Did you know that in the year after a state mandates its citizens to wear helmets while biking that biking-related deaths for children between the ages of 5 and 15 fall by about 8 death per year.
It is a small number but I think most reasonable people would say that it is a positive development. I agree.
Yet, it is also important to "see what we can't see." In this case, a year after a helmet law goes into effect 650,000 fewer children decide to jump on bikes. (Presumably because wearing a helmut isn't cool.) This isn't a positive development because too many kids are already suffering from obesity and a serious lack of exercise.
The solution? Safety advocates, physical health experts and innovator designers need to team up to figure out how to design a helmet that will encourage more riding–not less.
