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The death of a Mr Cropley, a bicycle-riding postman from London, has led to 40 MPs clamouring for the Royal Mail to issue helmets to posties.
Its a move that has incensed the CTC, and other cycle bodies, most of whom resist compulsory helmet wearing of any kind,
Stuart Reid, CTC Campaigns and Policy Manager said: Helmets do not provide the protection these MPs are claiming. Statistics show that they have made no difference either to fatalities or head injuries suffered by cyclists in London or in countries where helmets are mandatory.
The death of Mr Cropley is tragic but claims that cyclists, any more than pedestrians or drivers, would be better protected if wearing helmets is completely false.
This debate serves only to deflect attention from the real issue that of making our roads more cycling friendly so that cyclists feel no need to
wear helmets at all.
The action of these MPs implies that helmets are a panacea. It is laudable that they have the interests of postmen and women at heart but this is a misguided action to take to improve cyclists safety.
