Do Cyclists Need Mandatory Helmets?

The issue of bicycle helmets is still controversial. Should all cyclists be compelled to wear a helmet, or should they be allowed to take their own responsible decision? In some countries, Spain among them, there is strong pressure to make bicycle helmets mandatory. Here, a cocktail of opinions, beliefs and numbers is administered to the unaware public who swallows it and mostly agrees that “them” (the cyclists) should all wear a helmet. Legislators and decision-makers are car-dependent and, unless they are pressed strong enough, prefer giving some showy treatment to a single symptom (helmets to hide away the head injuries of cyclists in road crashes) than working hard in fighting the basic illness: generalised lack of road safety through malign motor traffic.