You're safer not wearing a cycle helmet, according to research...

[emmelinemay]

Bicyclists who wear protective helmets are more likely to be struck by passing vehicles, new research suggests.

and what i think is the crux of the matter...
Most adult cyclists know what it is like to drive a car, but relatively few motorists ride bicycles in traffic, and so don’t know the issues cyclists face.

There should definitely be more information on the needs of other road users when people learn to drive, and practical experience would be even better.

and this made me laugh -

To test another theory, Dr Walker donned a long wig to see whether there was any difference in passing distance when drivers thought they were overtaking what appeared to be a female cyclist.

Whilst wearing the wig, drivers gave him an average of 14 centimetres (5.5 inches) more space when passing.

Comments

[miss-glitch.livejournal.com]

I think someone posted that a little while back - that's why I think there should be another light to let cyclists get a head start, whilst also ensuring pedestrians can cross safely without having to worry about rogue cyclists seemingly coming out of nowhere :)

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

big lorries = not my friends.

[juliet]

In theory that's what Advanced Stop Lines are for! When they get observed by cars, anyway :-/ (actually drivers do seem to be getting better at this, at least in London).

The women/lorries thing is a v dodgy interpretation of the data, btw - http://baconbutty.blogspot.com/2007/04/women-cycle-and-live.html has some discussion & some links. Although lorries turning left is a major issue for cyclists - the straightforward solution is a) don't go up the inside of long vehicles & b) don't stop alongside LVs (stop behind or ahead). Retro-fitting decent mirrors to all LVs would help as well...