Commuting - Do you wear a helmet Poll (not a debate)

Just wondering if most people wear helmets or not. Some people at work do not ride and they cite the problem of helmet hair as an excuse. Most people in Copenhagen do not wear helmets, so im just curious what most of you other commuters do.

A. Yes (all or most the time)

B. Sometimes 75% of the time

C. Maybe 50% of the time

D. Only here and there 25%

E. Never

Usage rates for the general populations are fairly well known. Asking different groups might get different answers. What I find fascinating are the reasons people wear them, not if they do.

Yes!

I have enough brain damage that I'd like to minimize anymore. My wife and kids kind of like me being around.


Edit:

It is sad but the trend I notice in my area is the helmet less riders are those that ride out of necessity and they ride on the side walks. They are the ones that seem to get hit and killed the most.

For instance:
http://www.ajc.com/news/cherokee/bicyclist-killed-in-woodstock-191494.html Guy was a Mexican for demographic reason I point this out. He rides out of necessity. Driver was making a right out of a parking lot so looking left. He rode into the side of them coming from the right. He was riding on the sidewalk. Low speed wreck but the rider died. It is quite possible he would have died irregardless as somehow the rear wheel went over him.

This happened last week.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/22070301/detail.html Link is a little vague but from the local mailing list this is what happened. The rider I understand is Coke's captain for either the MS or ADA team and well respected. Driver made a left in front of him. Speeds involved should have made this the worst accident but Helmet did save him serious head injuries.

(not a debate) Just wondering..


I have enough brain damage that I'd like to minimize anymore. My wife and kids kind of like me being around.

A little civility please?

I do. Gone down on my noggin twice, the helmet did its job. I've hit tree limbs, glad to have something absorb the bangs. I see people who don't use helmets, even an ER doc. We oldsters grew up without them. I think this is a choice item, like listening to music while riding. I don't think we should have laws mandating helmet use. Whether they are useful depends a lot on the type of riding an individual does. I like wearing a helmet, but I'm not going to denounce people who don't wear them. Riding is a series of risk assessments and adjustments. I think not wearing a helmet can be reasonably safe. On the other hand, I didn't let my kids ride without them, even after they passed the no-helmet-required legal age, when they were still under my roof.

AFAIK, overall helmet usage hasn't tipped the 50% mark except in areas of mandatory helmet legislation.

Even where there is a MHL, with lack of enforcement, usage can be 50% or less.

In my MHL province, only in the capital region is the law enforced and the usage rate reflects this. Elsewhere it's (about) 50%.

Ontario released a study on helmet usage and injury for children (MHL for children in Ontario) showing a usage rate of less than 50%. The same rate of usage as pre-law.

I have a newspaper article (predating our MHL) that has an interview with a MHL lobbyist who said that usage rates level off at about 50% without laws and that laws are needed to increase the usage.

When these usage rates do increase, it's not so much the laws, as it is the enforcement that increases usage rates. Most often, a few cyclists do start to wear them, but far more people simply stop riding bikes, resulting in a higher usage rate.

Sure I wear a helmet - it doesn't really bother me to have it on so why not? So far it's mostly kept me from whacking my head into some low-hanging branches :).

Pavement makes your hair look even worse than a helmet. The choices you offer are rigged.

:popcorn

Sure I wear a helmet - it doesn't really bother me to have it on so why not? So far it's mostly kept me from whacking my head into some low-hanging branches :).

Same here. It's useless for defense against cars and/or trucks.

It no longer about hair issue for me. I got wacked from a low hanging tree branch on one of my very familar route. Where the heck did that brach come from? It broke off from the tree after a windy rain storm. If it was not for my helmet, it would probably caught my hair and yanked my head back.......

Beside that, I also find adding some mini white blinkies on my helmet helpful. One facing left and one right. It gets me more noticed at night and easier to identtify as a cyclist. However, I'm not sure is that a good thing or a bad thing here dealing with CA drivers :notamused:

(I think they speed up more, which makes my helmet less useful.....sigh... LOL)

I started wearing a helmet back in 1975 when the Bell Biker came out. It was considered very unusual at the time. I still see the occasional Bell Biker out there although they claim the Styrofoam becomes brittle after a few years so the helmet no longer works as a brain protective device. Planned obsolescence.:mad:

I wear one most of the time. I know it's not some life saver, but it is a skid lid. When I was hit by car my helmet saved me from shreading my scalp.

Anyway, I've been riding in New Orleans all week without a helmet. No big deal, I hardly see anyother cyclists out here with helmets.

(not a debate) ...


A little civility please?


Pavement makes your hair look even worse than a helmet. The choices you offer are rigged.

not a debate... but then again, maybe you're not debating, just saying. Just like if I were to point out all those cyclists with head injuries wearing helmets.... but I wouldn't, macteacher is just trying to get an idea if posters here wear helmets, that's all. Not interested in flaming. Just wants to learn a little something, unlike some others who might want to do something a little different.

This seems kind of like biology class in high school when the teach is trying to teach students about the human reproductive system. Always have some smarta** piping up....

Asking Bike Forums to not turn a helmet thread into a debate is like asking the earth not to rotate.

Asking Bike Forums to not turn a helmet thread into a debate is like asking the earth not to rotate.

You beat me to it. However I was going to say... like telling bees not to buzz... :lol:

well, there is a thread to debate the topic in case anyone does want to debate.

Blurting out incendiary comments to a question asked with respect to not do so doesn't really help anyone.

I answered D, but I used to be an A. Laziness (and lately cold weather) has turned me in to a D. But mostly laziness.

I answered D, but I used to be an A. Laziness (and lately cold weather) has turned me in to a D. But mostly laziness.
Funny, same here really.

I'm too lazy to try and fit my helmet over my winter hat, so I just forgo the helmet.

HI folks,

From watching video's online I noticed a lot of Europeans do not wear helmets and they have healthy riding populations. So it was out of curiosity that I posted my poll. As for the options being rigid, well thats what I was able to come up.

As for myself most of the time, 90% of the time I wear a helmet...my personal choice, thats all. I am not dissuaded from riding because of my helmet. I know these topics can turn into debates, hence why I specifically asked that this did not happen. I think overall we are doing a good job !!!!


Keep the responses coming as I find the results interesting.

Some organized rides insist on helmets,so i put D,and we have a law for kids under (i forget) 18????????have too wear. So when riding with kids i will so as to not cause any whining.:D

I started wearing a helmet back in 1975 when the Bell Biker came out. It was considered very unusual at the time.
Same here. Wore one on almost all rides for 30 years. Then I looked into the studies and statistics and now only wear one when on rides with clubs that require it.

Same here. Wore one on almost all rides for 30 years. Then I looked into the studies and statistics and now only wear one when on rides with clubs that require it.


I grew up without one. 20 years helmet free, then wore one for 21 years after Bell changed it's marketing strategy.

I believed the hype until I started to research it.

After much consideration (that included defying my MHL) I finally took it off last year.

I'm an absolute helmet advocate; I ride sans helmet maybe 1x/year or less. My kids ride with helmets, or they don't ride.

I don't holler at other riders, even if they're kids. I don't support them, they're on their own. If they (or in the case of the kids, their parents) choose not to wear a helmet, it's their choice.

I have enough empirical experience to stay with the helmet. I think anyone with sense will wear one while riding. But, people speed, run red lights, turn in front of traffic too closely, do any of a hundred stupid things behind the wheel. I wouldn't be diminished if they died as a result.

Go helmetless. A helmet will absorb some impacts your naked head would object to. On the other hand, without a helmet, you can adjust your falls to let other body parts absorb impacts. You can keep your head warm with a helmet on, such as a thin Windstopper cap/ clava, helmet cap or taped vents or combo thereof, or ride helmetless with something thicker.

Nobody should be forced to wear a helmet. I occasionally ride without one, but I like my helmet-mounted Third Eye mirror to make lane changes and left turns (neck not as flexible as it used to be).

A helmet is not a panacea against head injuries. I am certain it can eliminate some injuries and reduce others but so can appropriate helmetless riding technique. For example, those of us who have hit tree limbs could have been more careful sans helmet, and maybe when we did hit a limb it was because the helmet was inch higher than our cranium--mabye we were actually were fine on scalp clearance.

On polystyrene foam, no need to replace every 3 years, if you don't fall, it is durable. It's an enviromental "villain" because it doesn't break down easily. UV, salt, water, it maintains its structural integrity for a long, long time.

I have enough empirical evidence to know that a helmet will not prevent injuries. I think anyone with sense will know that a helmet isn't going to save you from a high speed collision with a car.

Not debating. Just saying.

I always wear a helmet when riding on the street.

I wear my helmet on every ride but I don't preach to people who don't wear a helmet. I figure they are capable of making up their own decisions. Now, if someone asked my opinion about helmets I'd say I feel safer riding wearing the helmet. I know the helmet isn't going to save me from a high speed collision with a car but it will help prevent a gooier mess.

While commuting, only on snow/ice days or days when I hit the gnar singletrack directly after work. Less than 25%.

I've been wearing my Bell Biker 24/7 since 1976. ;)

I skipped the helmet a lot this year. I've since bought a new helmet, but I skipped wearing my Giro Rift because the ventilation just wasn't good enough in the summer and caused a fair bit of overheating. Otherwise, I like to wear a helmet whenever it is comfortable to do so.

Will a helmet save you in a collision with a high speed car? No. But avoiding such collisions is part of "heads-up" riding. A high speed car is always observable. It doesn't "come out of nowhere". It may barrel down on you from behind, or go through a stop sign or red light. Keep your eyes open and take collision-avoidance action. If you blow a stop sign or red light, which is in your control to do or not do, evaluate cross-traffic. For example, if you do decide to proceed, look out for cagers going 55 in a 35 zone and do quick calculations as to whether you can beat them. If you are not sure you can, stop and let them go first.

well, there is a thread to debate the topic in case anyone does want to debate.

Blurting out incendiary comments to a question asked with respect to not do so doesn't really help anyone.

That was a dumb request in the first place. Any comments on-topic in this thread are necessarily going to advocate for the opinion of the writer. What the OP wanted, if you're right, was a poll with no replies. That, again, is dumb.

A pic is worth a thousand polls
http://www.chipcom.net/bikes/pucker.jpg

75%ish for me...If I'm going to the grocery store, post office etc. exactly 2 miles up the bike trail then I don't bother. If I'm on the road bike for a couple of hours then I do. I make zillions of trips to the kroger but they don't keep up with the fitness rides in terms of time with or without a helmet.

If I'm riding 3.654 miles I wear a helmet, but if I ride 3.653 miles or less, I stay home. :rolleyes:

I have enough empirical evidence to know that a helmet will not prevent injuries. I think anyone with sense will know that a helmet isn't going to save you from a high speed collision with a car.

Not debating. Just saying.

And band aides don't prevent accidents, but my helmet has stopped many, many, many branches from splitting the skin on my noggin many, many, many times. I may have been imagining it, though. Make those stars go away, again.

I wear a Bell Tourlite. I wear it in case I fall off my bike. I don't expect it to do much in a collision with a car.

Chip, I wouldn't take anything from that guy, including a clue, because it appears that he doesn't even have that, least of all, a suggestion.

Chip, I wouldn't take anything from that guy, including a clue, because it appears that he doesn't even have that, least of all, a suggestion.

?????

I just want to know what's this "hair" people are speaking of??? :P

I rode motorcycle for 35 years still carry a license to do so, and I always wore a bell Tourstar 120 / Magnum II on city streets, and such. The safety standards for motorcycle helmets are not a whole lot better than for bicycle helmets. And they do restrict your vision, and your neck is more vulnerable to torsion (broken neck, paralysis, death?) injuries, due to the weight and shape of the helmet. On the other hand, what could have been a light case of road rash, is now a whole lower jaw replacement (if you failed to wear a full face helmet).

Ride carefully, your life is in some mouth breathing idiot's hands.

The other side of the bicycle thing: lying in bed, I had 4 strokes, count 'em, FOUR, (as diagnosed by MRI) while not doing anything. Maybe I should wear a helmet in bed? I will admit to being a bit confused for a year or two. But I'm not confused about wearing a helmet.

one of the most effective steps in preventing strokes is cycling regularly. Imagine, cycling without a helmet helps prevent brain injury. I guess that's not enough for some people.

Chip, it was a joke. There's no way I could ever take BF seriously. Any of BF. 0% of it.

I wore a helmet all the time in Australia, it is mandatory. I broke two helmets, one when a car I was behind suddenly stomped on the brakes and I hit the back window. Another time when I was going at 30kph down a small hill, I was held up by a car. The car turned off, and I stood up on the pedals to go faster, and the chain jumped, and down I went, landing on the back right corner of my helmet breaking a piece off, breaking my collarbone and prolapsing a disc.

Now in China, for some strange reason, I dont wear one. Might have to change that.

z

I wear my helmet on every ride but I don't preach to people who don't wear a helmet. I figure they are capable of making up their own decisions. Now, if someone asked my opinion about helmets I'd say I feel safer riding wearing the helmet. I know the helmet isn't going to save me from a high speed collision with a car but it will help prevent a gooier mess.

Most people I know do MAKE UP THEIR OWN DECISIONS. I think they call it freedom of choice, whatever the hell that means.

Most people I know do MAKE UP THEIR OWN DECISIONS. I think they call it freedom of choice, whatever the hell that means.

There are a lot of choices you don't have the freedom to make.

There are a lot of choices you don't have the freedom to make.

Wow, ya think? :roflmao: As long as I can choose my B-B-Q sauce, I'm cool.

Chip, it was a joke. There's no way I could ever take BF seriouslly. Any of BF. 0% of it.

Sorry man, it must have went over my head...the jet wash from things always flying over my head is why I have that bald spot. :o