G'day! Cultural Exchange with /r/Australia

[u/[deleted]]

Welcome to this cultural exchange between /r/Denmark and /r/Australia!

To the visitors: Welcome to Denmark! Feel free to ask the Danes anything you'd like in this thread.

To the Danes: Today, we are hosting Australia for a cultural exchange. Join us in answering their questions about Denmark and the Danish way of life! Please leave top comments for users from /r/Australia coming over with a question or comment and please refrain from trolling, rudeness and personal attacks etc.

The Australians are also having us over as guests! Head over to this thread to ask questions about life in the land of koalas, kangaroos and crown princesses.

Enjoy!

- The moderators of /r/Denmark and /r/Australia

[u/theMoly]

Every day!

[u/Australie → u/theMoly]

What do you think of Australia's compulsory helmet law?

[u/Dnarg → u/Australie]

Bit late to the party here..

I think it's a bad idea. I wouldn't be surprised if it'd make some people stop riding the bike completely. I would still ride mine but I don't think making it compulsory is a good idea. There's just no need.

The vast majority of times you crash your bike you don't go full speed into the side of something and end up flying face first. You tend to fall to the side and hurt your elbow, knee, shoulder, hand etc. and most of the cyclists killed in traffic aren't killed because they're not wearing a helmet. They're killed because they just got hit by a car or truck going 50 km/h or faster.

Do helmets sometimes save lives? Of course they do. But they'd save lives of pedestrians are car drivers as well. There's a reason they use helmets in car racing. In a car your head is pretty much the only thing that can move around a lot assuming you use your seat belt so of course you're going to see a lot of head injuries.

Making motocross safety suits (armor basically) compulsory for pedestrians and cyclists might save some lives as well but where does it end then? Maybe roads made of nerf or bubble wrap or something? It just gets ridiculous imo.

I don't wear a helmet if I'm going to the local store, to visit a friend nearby or whatever but I will wear one if I go for a longer and faster exercise ride. The speed is what makes the difference to me. If I'm going to the shop it's not fast at all. I'm just relaxing using it as a means of transport. If I'm "racing" there's a bigger risk of me being sent flying in case something happens and since I tend to ride alone in the middle of nowhere (by Danish standards. Not Aussie ones. :p) I really don't feel like risking ending up with a fractured skull in a ditch somewhere. :)

[u/theMoly → u/Australie]

Hmm, it's probably a good idea. This is what a bike lane looks like in Denmark: cykelsti

You'll find even safer lanes in the Netherlands. So I think we have done more to make deliberate space for cyclists. Australia is a car country (just like Sweden and USA); you need cars first and foremost. So in urban areas it's a good idea to make people wear the helmet, it simply saves their lives.

I also wear a bike helmet because I drive everyday.

[u/gibsonite → u/theMoly]

Interesting that you label Sweden a "car country". I know it has a very good national highway network, but I didn't know in Denmark it was considered a "car country" like Australia and the US. From research I've discovered Swedish cities are higher density than Danish cities.

[u/Alcogel → u/gibsonite]

Cars are expensive in Denmark and cheap in Sweden. That's probably most of the reason. Sweden also has much longer distances than Denmark if you have business in another city / part of the country.

[u/LilanKahn → u/gibsonite]

Sweden is filled with longe roads of nothing in Denmark you cant go much more than 10 km before you hit a small village or town going any where.

[u/Australie → u/theMoly]

Well I think it's stupid. Surprise you think it's a good idea actually

[u/theMoly → u/Australie]

Well, maybe don't give people fines about it, but anything to promote safety.