Gordon Ramsay's massive 'purple potato' injury reignites bicycle helmet debate and if they actually make cycling safer or more dangerous
Gordon Ramsay has urged cyclists to wear helmets after an accident left him looking like a ‘purple potato’ – but experts are divided on how effective they are.
Some research has shown using a helmet drastically reduces your chances of suffering a serious injury and slashes the number of people killed in crashes.
But other studies claim they actually increase your chances of having an accident and make it more likely you will suffer a life-threatening spinal injury.
Others claim ordering cyclists to wear helmets is akin to victim-blaming and detracts attention from measures that would really improve safety such as better cycle lanes and safer driving.
The debate comes after Ramsay, 57, said he was ‘lucky to be alive’ after being involved in a ‘really bad accident’ while riding his bike in Connecticut, US.
Gordon Ramsay told how he was involved in a serious accident while riding his bike in the US
Ramsay urged his followers always to wear a helmet, though the research on their effectiveness is mixed
He was left with severe bruising on his body but didn't appear to have suffered a head injury.
The TV chef urged his 17 million followers on Instagram and 7.6 million on X to wear a helmet, no matter how short the journey.
However, there is some debate on the topic.
Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman, for example, has previously said he will never promote helmets or high-vis jackets for cyclists.
‘I want cycling in the UK to be like it is in Utrecht or Copenhagen and more recently New York City - an everyday thing that people can do in everyday clothes whether you are eight or 80 years old.
‘I want cycling to be a normal thing that normal people do in normal clothes. Is that wrong?’
In an article for British Cycling, he argued that the Netherlands has impeccable cycling infrastructure and the lowest casualty rate in the world.
‘I’m willing to bet that even those that swear by helmets and high-vis would feel comfortable discarding their body armour in such an environment,’ he said. ‘And that’s the point; in Utrecht they have addressed the real dangers to cyclists.’
However, Ramsay’s plea is backed by a 2018 analysis by scientists at the Institute of Transport Economics in Oslo, Norway, who found helmets reduce a cyclist’s chance of death in an accident by more than a third (34 per cent).
Looking at data from 55 other studies, they concluded helmets reduce head injuries by 48 per cent, serious head injuries by 60 per cent, fatal head injuries by 71 per cent and traumatic brain injuries by 53 per cent.
Their effect on face injuries was much less, though they still reduced these by almost a quarter (23 per cent).
While other studies have suggested that helmets may increase neck and spinal injuries due their weight and the friction they create when they hit and scrape against a road, the researchers said cyclists who wore helmets were actually marginally less likely to suffer one of these injuries.
The study, published in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention, found helmets were most effective in single-bike crashes, likely because accidents involving other vehicles are usually far more serious.
Overall, they said wearing a helmet while cycling was ‘highly recommendable’, adding: ‘Bicycle helmets have consistently been found to reduce head injury, specifically serious and fatal head injury.’
Ramsay suggested his injuries could have been a lot worse if he hadn't been wearing a helmet as he showed off a massive bruise to his social media followers
The TV chef said he was left looking like a 'purple potato' after his 'very serious accident'
But Colin Clarke, of campaign group Cycling UK, has repeatedly argued that the benefits of helmets are overstated and that their use may have negative side-effects.
In one study presented at the National Road Safety Conference, he found the popularity of cycling reduced by nearly 60 per cent in New Zealand after helmets became mandatory. He argued this explained the reduction in cyclists killed.
At the same time the rate of injuries, particularly to the arms and upper body, increased by 40 per cent among cyclists, suggesting an increase in falls.
He argued this may be due to cyclists taking more risks when they wear a helmet, imbalance caused by heavy helmets, or vision being obscured by some helmet designs.
He also claimed that discouraging people from riding bikes makes them less active and healthy and contributes to the global obesity crisis.
In another study, Mr Clarke found that the Netherlands has a much lower fatality rate among cyclists than other countries, despite also having a much lower rate of helmet use.
He wrote: ‘The emphasis on helmets is unscientific and, more importantly, damages cycling and blocks the kind of cycling policy and infrastructure in successful cycling cities.’
Another study by scientists at Bath University showed in 2019 that motorists made riskier decisions around cyclists with helmets.
The researchers used an ultrasonic distance sensor to measure how much space motorists gave cyclists with and without a helmet in Salisbury and Bristol.
They found drivers passed cyclists 8.5cm closer when they were wearing helmets.
The researchers said this is probably because cyclists with helmets are perceived to be more experienced and predictable, and therefore an accident is less likely to happen.
For the same reason, motorists gave male cyclists the least space on the road. The worst offenders for dangerously close overtaking were bus and heavy goods vehicle drivers.
The study, published in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention, said these snap assessments ‘can only ever provide a poor guide to the likelihood of a collision occurring’ and said drivers should be ‘warned about the unreliability of the assumptions they are making’.
Ian Walker, one of the researchers involved in the study, told Cyclist magazine: ‘I think it’s inappropriate that people are asked to buy and wear a device if the reason for this is that they have been put at risk, without their consent, by other people. ‘If people want to wear one because they fear a fall – mountain bikers particularly – that’s a different matter, but there are obvious concerns with the former situation.’
It is not currently a legal requirement to wear a helmet while cycling in the UK. Pictured here cyclists waiting for the traffic to change in London
Gordon Ramsay’s devotion to helmets remains undented, however.
He posted a picture of his severely damaged helmet on Saturday to show how it had protected his head.
‘Honestly, you’ve got to wear a helmet,’ he said. ‘I don’t care how short the journey is. These helmets cost money but they’re crucial.
‘With kids, even for a short journey, they’ve got to wear a helmet. I cannot tell you the importance of wearing a helmet.’
It is not currently a legal requirement to wear a helmet while cycling in the UK.