Chris’s latest commentary in HUSH:
… I watch in frustrated bewilderment as our society attempts to legislate and safeguard itself from every imaginable risk, however small. At the same time, we utterly fail to address the root causes of these preventable injuries, while disrupting what should be healthy and playful lives, and ultimately, an irrational culture of fear ends up endangering us all.
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… let’s just consider the psychological impact that promoting chest (and head) protection has on both existing and potential bicycle users. … This contrived perception of danger is, in many cities, the single biggest barrier to the widespread uptake of utility cycling. By implying that a blow to the head or chest is unavoidable, we suppress numbers to only those willing to armour up, and scare the vast majority of our risk averse citizens onto other, less active modes of transportation.
… the mistaken sense of invincibility provided by safety gear drastically changes the dynamic between road users, and not in the favour of the cyclist. Armoured cyclists have been statistically documented to indulge in ‘overcompensation’, taking additional risks, riding quicker and more recklessly than they otherwise would.
Similarly, in a scientifically proven phenomenon known as the Mary Poppins effect, motorists also conduct themselves differently around cyclists dressed in protective equipment, leaving less space when passing, and travelling notably faster around them. …
Baseless speculation over safety gear is happily promoted by doctors, politicians, and the media without question, while meaningful initiatives proven to prevent injuries – such as dedicated cycle tracks, bike-share schemes, speed limit reductions, and heavy goods vehicle restrictions – are stirred up into manufactured controversies. …
… the message from our so-called ‘health authorities’ is broadcast loud and clear: you are safer at home on the couch than exercising outdoors without the obligatory padding. The remote possibility of a traumatic injury trumps the overwhelming chance of a lifestyle disease, every single day of the week. They may mean well, but by fixating on the emergency room, these fear-mongering, headline-chasing ‘experts’ perpetuate a safety paradox, which makes matters much, much worse.
