Why forcing cyclists to wear helmets will not save lives – video explainer

Bicycle helmets are compulsory in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, among others, but as the Guardian's Peter Walker explains this does not help save lives. Despite a series of helmet promotion campaigns in the UK, a growing amount of evidence suggests forcing people to wear protective headgear leads to greater risk-taking and can even put people off cycling altogether, exacerbating the crises in obesity and inactive living