Neurosurgeon branded “irresponsible” for claiming cycle helmets are useless

A neurosurgeon has been branded “irresponsible” for his comments about bike helmets being useless for protecting the safety of cyclists.

Speaking at the Hay festival, Henry Marsh, a neurosurgeon at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, said:

“I see lots of people in bike accidents and these flimsy little helmets don’t help.”

He went on to reference a recent study from the University of Bath, which found that by wearing a helmet meant drivers gave cyclists less room, and put them at greater danger.

Cyclist safety campaigners have called his comments “irresponsible”, and reference a recent Department of Transport study, which showed that helmets could prevent 10-16% of cyclist fatalities