Sunday, December 10, 2006

NYT on helmets and risk...

The New York Times has weighed in on the 'helmets increase cyclist risks' in piece that's refreshingly free of any attempt at analysis or critical thought. Hmmm. One would think that the nation's premiere news organization could do better, wouldn't one? "Oh my! Riding a bicycle is horribly dangerous and wearing a helmet make it more so!"

Walker's paper will be published next year. Here's hoping that it's subjected to rigorous and scathing peer review, unlike the NYT piece.

Full story at:


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/magazine/10bike.html

Excerpts follow:

Bicycle Helmets Put You at Risk


By CLIVE THOMPSON
Published: December 10, 2006

For years, cyclists who ride on city streets have cherished an unusual superstition: if they wear a helmet, they are more likely to get hit by a car. “I belong to an e-mail list for cyclists, and they complain about this all the time,” says Ian Walker, a psychologist at the University of Bath who rides his bike to work every day. But could this actually be true?

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3 Comments:

Blogger Paul Tay said...

There's actually a parallel universe where water run uphill, people walk backwards, AND smoking is actually good for digestion.

WHERE have you been, son?

4:26 PM  
Blogger Yokota Fritz said...

The journal is refereed and the research has already been reviewed and accepted for publication. The next step is to replicate (or not) his findings.

12:00 PM  
Blogger Ed W said...

Thanks for the correction, Fritz. As I've said before, no one is as smart as all of us together!

Thank you!

6:50 PM  

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