Cyclists wearing helmets seen as “less human” than those without

Being a cyclist not even wearing a helmet, that doesn't surprise me ... Most car drivers don't threat any cyclist as humans to begin with

I can&#x27;t recall the study, but there is also a correlation of behavior in the US where car drivers give cyclists without helmets more room.<p>Anecdote: It was about 1994 and I was riding my bike in the bike lane along Santa Teresa Blvd to the southeast. A VW Beetle got within 4&quot; of my rear tire and honked their horn trying to cause me to crash and run me over. I was wearing a helmet but that wouldn&#x27;t make any safety difference. I probably should&#x27;ve not worn a helmet to seem more like a human.

this doesn&#x27;t surprise me. I&#x27;ve read in a new york times article about 10 years ago, that when cyclists cycle without helmets on the average distance between them and cars around them is greater than when they do wear helmets.

&gt;&gt; &quot;We tested this hypothesis through a survey comprised of two-paired alternate forced choice questions to identify which image of a cyclist respondents consider to be less human,&quot; the study&#x27;s abstract explains.<p>Doesn’t structuring a study like this ensure the outcome &#x2F; headline? An image of a cyclist was going to come out as “less human” even if none of the respondents would agree with that statement.<p>It’s like if I showed people two images of a politician and asked them “which individual most belongs in a zoo” and then concluded bald politicians are most likely to be perceived as “belonging in a zoo”.<p>Would any of the respondents make or agree with that statement? It seems unlikely based on the methodology of the study.