Every once in a while someone tries to re-ignite the helmet debate in Australia. This is interesting to me in some ways because it’s a bit of a lame duck and few people at the water cooler are actually interested. It’s currently legally required that cyclists wear a helmet in Australia. I don’t see the government changing their minds any time soon. For me, it’s just a fact of life, so I move on and embrace. Call me a happy-go-lucky kind of gal. So I’m surprised the issue gets much air time. For most people Tiger Woods’ inglorious fall from grace is far more absorbing than the “should we shouldn’t we” helmet dilemma. Very occasionally some turkey at the pub is like, “dude, I don’t even ride a bike because that whole helmet law is just so b*llshit”. But basically, I just interpret that as a euphemism for “I’m too vain to learn to ride a bike” and move on.
Still, Elizabeth Farrelly of the Sydney Morning Herald somehow managed to get 136 (at last count) people to comment on this, although I believe that readers were initially pulled in by the nudity bit of “Never mind the nudity… where’s your bike helmet”, rather than the helmet.
It’s too sunny out there for me to sweat this whole thing much, except to say, I remember why I don’t live in Sydney.
eleanor j jackson 