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Delivering Moo Shoo? Strap on a Helmet
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First helmets now New York may be looking at requiring safety
vests for messengers. If helmets and safety vests are so beneficial
then why
not have all cyclists and pedestrians wear them? The number one cause
of head injuries is cars. If the city was serious about safety they
woould require drivers to wear helmets too.
"The helmet does nothing to prevent a collision." - Toronto Coroner's
report 1999
Delivering Moo Shoo? Strap on a Helmet
By Sewell Chan
New York Times, June 19, 2007
A law requiring bicycle-riding delivery workers to wear helmets while
on their rounds takes effect on July 26, but it is far from clear
whether thousands of affected businesses know about the new rules.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed the law on March 28; the proposal had
strong support from representatives of bike-messenger and food-delivery
businesses.
The law requires businesses to supply their bicycle-riding delivery
workers with helmets. It also mandates that commercial bike riders wear
the helmets while cycling on the job.
To draw attention to the law, the city announced today that it would
give away its shiny new red official bicycle helmets to restaurant
workers, while supplies last. (On Saturday, the city gave away the
first 1,000 of 5,000 free helmets in an event in Central Park. The
helmets, worth $50,000, were donated by the Target Corporation.)
The transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, joined David J.
Louie, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, for the noon
announcement, at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association on
Mott Street.
A 2006 city study of fatal bike accidents in New York City found that
most deaths occurred from head injuries; 97 percent of them involved
bicyclists who were not wearing helmets.
The new law will also require that employers provide each of their
bicycle delivery workers with a helmet that meets city safety standards
and a bike equipped with a lamp, bell, brakes, reflectors and other
safety devices required under the state’s Vehicle and Traffic Law.
A separate law will require that employers of bike delivery workers
post signs that detail bicycle safety procedures, operator
responsibilities and employer responsibilities.
The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has begun an
experimental program to provide delivery workers with reflective vests
that increase cyclists’ visibility and allow for easy display of
identifying information. Under city law, commercial cyclists must
display a sign indicating their employer’s name and a personal,
three-digit identification number.
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