Re: Cycling and your child leaflet - update?

On 17 Dec, 12:11, Peter Clinch <p.j.cli...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Toom Tabard wrote:
That indeed explains it. To those in the know it is obviously
disingeneous obfuscation. However for those not in the know, it
obscures a matter relating to child safety which involves concepts of
ethics and integrity.

If you bother reading the leaflet you'll note it points to the
accompanying website, which explains in more detail and provides direct
links to well researched reference material published by the National
Children's Bureau to back up what it says.

The National Children's Bureau are not in the business of obscuring
matters relating to child safety, and in pointing out their publication
nor is the leaflet.

"Something that wasn't too offensive to anybody" avoids the issue,
rather than acknowledging the existence of and presenting some balance
of the bollocks.
And if it is a matter of dispute then unless there is clear evidence
that helmets cause more harm than good, there is meantime a case for
recommending or suggesting their use if they are arguably of benefit.

That takes a default position that if in doubt, they must be good.  The
reality is that since there is doubt we don't know, so such a default is
ridiculous.  It would be equally ridiculous to say you shouldn't wear
one, but that's not done.  Fact is it appears there's no real effect (as
can be seen well in Hewson's 2005 work, read that yet?) so it doesn't
matter much one way or the other.  Which is why it's acknowledged that
some choose to wear them but there's not much to say beyond that.

Presenting some balance is not something that can reasonably done in the
space at a useful level of detail.  Which is why the accompanying
website points folk at the NCB's work on the matter.

I was aware from the beginning exactly what the likely scenario was
and that the leaflet seemed obviously partisan.

Your opinion doesn't square with TfL asking to use it.  And unless the
NCB are "obviously partisan" then the fact that's where the immediate
trail from the leaflet takes you conflicts with your opinion.  Are the
NCB "obviously partisan" about it?

You are clearly partisan in stating unknowns as best practice, but that
doesn't mean anyone else has to be.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch                    Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637   Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177              Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.cli...@xxxxxxxxxxxx    http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

We'll agree to differ. The only two points I would make, is that it's
an information leaflet and pointing to something two steps away is not
going to clarify the situation for most - the leaflet points you to a
website which you say will lead you to the National Children's Bureau
information. (and on the version I'm looking at it does list one
website in isolation and very small print, and it's not clear it is a
source of further info on the issues)
And the default position is not that if there is doubt, they *must* be
good - it is that they *may* be good and any default to recommend use
or point this out is not ridiculous, but arguably advisable. The
largest part of the problem here is the extreme positions adopted and
the proclaimed certainties, both of which are, in my view, misplaced,
but then certainty is a stranger to me.

Toom

.

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