Bicycle Helmets ????

[Bigcam59]

I think another reason there aren't as many traffic deaths overseas in helmetless countries is because the motorized traffic in Europe does not treat the bicycle as a nuisance the way many drivers here in the U.S. do. I was in London and was amazed at how many people commuted to and from work and how they were treated as equals by most of their automotive counterparts.

 

[Wildcat]

I had the pleasure of riding in traffic in Barrio Barretto, Zambales, in the Philippines last December. For 2 weeks, I did a 2-4 mile morning ride with buses, jeepney's, huge trucks, and other bikes along a 2 lane busy highway through town. It was fine, because the drivers are doing it differently than here, they are ALL paying attention.

 

[xddorox]

I think another reason there aren't as many traffic deaths overseas in helmetless countries is because the motorized traffic in Europe does not treat the bicycle as a nuisance the way many drivers here in the U.S. do. I was in London and was amazed at how many people commuted to and from work and how they were treated as equals by most of their automotive counterparts.

This is why it works in Holland, people respect each other and where they should be. The problem in Montreal is that no one applies the rules in the bike lanes. Cops are too busy giving tickets for missing reflectors! However, there is a committee looking into this.

 

[fatkid]

I think it is also important to note, that the United States has more cars per capita than almost any other country on Earth. And, most of those are giant SUV's and not some little Peugeot. The fact of the matter is helmets prevent injuries, period. Athletes, construction workers, race car drivers, and soldiers all wear helmets. Not just in the US, but worldwide. Why? Because they prevent accidental injury, emphasis on accidental. People wear sunblock to prevent possible skin cancer. They may never actually get skin cancer if they don't, but it doesn't hurt to try and prevent something terrible from happening. My buddy's dad died from a fall off of a bike, at low speeds. His head hit the curb and it was over. A helmet could have prevented the injury. There are very few, if any "safe" places to ride where I live, so helmets will help protect me. My city boomed in the era when cars were king in the US. When route 66 was the ideal and driving was the best thing anyone could think of. Of course there are no special bike paths. Besides the fact that for 3-4 months out of the year it is around 110 degrees outside.

Helmets can and do prevent injuries. Whether or not you choose to wear one is on you. Some people refuse to wear one because it will make them unfashionable on their bike, so they invented this- http://www.hovding.com/ :roll:

 

[Dorian]

The fact of the matter is helmets prevent injuries, period. Athletes, construction workers, race car drivers, and soldiers all wear helmets. Not just in the US, but worldwide. Why? Because they prevent accidental injurybike.:

As I mentioned before, where do we stop with helmet use? Do we try to prevent all potential head injuries with helmets? Should all toddlers start wearing helmets to prevent accidental injury at home? Helmets when kids climb trees or playground equipment? When we drive in a car, or fly in an airplane, or when we go to a bar where belligerent drunks might sucker punch us. All potential cases where injury might happen. If your hit by an SUV your whole body will be destroyed, a helmet will not prevent the damage that happens with sudden and massive acceleration of a brain against the inner skull - when your head is hit by an SUV at 40+mph or less - helmets are tested for minor falls only. In cities we can work towards dedicated bike lanes like in Amsterdam, to keep our bodies away from cars.

Mile for mile bicycles are much safer than driving a car or even walking on a city street, and healthier. There may be rare benefit for using a helmet while in a passenger car, or on a bicycle, or on skates at a roller rink, or just walking down the street to prevent accidental injury for when that car jumps the curb at us (happens all the time with distracted drivers). Mile for mile bikes are the safest choice. And again, why stop at helmets just for biking? Wear one if you want, but I will still choose not to. And I will fight any laws that specify kids in cars have to wear them, or when they play on playground monkey bars or climb a tree. If its just too unsafe to bike where you live, if you fear that your whole body will be destroyed by inattentive car drivers (on cell phones) then I suggest people don't bike at all in that case. At least until it becomes safer...like it is in Amsterdam :wink:

I will eagerly wait for summer bike cruise photos to see if more people are going to be wearing helmets after seeing this topic :arrow: here on the best website in the biking world "Ratrodbikes"!


Dorian

 

[MERK]

I was on the scene of a horrible collision where a pick-up truck rear ended a group of cyclists. Several were very badly injured, but the only two that didn`t recover had one thing in common...no helmet. One died (from head trauma) and the other suffered a life altering brain injury.

As a mountain biker, I`ve seen guys hit the ground (and trees) hard enough to destroy a helmet...then ride (or at least walk) away. Would it have been the same outcome without the lid? Maybe...maybe not.

Even on the bike path, we came across a accident where a dog ran in front of a bike and the rider was thrown over the bars. He landed on his shoulder and side of his head. Hit his head HARD. Didn`t know what day, or month it was when we asked him. Had NO idea where he was. Recovered fully.


Just my experiences...

 

[Dorian]

I was on the scene of a horrible collision where a pick-up truck rear ended a group of cyclists. Several were very badly injured, but the only two that didn`t recover had one thing in common...no helmet. One died (from head trauma) and the other suffered a life altering brain injury.
Just my experiences...

I'm assuming that these cyclists were not on a dedicated bike path, it would be nice to know in this rare case what order they were riding? It's too bad that so many cyclists die in collisions with autos, or are paralyzed from spinal cord injuries. whether they are wearing helmets or not. Same thing for pedestrians who are struck by cars (far more than cyclists) head injuries in auto accidents are rife too. I wish we had a situation like in Amsterdam where 14 million rides a day happen on bicycles but injuries seem to be few, even in comparison to pedestrians or car users. I'm asking, should everyone in every situation (that risks head injury) wear a helmet, even if the risk is slight? Kids in cars? people in automobiles, toddlers at home? I say no.

The first line of defence for the whole body is dedicated bike lanes in cities. For both pedestrians and cyclists. 100% safety will never be had, but the main goal should be to keep cars and bodies away from each other. Even if everyone had a helmet on deaths and traumatic injury would still happen. But with a bike friendly infrastructure like they have in Amsterdam we would see the numbers of injuries go way down, as happened in Holland when they implemented the program. We have a fear culture around biking here in the U.S. (and Canada) something that does not seem to exist in bike friendly cities in Europe.

Wearing a helmet from the time you wake up till the time you go to bed would possibly save a varied number of people from accidental injury of all types, but it would still suck. If its truly warranted as in competition settings then yes, of course. Like the Dutch, I don't consider riding a stretched cruiser on a dedicated bike lane to warrant the same precautions as riders competing in the "Tour De France". We can't live in constant fear of the rare danger that might happen. We also shouldn't make our kids so fearful of living that we bubble wrap them for every potential danger during the day. Danger lies everywhere, but it is not imminent, even though some people act like it is. This kind of fear sells helmets too by the way, it is used as a marketing tool. The most recent example of this is "toddler" helmets for use inside the home.

Mountain bikers often take their riding beyond the limits of what the rider and the equipment can cope with, like auto racing. Football players have helmets but even these seem to have limited value considering the long term studies of players getting early dementia. We simply need less fear and more real bike friendly cities like they have in Europe. The most recent rating of the top 20 "most bike friendly cities" in the world only had one North American city listed, and that was Montreal Canada. No U.S. cities even came close. If we want safer bike riding in America we need real change in the infrastructure. We are the richest country on the planet, there is no reason we can't ultimately reach this goal. The average biker on this site shouldn't have to ride in fear because our Govt. has been too cheap to pay for proper bike lanes. I will say it again, we need what places like Amsterdam (rated #1 bike friendly city) have, true acceptance of bikes has a form of transportation , and the infrastructure that treats them as such. Keep helmet use for high risk activities (like competition) but don't make them mandatory or obligitory for the activities of every day living, we deserve that much at least. :wink:


Dorian

 

[MERK]

I`m not going to argue with you, just relating my direct experience. I`ve had my own life saved by helmets at least twice, albeit from motorcycle incidences.

Lot`s of interesting information here...

https://sites.google.com/site/bicyclehelmetmythsandfacts/#TOC-Myths-and-Facts

While divided city streets would be great...it isn`t happening anytime soon around here. I`ll probably wear one even after it does...

 

[CATCH22]

Thanks for the replies and letting me know what you choose to do. I never realized that I would spur such a spirited debate, but it is an issue that needs to be discussed.
I bought a cool looking helmet and It came in today, but it was too big for my head....so look for it in the 'for sale' section. It will be a good deal.
Don Strautz

 

[fixed1313]

I stated my preference earlier in this thread so I won't go there again but I will through this out there for thought. Statistics are just that, statistics. You can make them say what ever you want them to say. When they track cycling related injuries and such they don't track what kind of "cyclist" it is or the specifics of the accident, they just track what the injury was and if a helmet was being worn. I work in emergency services in a mid-western city with a population of about 65,000 and have responded to my share of "car vs. bicycle" calls. Because I have a interest in this topic and I generally stand on the odd side of the fence I like to pay attention to the specifics of the accident. Most of these incidents in our city are due to the cyclist not following the traffic laws. Most seem to be crossing traffic at an intersection from a sidewalk. The memorable ones where the cyclist was traveling with traffic and appeared to be following the traffic laws the helmet played a minor part in injury prevention, it did play a part but the major injury's where due to blunt force trama to the body.

My point is that it would be interesting to know how much fault should be place on cyclist's for not following the traffic laws and what kind of role that plays in the accident rate. Trust me, I am all for advocacy and separate bike lanes but I just have been rolling this around in my head for a while and thought it was good food for thought.

 

[user 135]

I where my helmet when I deem a higher need. Hypocrital? yes. I end up wearing most often.

Bike lanes only work when they are properly engineered. The Dutch have lots of bike lanes and bike roads mostly physically separated from the auto lanes. The problem currently is most US highway departments make bike lanes in the 3-5 feet next to parked cars. I ride both bike lanes and car lanes as I feel needed. Check out my daily lanes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhG_ljsKmVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYIquQBD6GM older one.

 

[Dorian]

the helmet played a minor part in injury prevention, it did play a part but the major injury's where due to blunt force trama to the body.

Exactly, thanks.

The future lies in what places like Amsterdam have, not more of what we already have. Which is next to useless. And like I said, why not demand helmets for preventing EVERY potential head injury? I don't need to remind everyone that most head injuries do not happen to bicyclists. Work for a better biking future, not a continuation of the lousy set up we currently have.

Maybe we need tavern helmets? For drunks who fall down the front steps of bars when they exit? This would work in the home too - great for seniors. The 24 hour helmet :wink: to protect us from every potential danger we might face....... air bag pyjamas for the kids...shower/bathtub helmets maybe?


=

 

[Rat Rod]

It's probably a cultural thing too.

How long has Amsterdam had bicycles as a major form of transportation in their society? I visited Amsterdam in the early 90s and was absolutely blown away by the amount of bikes parked outside the train station there...HUNDREDS!!!!

Here in Texas...it's about high temps, long distances, big trucks and SUVs. Bicycles never have and never will be in the minds of people here as a major source of transportation. For the most part it's just impractical. With that being said, riding a bike on most public streets here just won't be all that safe or welcomed.

The city that I live in just put up signs all over town that say that a bicycle can use an entire lane on the roadway. There's no way you could pay me enough to ride a single bicycle down the center of a lane in this area. Drivers are just not used to having to watch out for people on bikes. Throw cell phone use into the mix and you've really got a scary situation.

I'll stick to neighborhood streets and bike trails if at all possible.

 

[Bill in Houston]

some people want to wear helmets
some people don't
some people can have a reasonable discussion
some people take things to an absurd degree and then badger you

helmet discussions go like this every single time.

 

[Dorian]

helmet discussions go like this every single time.

Helmets are in the same category as politics and religion. People tend to get passionate, thats all.

 

[Captain Awesome]

If you choose to not wear a helmet by choice, sweet

If you have an insanely large coconut and can't find one to wear, sweet

If you are like me and choose to wear one, sweet as well



Natural selection is an amazing thing and so is chance. I don't live my life in fear of what "might happen", but i sure do prepare for the worst because if you're not looking out for yourself. who will?

 

[Dorian]

It's probably a cultural thing too.
.

Part of it is definitely a cultural thing, and we have a lot more space to cover geographically, your right. I think I heard it said that when decent bike infrastructure came to Holland, especially in the cities, that the number of cyclists went way up afterwards, biking was seen as viable, unlike here. When it became so much safer to cycle bike use went up immensely. We can't hope to cover an entire state with decent bike paths, but like in Amsterdam we could have more from the burbs to the city core. And the core of our cities should have more separate curbed bike lanes. It is sad that the powers to be here see bikes simply as an annoying toy. In and around Amsterdam people often ride great distances, and it is seen as an equal form of transport, even equal to cars. They even have little traffic lights just for the bike lanes in some places.

The way bikes are treated here stinks, its going to take a long time to get them some respect. I think all the abandoned rail lines that used to criss-cross cities could have been made into fantastic bike paths, in some places this has happened, or is now being done, we need more of it. Helmets won't save our bodies from 4000 pounds of blunt trauma. We need to be careful like you said. But at the same time we need to work on a better set up for ourselves. More people would bike if they felt it was safer, and that would translate into a healthier population that needed less medical care. Its all give and take isn't it, and money spent on better bike lanes would surely give, more than take?

Ride safely and freely

Dorian

 

[Rat Rod]

And if you want to be REALLY safe... :lol:

 

[Captain Awesome]

And if you want to be REALLY safe... :lol:

Stormtrooping Hipster

 

[Rat Rod]

And to COMPLETELY avoid any injury whatsoever...just strap this bad boy on.

When you crash...the ground bleeds. :lol: