THEY are not pretty and they mess up your hair, but every cylist should wear a helmet when they venture out on Oxfordshire’s crowded and often dangerous roads.

Anyone doubting their importance should talk to the police and surgeons who came to the aid of cylist Andrew Wotherspoon when he was hit by a car at the Cassington lights on the A40 between Witney and Oxford.

All involved have no doubt that his helmet saved his life.

While doubts about the junction where the accident happened remain, what is not in dispute is that a serious collision could have been a fatal one.

So please, wear a helmet when you go out on your bike.

You might think it looks naff, but dead people don’t look too cool either.