Islington News: Terry Stacy | Speed Hump | Bicycle

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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 8 August 2008

Politician ‘owes his life’ to his cycle helmet and speed hump

COUNCIL deputy leader Terry Stacy has told how a speed hump saved his life after he was left with three broken ribs in a bike accident.
Doctors told Cllr Stacy, who also sustained a broken arm and dislocated shoulder after falling off his bike in Liverpool Road last month, that he could have died had it not been for his cycle helmet and the speed humps which slowed down the car behind him.
It had been rumoured that Cllr Stacy had fallen off his bike after hitting a speed bump but he has now revealed how a plastic bag got caught in his spokes, jamming the front wheel, and throwing him over the handlebars.
He said: “It became apparent that because of the humps the car behind me was driving a lot slower and was able to stop. I’ve always been a great believer in speed humps. Anyone who doesn’t wear a cycling helmet must be as thick as two short planks. If it wasn’t for these things I may not even be here.”
Liverpool Road has 30 speed bumps, more than any other road in the borough.
Cllr Stacy said the cycle helmet was “smashed to smithereens” in the accident and his bike is beyond repair.
He is sending off the salvageable pieces to a recycling programme in Africa.

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Absolute nonsense. The speed humps did not save his life because there is no evidence that the car behind would not have stopped anyway. Councillor Terry Stacy only has himself to blame for this accident and he is trying to turn his own faux pas into a justification for speed humps when everyone else hates them - and for good reason. They don't save lives and they cause endless misery to people with disabilities. Let's eject Councillor Stacy from office and with it his beloved speed humps. And he'll need more than a crash helment to save his reputation from this kind of silly comment.
Roger Lawson

This constant mantra that cycle helmets save lives is worrying, given that there isn't a shred of evidence they do any such thing. Consider a few facts:
- they are only designed for impacts up to 12mph
- a normal skull can cope with 20mph - nearly 3 times the energy
- cycle helmets work by crushing. If they break they've failed and may not have given any protection at all
- helmets do nothing to protect against rotation of the head, which is far more dangerous to the brain than impact
- there are strong indications that helmeted cyclists are more likely to hit their heads than unhelmeted ones.
Helmets might protect against small injuries that would ruin your day. No-one has ever been able to show any benefit in impacts that might ruin your life, and believe me they've tried. Just as well, then, that cycling is far safer than most people think - about as safe per mile as walking. Anyone for walking helmets?
Colin McKenzie