This advertising campaign encouraging young Germans to wear helmets when they cycle has been causing a stir in the Fatherland…
…with some saying it is sexist. Yet, as the posters above reveal – you can view the full set here – male models feature just as prominently as female ones. That aside, the slogan is interesting. Firstly it is in English – what you see above is the original poster, not a translated version – and secondly, I’m not sure I agree with the ‘looks like shit‘ bit. I think cycling helmets have come a long way in terms of design and, actually, can be (dare I say) ‘cool‘. Discuss.
Categories: Cycling
I think, if cyclists die in traffic, most of the time a car is involved. Why doesn’t the minister concentrate on the real problem: The proximity of walkways, bicycles and cars in traffic. In this case, Germany has a long way to go. Also the laws are much more cyclists friendly in our neighbour countries (NL and Denmark for example). With a helmet a cyclist may survive a crash under certain conditions. But there will still be severe injuries. Those must be avoided as well. This campaign cannot hide that Scheuer is the most car and car-industry friendly minister since long. He tries to polish HIS reputation with the campaign and he has to do something much more substantial for cycling infrastructure in Germany, before he becomes believable.
I had a simple fall whilst attempting a triple climb up Mont Ventoux two years ago to achieve club de cinglรจs (club of nutters) membership. Two weeks later developed a massive sub dural (brain) bleed resulting in a bilateral crianiectomy to drain the massive blood clot. If I wasnโt wearing a helmet I would certainly have perished on the roadside. I donโt care what is the medium but the message is stark. WEAR YOUR HELMET โ
That should say craniotomy
Cycle helmets are alot cooler than they were. I really like mine, it protects my head with the added bonus that I don’t have to brush my hair before an early morning cycle.
I remember Chris Boardman coming off his bike during the Tour de France and colliding head first with a dry stone wall. He was wearing a helmet and it most likely saved his life. A couple of years before that Casartelli came off and hit his head on some concrete. He wasn’t wearing a helmet and died. A helmet would have probably saved him. You don’t have to be travelling at the speed of professional cyclist to have an accident, and even at low speeds a blow to the head can be very serious.