Tuesday Morning Commute - Mexico

Good morning - 

• The drunk W&OD Trail driver refused a breath test and was unable to complete a field sobriety test after she was pulled over. "She said she was coming from Mexico,” said Gary Lose, a Vienna police spokesman. Maybe she was referring to Foggy Bottom, which I once saw labelled as "Mexico" in a map from the 18th Century. 
• Do bike helmets really work? Probably, but not as much as the government has claimed - so they're backing off of that (more on this later) 
• The Washington Post piles on the terrible WSJ opinion video on Citibike. 

Comments

[freewheel]

What I want to know is how many millions of dollars does the all-powerful bike lobby pay you to produce all this pro-bike propaganda?

[david]

Seems that the WashCycle feels the fact that helmets protect the wearer from head injuries must be downplayed because any such admission get grounds to those want "helmet laws".
Now if you don't want helmets laws fine but to attempt to twist the truth and to mislead people in such matters is irresponsible.
This fear of "Helmet laws" is nothing but a fantasy. The police can and do find reasons to harass bikers when they want to laws or not.
So lets do what we can to insure that there are no more cracked skulls on the streets.
There have been several deaths this year . The beginners need to learn be to ride safely.
Continued reports of people killed or injured trying to ride their bikes is more harmful to efforts to encourage people to bike than helmet laws.

[washcycle]

Let's just say that this is where I live now.

[washcycle]

david,

That is a gross mis-characterization. I don't feel it should be downplayed. I feel it's been up-played and should instead be merely played.

Even if helmets made you immortal, I'd be against mandating them.

Where have I attempted to twist the truth or mislead people?

This fear of "Helmet laws" is nothing but a fantasy.

Excpet that many lawmakers do want to pass helmet laws.

The police can and do find reasons to harass bikers when they want to laws or not.

But harassment from the police is only one reason (and not even the prime one) to oppose these laws.

So lets do what we can to insure that there are no more cracked skulls on the streets.

Have there been any cracked skulls?

[T]

From someone whom has hit the pavement twice hard (once as a kid by my own fault and once by a dumbass angry motorist), they work.

Onto the Mexico item--I actually think she was coming from her work. The office is located in between her McLean home and where it occured. But Mexico sounds better.

[random]

Even if they made you immortal?

Really? You'd pass up an opportunity to prevent all bike deaths with certainty just so some people could be free to have bare hair or whatever?

Would you also abolish laws and policies to prevent suicide?

[SJE]

Very interesting study on why most helmets are not effective at preventing most injuries

http://www.bicycling.com/senseless/

[T]

If the goal is immortality then let's just ban sugary products, high fat products, most meats, walking outside in a thunderstorm, living near the water, living where poisonous creatures live (imagine that we could save 8 lives a year by simply forbidding people from living in Australia), and so forth.

I'm with WC on the mandating/banning issue. One thing to educate and suggest, but another to mandate. It's your life, not mine and so I won't tell you how to live it or regulate or legalize it until impacts mine or the broader society.

[Fred]

Oh Mexico. I've never been there but I sure want to go.

[Tom]

Hey random,

How many suicides has the law stopped?

[washcycle]

You'd pass up an opportunity to prevent all bike deaths with certainty just so some people could be free to have bare hair or whatever?

Yes.

Would you also abolish laws and policies to prevent suicide?

No.

[Crickey7]

That's ridiculous. Helmets don't make you immortal. Only the most powerful talismans, like my splinter from the True Cross, do that.