road cycling training before heading out by themselves. This will do much more to keep them safe than just wearing a helmet. Take a look at the Bikeability website: www.bikeability.org.uk or our website: www.eoscycletraining.350.com
for more information.”

“Oh dear, this gives the distinct impression that wearing a helmet stops the person doing so from having an accident only it doesn't and particuarly if they are being worn incorrectly when they are more dangerous as they could end up strangling the user if the 2 finger rule is not observed ..

I quote John Franklin, author of Cyclecraft and an expert in the field here "Head injury when cycling is neither inevitable nor common, especially for people WHO LEARN TO RIDE SKILFULLY." He also warns that "Cycle helmets differ from other safety aids in that they attempt only to limit the consequences of the crash. They do NOTHING to prevent a crash taking place; indeed, if not used properly or if their limitations are not appreciated, they may actually increase that risk". See Pages 36 and 37 of his book published in 2007 to coincide with the launch of Bikeability”