Row breaks out on Twitter after police ‘blame’ injured cyclist for #NoHelmet
Accident: Northchurch Road. Photograph: Google Street View
Emergency services have been accused of jumping to conclusions and “victim blaming” for tweeting #NoHelmet after an elderly man was knocked off his bike by a van.
The cyclist, who is in his 70s, was injured in a collision on Northchurch Road and was taken to a major trauma centre in East London on Thursday 18 February.
The Joint Response Unit sparked outrage amongst cyclists when, shortly after attending the accident, it tweeted: “RTC- cyclist in collision with a van. Taken to a Major Trauma Centre as a priority @MPSHackney #NoHelmet #999family”
The original tweet, which appears to have been deleted, included the hashtag #NoHelmet which caused outrage amongst the cycling community.
@LAS_JRU @MPSHackney hi team. Hoping a speedy recovery. Not sure the #nohelmet hashtag is needed though. We don’t do it for car drivers.
— Jono Kenyon (@Jono_Kenyon) February 18, 2016
Brenda Puech of Fume Free Streets and Hackney Cycling Campaign told the Hackney Citizen: “I think that was highly inappropriate. You haven’t had chance to investigate the accident, it’s instant judgment and the police shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“This is quite generally done [against] cyclists, I do think this is victim blaming.”
But Hackney police, tweeting from their account @MPSHackney came to the defence of their emergency service partners.
@edouardminh @Jono_Kenyon @Hackneycyclist @LAS_JRU it’s best to wear a helmet. Provides far more protection. We see injures from #Nohelmets
— Hackney MPS (@MPSHackney) February 18, 2016
The spat has been raging for days with members of the public telling the police and ambulance services exactly what they think of their #NoHelmet stance.
@LAS_JRU @MPSHackney Do you ever use the #nohelmet hashtag when reporting on an injured driver?
— Clive Andrews (@CliveAndrews) February 19, 2016
Head injuries from cycling are less common than those received whilst driving. Puech, who believes we should be encouraging rather than preventing people from cycling in Hackney, added: “If cyclists are expected to go out wearing body armour, you are discouraging cyclists, you are discouraging a healthy activity.”
Puech and her co-campaigners believe the focus should be on restricting the motor traffic congestion to create a safer neighbourhood and not pointing the finger at cyclists.
The Citizen has been informed that the cyclist involved in the collision did not sustain any serious injuries.
l for one am a bit fed up with how many people cycle on the pavement,mostly adults of both sexes and old enough to no better.What with tables and chairs and shops fruit and veg,us walkers are getting well fed up.As for the no helmet cyclist yes they have to take some blame for not protecting themselves.
He was hit by a driver not taking enough care. Where does the blame lie? Similarly, do you walk in the road? No. Why? Because it is too dangerous. So why should a person who happens to be on a bike be expected to share space with dangerous, heavy machinery?
Because it’s the law for one, and because people being pedestrians have the right not to be run over on the pavement you pompous arse…where does that stop, motorbikes? small cars? Small vans, get them all on the pavement so they’re away from the buses and lorries….
pavement cycling is for fools. implying blame (for an incident where a driver hit a bike) on the operator of the bike, due to their not wearing a helmet, is for fools.
Simply put riding a bike close to 20mph in some cases is just as dangerous for pedestrians. Adults cycling on pavements has been outlawed for many years as it’s a hazard and irresponsible. If you feel like it’s too much hassle using the road just walk like the majority of us! Plus it’s just common sense to be wearing a helmet when cycling in a busy environment..
I’m not defending cycling on the pavement but where did this point come from? It bears no relevance to the article that I can see and just seems like a case of someone taking this opportunity to whinge about how they feel wronged by cyclists.
I’m glad to see wearing a helmet’s common sense despite there being no conclusive research that demonstrates this (and not for want of investigation).
cycling on the pavement is illegal and nothing to do with this article about a man who was injured whilst cycling on the road
wearing a helmet is optional in this country – it is not a legal requirement and we do not know what the cause of the accident was, it is a bit like blaming a gunshot victim for not wearing a bullet proof vest.
Driving dangerously “without due care and attention” is illegal but sadly all too often treated with a blind eye or leniently when its consequence is death or injury
Hackney Police should be ashamed of themselves
Lets hope a loose roof tile doesn’t fall on your head when you are walking without a helmet Jean – otherwise you will have to take some of the blame
Glad to see you’ve checked the statistics on pedestrian accidents involving cyclists. Even with the epidemic of cyclists riding on pavements, as a pedestrian you’re still far more likely to be killed or seriously injured by a motor vehicle when you’re on one.
This happened on my road and very near my house. The driver was reversing (his vehicle was too big to turn around as Northchurch Road is a blocked road) and his lorry was making that beeping noise when backing up. He had only begun to reverse so was not going at any speed. I can only think the cyclist did not notice the vehicle even though it was very big and he cycled into the back of the lorry. The man sustained a head injury and possibly wearing a helmet would have given him some protection. I very much hope the cyclist is recovering well. The driver remained on the scene for many hours.
Cyclists don’t think the law applies them, helmets have protected many motor cyclists, a lot of cyclist don’t believe traffic lights apply to them and every one should give way to them, no insurance, so what if they cause an accident its not their fault, never will be. No test to see if they are competent
Most cyclists, like most pedestrians and most drivers – are considerate. A conspicuous few cyclists and motorists behave badly – but the impact of bad driving is far more dangerous for all. When a cyclist is injured the discussion often focuses on antisocial cycling instead of dangerous driving and poor road layout. This shifts blame to the cyclist which is dangerous for all road users. For the time being polluting motor vehicles are given priority in our streets – but this will surely change because pretty soon cars will be priced out as they already are for many. Roll on two wheels! Quiet, safe, healthy and clean.
no matter who or how an accident is caused isn’t it better to be protected. Cyclists are vulnerable to injury and head injuries can cause seizures that could affect them the rest of their lives. Wear a helmet.