Mind my bike!

Well, if that’s how you get about don’t wear a helmet, says a UK researcher

We’ve got quite a lot of readers who from time to time get on their bikes and most of them would agree with Eric Blair, Honorary British Consul in Monaco, insurer and local unofficial cycling guru (pictured), that wise riders wear a helmet. So what about this? According to a research carried out at Britain’s Bath University cyclists who wear helmets are more likely to be hit by vehicles than those without.

Researcher Ian Walker used a bike fitted with an ultrasonic distance sensor and video camera to record 2300 overtaking drivers. Dr Walker found that drivers passed on average more than three inches closer when he was wearing a helmet. His explanation? Drivers leave less room when overtaking cyclists in helmets because they perceive them to be more experienced. Incidentally, on some outings he wore a woman’s wig and found drivers then gave him more space. A last point: in 2005 some 200 cyclists died on French roads. I wonder how many would still be with us is they had not worn a helmet?