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From Austin Bicycle Helmet Law

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== What is a Wiki and How Do I Use This One? ==
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a wiki <wick-ey> is a type of website that allows users to add, remove, or otherwise edit and change most content very quickly and easily. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative writing. The word is Hawaiian for "fast". [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia] is a good example of a successful wiki. It also uses the same [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki MediaWiki] software as this site.
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[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page How to Edit a Page] - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents/Editing_Wikipedia Editing Help] - A good way to get started writing is to click on the edit tab of the main page and look at the code or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page#Wiki_markup "Markup"]. Markup can be cut, pasted and customed to your needs. Get an idea of how to create links within the wiki, to internet web sites, create headings, italics or bold. There are plug-ins available for the mozilla web browsers called "Visual Editors", which do the markup for you. Finally, be bold! You can revert to previous page versions using [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Page_history Page History], but be respectful of what other users have written. Simply deleting things you don't agree with is pointless since it goes against the collaborative nature of this project. Discuss it first. More on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Resolving_disputes Resolving Disputes] - [http://editthis.info/austin_bicycle_helmet_law/Special:Upload Upload Files Here] - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Uploading_images#Adding_images_to_articles Link Files into the Wiki] -
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== Introduction ==
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League of Bicycling Voters (that's us!)
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note: please reference/source all factual information posted here
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[[(Brief) History of 1996-7 Repealed Helmet Law]]
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[[Full Language of 2006 Proposed Helmet Law]]
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Who on the council is for / against the proposed law
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== Timeline ==
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* TBA - Permitted Parade, Political Rally and Bicycle Party with Bands (also fundraiser for costs) 
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* Thursday, August 24th, 6pm - Proposed Helmet Law 1st Hearing at City Hall (2nd Street)
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== Countering the Bruce Todd Pro-Helmet Law Press Release ==
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[[Full Text of the Press Release]] - here's you're chance to challenge the validity of facts, figures and inflamtory statements made in it:
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* "The ordinance is strongly supported by numerous Austinites"
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* "Riding a bike is a privilege, not a right, and-just as is required when riding in a car-we must pay for that privilege by being safe."
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* "Eric Makowski, president of Brown-Karhan Healthcare (a long-term, post-acute residential care program for people with head injuries) and president-elect of the Brain Injury Association of Texas, said: "Of the bicycle-related traumatic brain injury cases we have had here at Brown-Karhan, all of them were over the age of 17. Most of them were college students."
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* "The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute estimates that direct cost of cyclists' injuries due to not using helmets is estimated at $81 million each year. Todd said statistics show that head injuries cause extraordinarily expensive, long-term impact to taxpayers."
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* "Laws requiring helmets are not 'Big Brother' trying to impose an unreasonable bureaucracy on people. Nor do they have anything to do with personal freedom," Todd said."
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* "just as with seatbelt laws, helmet laws benefit all of society by holding down on injuries-and the related cost to taxpayers-with a simple, very inexpensive remedy."
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== Position Statement on Mandatory Helmet Law ==
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(note: this should be an evolving area of individual opinion, thoughts, ideas that can be gradually pulled into a cohesive document to be presented to the city council meeting on Thursday, August 24th at 6pm)
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* Why are we trying to pass a law to increase our safety WHEN we have an accident, instead of enforcing existing laws that would greatly reduce the chance of accidents in the first place?
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* Mandatory helmet laws reduce bicycle use
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* The law will be difficult if not impossible to enforce
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*
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== Local Bicycle Groups, Advocates, Doctors, Politicians and their Position on the Helmet Law ==
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Online Petition (?)
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== Local Statistical Information Requested ==
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* [[5 Year National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study of effects of previous helmet law]]
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* Percentage of trips in Austin by bicycle, 1995-2005
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* Cyclist admissions to Brackenridge since Jan. 1993, by month
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* Number of those that were for head injuries
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* Number of those that were helmeted/unhelmeted
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* Austin cycling fatalities by month, since Jan. 1993
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* Which of those cyclists were wearing helmets and which weren't.
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* Determined caused of fatality
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* Percentage of those where alcohol was involved (driver / cyclist)
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* Austin motorcycle fatalities by year since 2000
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* Percentage of those helmeted / unhelmeted
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* Percentage of those where alcohol was involved
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* Austin motorist fatalities by year since 2000
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* Percentage of those where alcohol was involved
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== National & international Statistical Information Requested ==
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* [[Head Injuries Rising Despite Helmets]] New York Times Article
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* deaths and severe head injuries in similar catgories as above but for some other country, such as the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe, where most cyclists don't wear helmets.
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* In Australia, for example, follow-up studies showed that reductions in head injuries after mandatory helmets laws were established could be entirely explained either by the reductions in the number of bicyclists and/or other safety measures *ahem* such as stricter enforcement of drunk driving laws and speed limit reductions that were implemented at the same time. [http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/march/ac722.pdf Link 1] - [http://www.helmets.org/veloaust.htm Link 2] - [http://www.pcug.org.au/~psvansch/crag/cabart.htm Link 3] - [http://web.aanet.com.au/d-e/VELO/velo.html Link 4]
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* [http://www.walkinginfo.org/pc/pbcat.htm Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center's pedestrian and bicycle crash analysis tool (PBCAT)] - For gathering motor vehicle crash data that could contrast bicycle and pedestrian accident statistics. They have an example of PBCAT using data compiled for NC that covers the entire state from 1997 - 2004. Its not Austin nor even Texas, but NC has a state wide child helmet law and only a few communities in the state have a more restrictive all riders ordinance. It's an on-line tool and allows comparisons of all the various crash related scenarios (helmet use, time of day, road conditions, type of injuries, etc). It can be queried by region or county in case there was interest in contrasting communities that have an all rider law against one where helmets are mandated for children only.
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* [http://www.cdc.gov/NCIPC/maps/default.htm National Center for Injury Prevention and Control]- The CDC Injury Center's interactive mapping system is mainly a mapping tool that can show various categories of deaths to include motor vehicle related and head trauma related. The level of detail appears to be down to the county level and includes all states. Averages are accidents/year with data samples that do cover periods that NHTSA studies cover for bicycle related injuries.
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* [http://www.car-accidents.com/ Car-Accidents.com] - The site reports mostly national data with breakdowns for type of motor vehicle with contrasts for restraints or alcohol use.
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== More Effective Alternatives to Helmet Laws - What We Propose Instead ==
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bike lights
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Driver Education - transportation code vs drivers manual disparity / cyclists have use of full lane signs / defensve driving traffic school
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no cell phone use
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DUI
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Cyclist Education - Bike Lights
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Enforcement of bike light law
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Introduction of Rear Bike light requirement
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Harsher Penalties for Negligent injuries of drivers, cyclists or pedestrians, based on degree of injury/death
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3 foot passing law
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== Further Reading / Links ==
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* [[Head Injuries Rising Despite Helmets]] New York Times Article
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* [http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/BikeHelmetUseLawsWeb/pages/7ProfileAAustin.htm NHTSA Austin Study]
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* [http://www.cyclehelmets.org/ Cyclehelmets.org]
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* [http://www.helmets.org/mandator.htm Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute]
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* [http://www.statesman.com/search/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/talk/2006/06/15/should_austinites_be_required.html Austin-American Statesman Helmet Law Comment Thread]
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* [http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2006-05-26/pols_feature.html Shall We Bike? Austin Chronicle, May 2006]
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* [http://www.killacyclist.com/ Kill A Cyclist - Get 10 Years in Prison]
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* [http://www.cdc.gov/NCIPC/maps/default.htm National Center for Injury Prevention and Control]
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* [http://www.car-accidents.com/ Car-Accidents.com]
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* [http://www.walkinginfo.org/pc/pbcat.htm Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center's pedestrian and bicycle crash analysis tool (PBCAT)]
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* australia & Helmet Law - [http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/march/ac722.pdf 1] - [http://www.helmets.org/veloaust.htm 2] - [http://www.pcug.org.au/~psvansch/crag/cabart.htm 3] - [http://web.aanet.com.au/d-e/VELO/velo.html 4]
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Current revision as of 21:21, 31 December 2015

lohneF

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