@user1471447863
You are correct, helmets do protect against direct Trauma. Plenty of stud ies to show that. Totally agree with you. There is some debate though that most seriouscycle injuries are crush injuries, and a helmet would probably not make a massive difference to survivablilty of these collisions.
And also wearing a helmet changed rider behaviour, and makes (some) people take risks they wouldn’t take. It also influences car driver behaviour, and leaders drivers to assume a more competent cyclist, and therefore pass more closely etc.
There is a much bigger picture though.
If you make helmets either legally or socially compulsory, the rate of cycling drops substantially, meaning overall in a population, MORE people die or have life changing medical issues, because less people cycle.
These people have heart attacks or strokes due to poor fitness, as well as cycling having the potential to reduce traffic, meaning less asthma and respiratory There are also huge mental health benefits to cycling. This has been shown in places like Aus and NZ where helmets were made mandatory, overall the health of the population is worse.
It seems that there is a certain small number who CBA if helmets are necessary, but also (and very importantly)it skews perception of how dangerous cycling actually is as an activity and puts People off, something that in relative terms is quite safe, and immensely beneficial to health. It is a population level thing, not an individual thing. A quirk I’d human psychology.
That’s why you cant make direct health comparisons to seatbelts or motorbike Cycling is transport AND has huge health benefits.
Which is why I wear a helmet, and I make my kids wear one. But id never judged anyone else for not doing (except mountain biking ) because I’m just happy to see people cycling.
It is a fascinating and very complex subject, and there is a lot of debate.
That’s the point, I suppose. It isn’t as simple as it first appears, and the government/professionals want the best outcome for the most people. And that means leaving it as an individual decision, because the best thing we can to for our health and the planet is to cycle. With or without a helmet.