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Councilman Proposing Bike Helmet Law Says Not Wearing One "Worse" Than Forgoing Seatbelt
By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 31, 2012
Modified May 31, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 31, 2012
Modified May 31, 2012
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Today City Council Member David Greenfield is introducing a law that would make wearing a helmet while riding a bike mandatory in New York City, punishable by a $25 fine. "The reality is 91% of cyclists who are killed are not wearing helmets," Greenfield says. "Seatbelt laws don't keep people from driving cars," he adds. "Seatbelts save lives. In a way, not wearing a helmet is worse than not wearing a seatbelt. You're endangering your life, your family's lives, and the lives of those in your community."
Yet we live in a city in which cyclists are ticketed more than truck drivers, and cyclists make up around 10% of traffic, while bike lanes make up less than 6.5% of the city's streets. How will a helmet law change this? "There's a reason why no major city has imposed a mandatory bike helmet law," Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson says, "and that's because the best way to protect cyclists is to avoid accidents in the first place, and you do that with more bike lanes."
"The Council Member doesn't understand cyclists or cyclist safety," Wolfson adds. "He has a long history of hostility towards cyclists. That he'd try to portray himself as a friend of cyclists is laughable."
Indeed, streets with bike lanes see 40% fewer crashes ending in death or serious injury, and they reduce speeding by 25%. Does Greenfield, who describes himself as an "occasional cyclist," support building more bike lanes or any other measure to protect cyclists besides his helmet law? "There are other things obviously that can and should be done. The two are not opposed to each other," Greenfield says.
"We definitely need to enforce the driving regulations, but at the same time we need to ensure that cyclists are in fact wearing helmets," Greenfield says. "It's irresponsible for the city to be promoting cycling so much without being concerned about cyclists wearing helmets." The law was inspired in part by a cycling accident he had years ago. "I had an event where my bicycle flipped over and would have been seriously injured if I hadn't worn a helmet."
"If the Council Member wants to save bicyclists' lives, he'd do well to focus on what's putting them at risk: dangerous drivers," says Michael Murphy, communications director for Transportation Alternatives. "A number of his colleagues recently held a hearing on the NYPD's consistent failure to hold dangerous drivers accountable and it was quickly obvious that there's much work to be done on that front."
Studies have also shown that drivers behave more recklessly when driving near cyclists wearing helmets, which means betting the safety of cyclists on a helmet law seem misguided at best. But the mayor's office wants to ban sugary drinks! Why don't they want to save lives with a helmet law?
Mayor wants to ban 20 oz soda. What about big macs? Large fries? Pie of pizza? I have a friend who can eat a pie himself! #WhereDoesItEnd?
— David G. Greenfield (@NYCGreenfield) May 31, 2012
Wolfson dismisses this criticism. "You can say you've done x, why haven't you done y, you can substitute anything for y." He continues, "The number of cyclists has gone way up, and the number of deaths per population has gone down. We're doing what the Council Member purports to do with this law."
"If the Council Member has a change of heart and wants to support building more bike lanes, we'd be happy to support him," Wolfson suggested.
Tagged
bike lanes
City hall
cycling
helmet laws
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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