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Boston’s HelmetHub vending machines sell bike safety

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While vending machines for sugary soda drinks and candy are commonplace, here’s a vending machine that offers bike safety.

HelmetHub has created a vending machine that dispenses bike helmets in order to help promote bike share programs. Users can rent helmets for around $2 and have three sizes to choose from. Used helmets are picked up, examined and cleaned before their next use.

The solar-power machines will hit the streets of Boston in July.

Via Treehugger

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3 comments

  1. Except that for adults, helmets do very little if anything to increase safety. Please amend your headline to read “vending machines sell compliance with pointless law”.

  2. Stephen — drop the hyperbole!

    Case in point, while riding down John St. I had to come to an immediate stop. I mistakenly hit my front brakes before my back — just a split second difference, but it threw me over my handlebars. I landed on my head wearing a helmet. There is a 2-inch wide/4-inch long gash/scrape on the helmet that would have been my forehead taking the brunt of my fall. Instead of a smashed skull, I had a sore neck.

    Helmets do make a difference. Everyone has the right to decide to wear one or not but to state they are pointless is irresponsible, if not delusional.

  3. Well, they sell the idea of bike safety. Real bike safety is provided by safe street design and driver behavior.