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Safety and society: cycle helmet debates

With the popularity of cycling soaring across Europe, many countries see cycling as a way to promote well-being and reduce environmental pollution while tackling some of their biggest health challenges, such as obesity and inactivity. But cycling is not without risks. There are varying cultural debates around whether cyclists should be made to wear helmets and the role of helmets in preventing injuries and death for cyclists. Some countries and communities do not promote bike helmet use, do not have a culture of wearing helmets or deem other ways of making cycling safer, such as road design, to be more important. Other places either have, or are in the process of, making helmet use compulsory.

This webinar draws together a range of panellists to discuss the issues surrounding making cycling helmets compulsory and the role of cultural contexts in shaping attitudes to helmet wearing. Factors that will be explored include the effect of helmets on the individual risk perception of cyclists and drivers and how this can vary in different segments of the population, for example by gender; how culture and other contextual factors shape opinion on whether the focus of road safety should be on cyclists or cars; and how policy-makers can better understand their own cycling cultures and contexts.

The webinar will be live streamed at: 14.00–15.00 CEST, 13.00–14.00 GMT+1

 

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