POLICE say an accident in Wodonga on Tuesday demonstrated beyond question the life-saving qualities of helmets for cyclists.
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They have no doubt that a 52-year-old Wodonga man who hit the side of a school bus while riding his bike in Melbourne Road would have been more gravely injured had he not had the protective headwear on.
The man suffered head injuries that police say may well have been catastrophic otherwise.
Australia was the first country to make wearing bicycle helmets mandatory, with Victoria introducing the law in July 1990.
But despite the long-standing legal position on the matter in this country, there are still those who do not support the law and many of those people cite the fact that the vast majority of countries have few if any restrictions.
It’s hard to understand how the jury can still be out on the matter, considering the volumes of advice from experts who deal in trauma every day arguing the merits of protective helmets.
There is an argument that if you are too stupid to protect yourself by wearing a helmet, you shouldn’t have to wear one. But that’s a pretty insensitive approach when you consider the job of police, ambulance officers and medical staff who are left to clean up the mess.
SICK AND SENSELESS ACT
ANOTHER act of cruelty to an animal in our area will shock and repulse readers.
Manfred Wagner found a pet deer beheaded on his property near Myrtleford on Saturday afternoon.
The deer was a pet, nurtured since he was a calf by the family, and named Karl after Mr Wagner’s grandfather. He would let children ride on his back and was fond of potato chips.
Mr Wagner suspects money was the motivation, with Karl’s antlers worth up to $20,000. Understandably, he wants those responsible caught, and has offered a reward for information leading to a conviction.
It comes at the same time as another shocking attack, with 18 piglets ripped from the bellies of three sows at a Springhurst farm on the weekend.
There is no way to even try to understand such sick acts. All we can hope is that the offenders get their just deserts.