House of Lords written question – answered on 4 June 2009.
Lord Greaves
Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Spokesperson for Communities and Local Government
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the game on the Cycling Safety page on the Tales of the Road website (http://talesoftheroad. direct.gov.uk/cycling-safety.php), which involves using the cursor to hit children over the head with a mallet if they are not wearing a cycle helmet, and the words that appear with the final score "Nice Work! That'll teach 'em for not wearing a cycle helmet", are appropriate; and whether they will withdraw that page.
Lord Adonis
Minister of State, Department for Transport, Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is committed to reducing the number of children killed or seriously injured while cycling. As part of a broader communication strategy to educate children about road safety, an online game was designed to encourage 6 to 11-year-olds to wear cycle helmets, which can help reduce head injuries.
After due consideration, the department removed the game from the website on
Yes5 people think so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.
Annotations
Chris Beazer
Posted on 9 Jun 2009 11:16 am (Report this annotation)
What evidence is there that wearing cycle helmets reduces head injuries? Once again the debate about cycling safety concentrates on the victims of cycle accidents, implying that they are responsible for their injuries whereas the emphasis should be on PREVENTING accidents (usually the fault of motorists).