How to answer a question on bike helmet laws for adults in a medical school interview
- Kind
- Policy and health systems
Prompt
Should adults be legally required to wear a helmet when cycling, even if some evidence suggests that such laws lead fewer people to cycle at all?
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How to approach this question
What this question tests
- Critical thinking
- Ethical reasoning
How to approach it
This panel question tests whether you can see that a rule meant to protect people can backfire if it discourages an activity that's good for them. Set the individual safety case for helmets alongside the public health case for more people cycling, and explain why the two might pull in different directions. Raise the questions you'd want answered: how large the drop in cycling is, whether it lasts, and whether safer roads and bike lanes would protect cyclists more. Consider individual liberty too, and whether adults should be free to accept a risk that falls mostly on themselves. Land on a clear view, and say what evidence would change it.
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