Cyclists in Copenhagen are safe even without helmets, thanks to all the other cyclists around them. Photo courtesy Copenhagen Cycle Chic

CityPaper recently published an article sensationalizing the topic of bike helmets. Anybody who doesn’t wear one, claims CityPaper, is a fool.

That just isn’t the case. While it’s true that mountain bikers and racers should always wear helmets, the situation is quite a bit more complicated for urban cyclists riding on mixed streets for transportation.

1) A helmet won’t save you from the big danger of urban cycling – getting hit by a larger vehicle.

2) The very safest thing for cyclists in the city is for there to be lots of other cyclists in the city around them, and if everybody thinks they need special equipment any time they want to ride a bike, that reduces the number of cyclists on the street.

When it comes to biking, there is big time safety in numbers. Drivers who see a lot of cyclists around know they have to share the road and drive carefully. On the other hand, if there are few cyclists, then drivers don’t expect them to be there, don’t watch for them, and drive in a manner that increases the danger to cyclists. After all, if you’re not looking out for something, how can you avoid it? Studies have shown that adult helmet laws dramatically reduce cycling use. If there’s safety in numbers, that’s counter-productive; helmet laws actually make cycling more dangerous, rather than safer.

So as a cyclist, the safest things you can do are to bike more and encourage other people to bike more. Not owning a helmet, or not having one handy all the time, shouldn’t dissuade anyone from riding because every time there is one less cyclist on the road that makes the road more dangerous. Of course wearing a helmet doesn’t hurt and is generally a good idea, but don’t let the absense of a helmet ever prevent you going somewhere by bike.

The Examiner has more.