American v European Perspectives on Cycling

I spend at least five weeks a year in America where I always spend some time cycling in New York. I have also spent time cycling in different parts of Europe. These are my (personal) impressions of the different perspectives towards cycling. 1. Helmets. Probably the most divisive issue. Americans will invariably be very ‘pro helmet’. They see wearing a helmet as ‘absolutely crucial’. (possibly something to do with the road infrastructure and the way Americans drive.) Europeans, at least, in cycle cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen don’t wear helmets and can’t understand the issue. To them it is like asking why would a pedestrian wear a helmet walking down the road? 2. Safety Cycling in America is statistically more dangerous than Europe. There are far more fatalities and injuries per Km travelled in the US than elsewhere. The relatively safety of cycling in Europe probably explains why Europeans are more likely to be relaxed about not wearing helmets. Americans have one of the highest rate of wearing helmets but the highest fatality rates for cycling. 3. Numbers Cycling This shows that US has one of lowest rates of cycling. Though there also appears to be a big divide between [...]

Source: http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/articles/american-v-european-perspectives-on-cycling/

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