Brake speak out on cycle helmet use on Today programme
Julie Townsend, campaigns director of road safety charity Brake has spoken on the issue of cycle helmet use on the Today programme this morning, alongside Norman Baker, Minister for sustainable transport.
Julie said: “We have extensive evidence that cycle helmets are effective in reducing the risk of serious head injury when cycling – so wearing a helmet is a really simple step that all cyclists can take to help protect themselves. That’s why we urge all cyclists to take this basic safety precaution. It’s highly frustrating to see our minister with responsibility for cycling taking to his bike without a helmet, undermining the critical message about the importance of helmet wearing that his own Department is promoting to children and young people.
“As well as encouraging more cyclists to wear helmets, and setting a positive example on safe cycling, we’re urging the Government to invest in more engineering measures to help prevent cycling crashes happening in the first place, reducing devastating and costly casualties, and to encourage more people to take to their bikes. We need more traffic-free and segregated cycle paths, especially on commuter routes and connecting homes with local facilities, and we need widespread 20mph limits in communities. These measures would enable more people to adopt this healthy and green means of travel without having to run the gauntlet of dangerous roads.”
For Brake’s advice on safe cycling, go to www.brake.org.uk/cycle4life.
For Brake’s factsheet on cycle helmets, go to www.brake.org.uk/why-cycle-helmets-save-lives
See also:
No comments yet
