Campaign from the CTC

How would you promote cycling to young people?

Like this

or like this?

The Department for Transport (DfT) has recently launched a "teenage cycle safety" campaign, featuring a macabre series of images of skull X-rays and helmets.  Regardless of the pros and cons of helmet-wearing, CTC believes this campaign goes way beyond the pale.  These images are widely available in schools, magazines and on the web (www.cyclesense.net).  They are supposed to be targeted at 11-14 year-olds, mainly boys.  But the Department can provide no re-assurance of having considered how others might react – for instance:

CTC believes these images are hugely damaging to the promotion of cycling as a safe, enjoyable and healthy activity. As the national organisation for cycling, we have done everything possible to halt this campaign.  We have not managed to do so, and now we need your help.

Why is this campaign so bad?

CTC has campaigned for 125 years for solutions to improve cyclists’ safety.  For many years we have been sceptical about efforts to promote helmet-wearing.  Such campaigns – or still worse, laws banning people from cycling unless helmeted – raise unfounded anxiety about the “dangers” of cycling, and are known to drive down cycle use.

But this campaign is the worst of its kind we have ever seen.  The Government is supposed to be promoting cycling as a healthy option for transport and leisure.  Images which link cycling with X-rays of skulls can only mean one thing – if you cycle you will end up hospitalised or dead.  What sort of a message is that to give to young people?

Studies show that teenagers are the group most likely to be put off cycling when told to wear helmets.  Cycle use in Britain already drops alarmingly through the teenage years. Compare this to Holland where people continue cycling throughout their lives, cyclist casualty rates are way below UK levels and helmet wearing outside racing is almost unknown.

The health costs of deterring teenagers from cycling could be horrendous.  Recent data from around Europe shows a clear link between high cycle use and low childhood obesity rates.  Obesity levels in England have reached 10-12% among 16-24 year olds and are over 1 in 5 for the population as a whole - having doubled over the previous 18 years.  In 2001, around 45,000 people in Britain died of heart disease relating to physical inactivity.  The last thing the Government should be doing is frightening children into NOT cycling!

HELP STOP THIS MADNESS!

If you think the Government’s "Cyclesense" campaign makes no sense, please WRITE TO TONY BLAIR AND OTHER MINISTERS at the addresses below.

(Please note: this is relevant for anyone living in the UK – these images are appearing on the web and in magazines wherever you are!)

Rt Hon Tony Blair MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
Fax 020 7925 0918.

Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
Secretary of State for Transport
Department for Transport
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DR

Rt Hon John Reid MP
Secretary of State for Health
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS

Here are some suggestions of what to say:

CTC believes that the best way to increase cycle use and improve cycle safety is by:

CTC has just launched a national scheme to promote quality road cycle training for all ages.  Less than 1% of children currently receive any cycle training at secondary school. There are so many things that could be done to encourage this age group to cycle more – and the use of skull-and-helmet images definitely isn’t one of them!

Helmet campaign information resources

Sample letters to Ministers (please delete the italicised text sections and replace as appropriate):

Policy paper: “Helmet promotion: a dangerous distraction” – explains why campaigns to promote cycle helmet wearing undermine efforts to encourage cycle use and improve cyclists’ safety

www.ctc.org.uk/resources/Campaigns/0305CTChelmetpromo8brf.doc

Web links: