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Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas’ calls to make helmet wearing compulsory have been welcomed by Morpher folding helmet inventor Jeff Woolf.
Mr Woolf, who was awarded an OBE for innovation, believes that they could be the catalyst for saving thousands of lives and at the same time relieving the NHS of an avoidable financial burden.
He has been a big fan of helmet use for cyclists ever since a helmet saved his life in a near fatal accident.
He said: "Anyone taking to the saddle without wearing a helmet is taking a very real risk with their life.
“The death statistics are bad enough but when you add the far more likely risk of a traumatic brain injury then the statistics become even more frightening.
“They range from simple concussions to cognitive challenges to life-changing injuries that ruin families for decades.
“There are many cases of cyclists without helmets having seemingly innocuous falls yet bang their unprotected heads and end up in a completely awake-but-unaware state for the rest of their lives.
“In many cases, they become unable to communicate or move or look after themselves in any way and are completely reliant on their family or professionals for support."
Mr Woolf invented Morpher after being fascinated to discover a reason most people don’t wear bike helmets is that they find them inconvenient to carry around when not in use.
He believes that if the law changes people will get used to wearing helmets and lives will be saved.
He said: "When the compulsory wearing of safety belts was first introduced in cars, it felt like an abuse of our freedom of choice yet after wearing them for a while they become an essential part of feeling safe.
“It’s pretty much the same with bicycle helmets: once you’ve worn one for a while, you feel exposed and vulnerable on a bicycle without one.
“This isn’t another ‘Health and Safety gone mad’ proposal, it’s simple common sense.
“I’ve met many fools who actually say that helmets increase the chance of head injury – it’s unbelievable!
“I generally ask them if they buy their eggs in an egg box or if they prefer simply putting them in their shopping bag, loose.
"I’m hopeful and excited that the government will take heed of Thomas’ rallying call, this really could be the turning point.”
