> Mommy needs a helmet not to protect mommy's head, mommy needs a helmet so > that her three year old son doesn't decide that he is not going to wear > his.
I thought you just told me he loved it so much that he wants to go cycling just as an excuse to wear it? Of course, putting it on your own head doesn't hurt.
> As for "cool" factor, it cuts both ways. As soon as the majority thinks > that seat belt/helmets are necessary, both risk compensation, and the > coolness factor reduction in behavior become a nonissue. Noone now > thinks about whether or not there is a seat belt on, it's simply on, as > it has been for the entire life of the individual.
It's true that one does have to distinguish between long-term and short-term effect of such policies, however, unfortunately, it does not quite work as simply as you describe. Yes, seatbelts become the norm, but faster and riskier driving becomes the norm as well, since the perception of driving as safe and cars as equipped of great features to keep you alive and well gets rooted in. The seatbelt is on by default, the speed limit is broken by default too.
As for the 'coolness' factor, I am afraid that something like cycling is more likely to just die out before all teenagers accept that helmets are "the default" and drop it entirely. They'll just ask mom to chauffer them everywhere and jump behind the wheel of a car as early as they are legally able.
no subject
> his.
I thought you just told me he loved it so much that he wants to go cycling just as an excuse to wear it? Of course, putting it on your own head doesn't hurt.
> As for "cool" factor, it cuts both ways. As soon as the majority thinks
> that seat belt/helmets are necessary, both risk compensation, and the
> coolness factor reduction in behavior become a nonissue. Noone now
> thinks about whether or not there is a seat belt on, it's simply on, as
> it has been for the entire life of the individual.
It's true that one does have to distinguish between long-term and short-term effect of such policies, however, unfortunately, it does not quite work as simply as you describe. Yes, seatbelts become the norm, but faster and riskier driving becomes the norm as well, since the perception of driving as safe and cars as equipped of great features to keep you alive and well gets rooted in. The seatbelt is on by default, the speed limit is broken by default too.
As for the 'coolness' factor, I am afraid that something like cycling is more likely to just die out before all teenagers accept that helmets are "the default" and drop it entirely. They'll just ask mom to chauffer them everywhere and jump behind the wheel of a car as early as they are legally able.