New York Magazine helmet controversy is non-existent
Last week, I wrote an opinion piece in response to an interview in New York Magazine with actor and cycling advocate Matthew Modine about bicycle advocacy and the issue of bike helmets. I was critical of Modine based on some of the contradictory statements he said in the story on whether you should wear a helmet. I was also critical of the League of American Bicyclists when the story reported that they did not want to work with Modine’s advocacy group Bicycle for a Day after meeting with him because of his stance on helmets.
The New York Magazine article as well as our post generated conflict in the some parts of the cycling community with many people mad at the LAB for allegedly turning its back on an allied organization with a common goal: getting more people riding bikes. I was contacted by a local LAB member with more knowledge of the situation who explained that the statements made about the LAB weren’t an accurate description of the situation. Yesterday, I spoke with Modine and LAB staff to get to the bottom of this story.
LAB: “We think Modine and Bicycle for a Day are great”
The League of American Bicyclists, the largest bicycle advocacy organization in the U.S., works with hundreds of organizations a year. Most are local groups with affiliate memberships of LAB using the organization as a resource or simply wishing to support its work. The LAB also works with other national organization to put on the National Bike Summit each year, a meeting where bicycle advocacy organizations can interact with governmental leaders from the legislative and executive branches.
Elizabeth Kiker, the organization’s Vice President, explained that the LAB reached out to work with Modine on his Bicycle for a Day program. Not only did they support his work, they promoted and sent LAB staff to the 2008 kickoff event in New York City and currently list Bicycle for a Day in the links section of the LAB site. ”We think Modine and Bicycle for a Day are great,” Kiker said.
So the League leadership was surprised when they read Modine’s comments. LAB President Andy Clarke who was at the meeting in question with Modine put out these statements:
. . . in the course of our conversation happen to mention that if we posted the BFAD promotional video on our website we’d catch all kinds of grief from some of our members who would only see that he wasn’t wearing a helmet. The moment passed.
We had a good meeting, discussed loads of ways in which we could help support and promote BFAD, and we’ve stayed in touch. We had a booth at the recent BFAD event in New York City; we promoted the event to our members in the NYC area; one of our staff is in the video that was shot during the event; and we’re looking forward to promoting BFAD in September and beyond.
The Matthew Modine Video behind the “controversy”
Kiker, who did not attend the meeting, said comments were made in a light hearted manner and were not intended as an unwillingness to work together. “In the past, when we’ve done photo spreads of cyclists which included only one or two cyclists without helmets, we’ve had members complain,” Kiker continued. “We just have some members that are passionate about helmets.”
Kiker indicated that while the LAB recommends all cyclists wear helmets they also oppose laws that would require adult cyclists to wear helmets. She also said that while Modine’s video has not been put on their site, that does not mean they disapprove of the video or would not potentially post it in the future.
Modine: “There is no controversy here”
I also spoke with Matthew Modine to get his side of what happen. I relayed the LAB’s version of the meeting, he completely concurred. “There is no controversy here. Instead, you have a reporter who took what I said out of context in order to generate controversy to increase readership,” Modine explained. “What was odd was the New York Magazine reporter wasn’t wearing a helmet either.”
He told me that he did not think that the LAB was unwilling to work with him, and that they were just relaying a dynamic of their membership in a friendly way. “I support what the League of American Bicyclists does,” Modine stated.
He did not shy away from his choice not to wear a helmet. “We take chances everyday. Life is full of risks, and we have to decide what is a reasonable risk,” he said emphatically. “A helmet is safer, but a helmet won’t protect you if you get hit by an 18 wheeler.”
He seemed to be supportive of promoting helmets but comfortable in his own decision to accept the risk of riding helmetless. This nuanced approach may be what caused the New York Magazine reporter to report that Modine was being contradictory.
Back to the Big Picture
Lost in all of this is the work Bicycle for a Day is doing. Modine wants to promote all kinds of riding in the hopes of making an impact on our environment. “There are hundreds of things we can do everyday to improve the environment and riding a bike is one easy way,” he said.
In 2008, BFD had a star studded kickoff in New York City to launch the organization and get people signed up to be a part of future projects. For 2009, the focus is the collection of used and broken bikes in New York City that will be shipped over to Iraq and Afghanistan where local women and children will be taught bicycle mechanics by fixing up these bikes. Special containers have been set up to collect the bikes and will serve as storage and workshop space once overseas. Think of it as a Yellow Bike Project on the front lines of the War on Terror.
“The BFD Container Project is a way of empowering women and children through work and education,” Modine continued. “Bikes can be an olive branch for that part of the world.”
He sounds hopeful about the change bicycles can make. “There is something mind altering in giving a kid a bike to ride,” he said.
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on Jun 26th, 2009 at 9:59 am
“A helmet is safer, but a helmet won’t protect you if you get hit by an 18 wheeler.”
To this I would say, a helmet is safer if you get hit, but we’ve seen at least one study that suggests you may be _more_ likely to get hit when you wear a helmet — so we need more data on the question of whether wearing a helmet actually makes one safer.
Once we get through that, then we can talk about the ’safety in numbers’ phenomenon and all the rest.
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Actually, there is no data that indicates a helmet is safer if you get hit. Case control studies were severely flawed, and population-wide data has shown no detectible benefit from vastly increased helmet use.
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Kudos to Elliott McFadden and Austin on Two Wheels for being willing to take a second look at this story. It’s refreshing to see a journalist exhibit such integrity; and it’s a shame that NY Magazine stirred up a controversy where none existed. Thank you, A2W, for setting the record straight.
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Elliot, thanks for update on Modine article. I’m frequently accused of being a helmet freak but we even have un-helmeted riders in our new Traffic Skills 201 manual. We know people choose to ride without helmets and we like them anyway.
Preston Tyree
Education Director, League of American Bicyclists
Austin Resident.
on Jun 28th, 2009 at 6:18 am
My helmet this morning is covered with New Belgium beer caps…will this affect it’s efficacy?
It’s funny, though. The only time I don’t want to wear a helmet is when I feel pressured to do so.