FURTHER to your report on November 12 about the recovery of a woman cyclist injured in collision with a bus on Fulford Road, I would like to follow up on some of the points made.

I note the concentration on helmet use, but suggest it is no more than conjecture to assert that wearing one might have prevented her injuries. Your photograph suggests her helmet is too small, therefore offering little protection. Also, standards for cycle helmets do not guarantee any protection when collision speed is above 12mph.

Unfortunately, so many cyclists have fallen for the “helmet con” and may not be given the full facts about their efficacy and limitations. In my view they are not a safety item and many users are demonstrably riding under a false sense of security.

I suggest they would be better to join CTC and get the protection of free third-party insurance and legal aid.

The level of helmet wearing suggests to others that cycling is dangerous, but it is not what you wear but how you ride which is relevant. So far as head injuries are concerned, those to head and face amount to only around seven per cent. So keep cycling folks and stay safe by applying due caution at all times.

R Healey, Howard Drive, York.