tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969791928952941604.post2254055533095457971..comments2023-10-06T14:36:34.579+01:00Comments on The Grumpy Cyclist: A Good Day For CyclingGrumpyCyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02870343841388421714noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969791928952941604.post-58335332365310963412010-12-17T18:02:25.538+00:002010-12-17T18:02:25.538+00:00Well, my own completely unscientific and subjectiv...Well, my own completely unscientific and subjective survey was that helmet or no didn't seem to make a huge difference - but maybe drivers on Saturday are a bit better. Cycled the other day without a helmet and had the usual assortment of idiotic driving that one normally sees. I don't know what this proves - outside the fact that I probably cannot conduct a scientific experiment!GrumpyCyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02870343841388421714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969791928952941604.post-48726406592389520272010-12-14T10:32:47.200+00:002010-12-14T10:32:47.200+00:00I didn't say the distances were guesswork. I s...I didn't say the distances were guesswork. I suppose there's nothing actually wrong with the research as far as it goes, but the use of the data is severely limited and I hate the way it is touted by no-helmet advocates as proof that wearing a helmet is more dangerous than not. I think his wearing a wig illustrates the problem in drawing meaningful conclusions from the study (um, men in wigs tend to look like men in wigs, particularly given that cars can often overtake after already having been in front).<br /><br />There are also a huge number of other limiting factors. Such as:<br /><br />- The study was only undertaken in three relatively small towns (Salisbury, Bristol, Portsmouth).<br />- No consideration was given to clothing other than helmets (e.g. perhaps the issue is appearing to be an experienced cyclist, in which case someone in a luminous jacket without a helmet might be passed closer than someone in shorts and t-shirt with).<br />- In the same vein, no consideration was given to the type of bicycle used (and it doesn't appear that he even switched bicycle when doing his data-in-drag).<br />- His time of day calculations are fairly lacking - he claims that drivers pass closer in morning than evening rush hour but the <a href="http://drianwalker.com/overtaking/PsychBikeData.xls" rel="nofollow">data set</a> (.xls) shows that he does not record any data after 4pm.<br /><br />These are generally not Ian Walker's fault in that he doesn't claim the research is exhaustive, but I have a real chip on my shoulder about how so many other people seem to consider it reasonably convincing evidence that not wearing a helmet is safer.angercanbepowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09677704306586764065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969791928952941604.post-78882553585876186472010-12-13T19:11:33.398+00:002010-12-13T19:11:33.398+00:00Nope, angercanbepower - Ian Walker wrote a proper...Nope, angercanbepower - Ian Walker wrote a proper paper in a proper peer-reviewed journal.<br /><br />He's an experimental psychologist so it's got quantitative data (exp psychologists *measure* things). The bike was instrumented to give proper distances of passing vehicles not just guesswork. (The "wig condition" that everyone remebers was just an afterthought, after various, with or without helmet, runs. He's rather gifted at giving his research media legs).<br /><br />I have a copy of the paper somewhere, but can't be bothered to fish it out for the full reference - anyway it'd be easy enough to find on the web, I imagine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969791928952941604.post-32514747148087854972010-12-13T15:47:07.418+00:002010-12-13T15:47:07.418+00:00I think Ian Walker riding his bike around Bath wit...I think Ian Walker riding his bike around Bath with a wig on fits more into the category of anecdote than research, even if he did choose to write an academic-looking article about it.<br /><br />Having said this, anecdotally I find that drivers tend to treat me better when I go without helmet and cycling jacket.angercanbepowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09677704306586764065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969791928952941604.post-8976831254046992142010-12-11T19:45:11.710+00:002010-12-11T19:45:11.710+00:00It may be the absence of a helmet that prompted mo...It may be the absence of a helmet that prompted more cooperative behaviour from motorists. Ian Walker at Bath has done some research on this.Roger Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17214091779817110876noreply@blogger.com