{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Fine, We're Doing a Helmet Episode","description":"After New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted a social media video showing him listening to concerned citizens and deciding to wear a bicycle helmet, social media exploded. Some people praised the mayor for modeling good behavior while others wished he had kept the focus on larger safety solutions, like protected bike lanes. Needless to say, the conversation was not all that nuanced. So what\u2019s the truth about bicycle helmets? What are they designed to do in the event of a crash and what kind of crash are they designed to help you survive? Who sets the standards that ensure that bike helmets meet a minimum level of safety? What does science say about mandatory helmet laws? And, to ask a much larger and more philosophical question, what is it about the mere mention of bicycle helmets that causes the conversation about bike safety to go off the rails, even among people who are normally rather informed about other issues related to public health? What are we talking about\u2014or not talking about\u2014when we\u2019re talking about helmets? Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Get tickets to our live show at Hunter College on Friday, November 6th featuring special guest Janette Sadik-Khan. Order our book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile, out now from Thesis, an imprint of Penguin Random House. SHOW NOTES: Watch Mayor Mamdani\u2019s helmet video. Streetsblog: \u201cA Helmet Won\u2019t Save Mayor Mamdani from a Crash.\u201d New York Times: \u201cMayor Mamdani Wears a Bike Helmet. Finally.\u201d Read \u201cThere Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster\u2014Who Profits and Who Pays the Price\u201d by Jessie Singer. Popular Mechanics: \u201cHow a Bike Helmet Protects Your Head.\u201d Injury Prevention: Systematic reviews of bicycle helmet research Safety Science: \u201cCycling fatalities: When a helmet is useless and when it might save your life.\u201d Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute: \u201cBicycle Helmet Standards Summary.\u201d Cycling Industry News: \u201cAre helmet standards overdue a revision?\u201d Consumer Reports: \u201cWhen You Really Need to Replace Your Bike Helmet.\u201d Journal of Safety Research: \u201cThe unintended impact of helmet use on bicyclists\u2019 risk-taking behaviors.\u201d Injury Prevention: \u201cA systematic review of correct bicycle helmet use: how varying definitions and study quality influence the results.\u201d Canadian Journal of Public Health: \u201cFactors associated with bicycle helmet use and proper fit: a cross-sectional survey of Montreal cyclists during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d Dr. Ian Walker: Bicycle overtaking studies British Medical Journal: \u201cNo clear evidence from countries that have enforced the wearing of helmets\u201d Urban Cycling Institute: \u201cHow Do Helmet Laws Impact Cycling Ridership?\u201d The Conversation: \u201cHave helmet laws put the skids on Australia\u2019s bike share scheme?\u201d Cascade PBS: \u201cNearly half of Seattle\u2019s helmet citations go to homeless people\u201d Seattle Times: \u201cRacial disparities prompt calls to repeal King County\u2019s bicycle helmet law.\u201d Get official podcast merch in our new store! Save 15% on the best rain gear for walking and cycling from Cleverhood. Listen to this episode and visit cleverhood.com\/warcars for your discount. Learn more how a Bunch Bike can help you go far-free and change the way you get around. Buy a bike and get a free set of party lights. Go to bunchbike.com\/thewaroncars for more information. TheWarOnCars.org   ","author_name":"The War on Cars","author_url":"https:\/\/thewaroncars.org","html":"