For both medical and social reasons, there is strong interest in promoting the use of the pedal cycle in Britain. First, regular cycling is beneficial to health; second, cycling is one of the most ecologically friendly modes of transportation. An important obstacle to wider use of bicycles, however, is public concern about safety — especially the risk of death and disability from head injury. An increasing body of research suggests that the risk of serious head injury can be substantially lessened by use of a cycle helmet, and for the past decade cyclists have been urged to adopt this protective measure; yet rates of usage in Britain remain disappointingly poor. Thus, some authorities suggest that the British Government should follow several other countries and make the use of cycle helmets mandatory. In this paper, we consider the ethical and moral arguments for and against helmet legislation. (Author/publisher)
Abstract