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The Daily Tar Heel

Letter: ?Helmets not the only aspect of safety

TO THE EDITOR:

As adults, we’re able to assess and mitigate risks that are inherent in our daily lives. But for a culture that prizes the freedom to make informed decisions in response to risk, I’m often admonished by strangers for riding my bike without a helmet.

I’m a lifelong biker, and I ride almost every day. In scenarios such as mountain biking, touring or commuting the six miles between home and work, I always wear a helmet, because I’m able to assess the higher risk level with these types of riding.

In the colder and shorter days of the year, I ride through my neighborhood, down the sidewalk (since there is no bike infrastructure where I live) to the bus stop, load my bike onto the bus to campus, then ride from my stop, through campus to work. On these days, I choose to not wear a helmet, not because helmets are unfashionable or burdensome, but because my assessment of the risk of riding through my neighborhood, down the sidewalk and through campus is significantly lower.

In reality, helmets provide as much of a symbol of safety as actual protection. The resulting fallacy of reducing bicycle safety to helmet-wearing creates an overinflated fear of head trauma in cycling compared to other activities (such as driving) where head trauma is much more common.

I encourage anyone who feels uncomfortable riding without a helmet to wear one. I simply ask that others thoughtfully reconsider criticizing some cyclists’ decision to not wear helmets in low-risk riding situations.

Andrew Hunt

Executive Assistant

Provost Office

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