I feel a bit like Bubba in Forest Gump when I start naming off activists these days.
I never thought I would be adding "bicycle activist" to the list, but thanks to the Bicycle Union in the Netherlands, bicycle activism is a thing.
It all started when the Dutch government and a bunch of neuroscientists had the gall to suggest that people ought to wear bicycle helmets while riding a bike.
And it's no joke for the government.
28 per cent of all journeys [in The Netherlands] are made by bike, only 3.5 per cent of Dutch cyclists wear helmets.
In 2022, 88,000 cyclists were injured in the Netherlands, making up 66 per cent of all casualties on the road. Around half of those collisions involved a motorist.
The Netherlands have started social engineering programs offering money for cyclists that wear helmets, but neurologists and doctors don't think it goes far enough.
They think helmets should be mandated.
The libertarians will immediately jump in here and say if people want to be dumb and crack their skull open, let them.
But I'll see your crazy libertarian rationale and raise you one bicycle activist from the Dutch Cyclists' Union, Fietsersbond‘s:
'We have the position that helmets don't prevent accidents but it can be a wise decision to wear one on a voluntary basis,' the bicycling union's director, Esther van Garderen, said.
'Emphasising too much that you should wear a helmet would discourage people from cycling sometimes, though, and has the air of victim blaming.'
Good grief!
"Victim Blaming"?
What exactly is someone falling and breaking their head open by not wearing a bicycle helmet a victim of?
(I'd rather call them stupid than a victim.)
Seriously, even Joe Biden is smart enough to wear a helmet when he falls.
All activists are annoying, but bicycle activists might have just topped my list.
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