Cyclists mock research linking helmets to risk taking

Study finds wearing helmets can cause higher 'risk taking and sensation seeking'

Some cyclists disputed the suggestion responsibility for road safety should be purely on cyclists (Getty Images)

Cyclists have derided new research that associates wearing a helmet with increased risk-taking.

Researchers at the University of Bath used a computer simulation exercise in which adults aged 17-56 inflated a balloon, winning points for its size - but losing them if it burst.

Half of the participants wore helmets, while the others just wore baseball caps.

It found that for those wearing helmets "scored significantly higher on laboratory measures of both risk taking and sensation seeking.”

The findings could call into question safety advice which implores cyclists to wear helmets when on the road.

However, some cyclists disputed the suggestion responsibility for road safety should be purely on cyclists.

Others mocked the methodology of the study:

A total of 103 cyclists were killed on the UK’s roads in 2015, according to Beyond the Kerb blog.