Advocacy & Safety - How often do you wear a helmet?

Forewarning: Please do NOT hijack this thread for your pro- or anti- helmet agenda.

I have a new helmet but I don't think I'll wear it a lot. I would be interested to know how often you wear your helmet, in what cases you wear it and what case don't. For example, perhaps most people will not wear it for just going to a local post office or store. Do you wear it for all and only long rides? Or perhaps only at night or only when you think you are going to ride on dangerous roads?

It's inconvenient to wear it each and every time you get on your bike. On the other hand, suppose you usually wear it but didn't wear it on a particular day, and bad luck struck and you get hit just when you are not wearing it...

every time I clip in...

When going on most club rides since almost all clubs here require it. Also on a few mountain bike rides, but rarely otherwise.
I used to wear one on every ride for over 20 years - then I started reading some of the actual studies on effectiveness.

I used to wear one on every ride for over 20 years

Just to think that all those 20 years you could have done without it ;)

I used to only wear it when I rode outside the city limits. After my wife hit her head on the pavement twice in town, we both began wearing them whenever we rode; that was thirty years ago. Now it is just habit to wear the magic styrofoam. Thankfully, they are a whole lot more comfortable now relative to the late '70s.

Every single bike ride. But I do LUV my helmets, find them comfortable, can clip rear lights on them easily, and my winter helmet grips my goggles nicely.

I will have to buy a new warm weather helmet this spring and I'm leaning towards a Nutcase helmet if I find a graphic that grabs me.

I wear it, regardless of whether I am going 2.5blks. to get the mail or, 40mi. for the day. My accident on Easter Sunday 2010 convinced me even more. Since I went over the bars from hitting a patch of missing asphalt n' hitting my head on the pavement.

I went over the bars from hitting a patch of missing asphalt n' hitting my head on the pavement.

If it's "missing", how could you have hit it? ;)
Seriously, hope you didn't get too serious injury except for bruises or bumps? In that kind of accident I would fear to hit my eyes on something! What to wear to prevent that?

never

I use to bike every single day before my province instituted mandatory helmets, then quit for over a decade. Then realized that the law meant little in my province and I could continue to cycle as I saw fit.

I wear one when it's cold to help keep my head warm, when it's wet outside, when I'm riding with other people and when I consider the probability of having my helmetlessness reported to my girlfriend or mother high. I hate being nagged about wearing the thing.

Only when I'm at the mountain bike trails, and then only because they're required. I'm not an aggressive rider, but I suppose I could miss seeing something that could throw one of my wheels, and put me down, or into a tree.

If I'm just riding around town, I see no need. I'm not prone to falling over at low speeds, and I'm not doing anything dangerous.

ditto with the rain and cold. i have a helmet rain cover and without the helmet - the rain cover sort of flops about on my head... in sunny and warm weather the helmet sits with my rain gear.

Most of my commuting is on a MUP that follows a river. I ride 90% of my ride on that and so encounter very little traffic. The most dangerous part of my whole ride is probably a rail way crossing but I doubt a beer cooler on my head would help protect it from an impact with a train. When I do significant amounts of riding on the road, such as a tour, then I wear it.

Unless it's with the wife in the neighborhood (like 5mph on commuter bike not clipped in) I always have mine on. All it takes is the helmet saving your bacon once and you'll want to wear them.

99%. Only exception.. A 3 block spin to the grocery store on our slow moving city bike.

I wear my helmet while riding in the dark because it's a good place to mount my helmet light and tertiary taillight. Which means I wear it every day that I ride to work. I wear a ball cap while riding during the day.

Only when I'm in the stores on Black Friday:)
Seriously, I wear mine every time I am on the bike.

I wear a helmet only on brevets, where it is required for participation. Otherwise, no.

Come to think of it, I don't even know where the damn thing is right now.

When I ride my motorcycle, always.
When I ride my bicycle, never.
I'm a low-speed neighborhood rider.

MM

Road bike for training and racing on roads - always.

Commuter bike for riding to work on roads - always.

Coaching bike (along a river path following crew boats) - rarely

Road bike for training and racing on roads - always.

Commuter bike for riding to work on roads - always.

Coaching bike (along a river path following crew boats) - rarely

Interesting that you don't wear a helmet in the only circumstance where it might be able to do you some good.

Only when it is required by the organizers of an event I want to take part in. Never, when I have a choice.

Almost every time I ride, the exception being running errands or riding to the corner store in my tiny <10-block town.

Interesting that you don't wear a helmet in the only circumstance where it might be able to do you some good.

Fast on roads with traffic on a narrow wheeled bike fitted with clip in pedals VS slow on path without traffic while riding a rigid MTB on slicks fitted with platforms.

OK, you can hurt yourself at almost 0 speed, but the two situations above are very different.

Forewarning: Please do NOT hijack this thread for your pro- or anti- helmet agenda.

good luck with that...

I rode for about 20 years before helmets started to be campaigned for, then I wore one for about 22 years. During these 22 years I researched and discussed the issue for about 12 years and finally decided to remove it, despite living in a MHL province. It's been off for just about a couple of years.

Like most old roadies I started out in the bare headed days but started riding w/ a helmet many years ago.

Now call it bad karma or bloody bad luck but my ONE recent venture into helmet-less riding I t-boned a pickup (that failed to yield) at 25mph. Like most bike vs. car accidents, it wouldn't have made a bit of difference (to me) had I been wearing a helmet. But wearing a helmet that day would have been significantly cheaper than the CT scan that I've yet to pay for.

I wasn't wearing a helmet on that ride because I couldn't fit my "good" helmet over my fleece cap. I've since pulled out an old jumbo sized gourd cover for those winter rides.
O

I wear a hat occasionally, does that count?

Like most bike vs. car accidents, it wouldn't have made a bit of difference (to me) had I been wearing a helmet. But wearing a helmet that day would have been significantly cheaper than the CT scan that I've yet to pay for.



Sorry, don't want to start the usual argument about this, but if you know the absence of helmet made no difference, why the CT scan? Either you're at risk of brain injury or you're not, and that is determined by the nature of the accident. Whether or not you were wearing a helmet shouldn't be the determinant of a scan being necessary.

I don't own a helmet.

>Sorry, don't want to start the usual argument about this, but if you know the absence of helmet made no difference, why the CT scan? Either you're at risk of brain injury or you're not, and that is determined by the nature of the accident. Whether or not you were wearing a helmet shouldn't be the determinant of a scan being necessary.

It made no difference to me. My head was above the hood when I hit. The ER folks on the other hand had a different opinion.

Either way, when next I t-bone a vehicle I'll be wearing a helmet and we'll see if I get the same battery of test.
O

Like most old roadies I started out in the bare headed days but started riding w/ a helmet many years ago.

Now call it bad karma or bloody bad luck but my ONE recent venture into helmet-less riding ...


Sorry, don't want to start the usual argument about this, but ...


Forewarning: Please do NOT hijack this thread for your pro- or anti- helmet agenda.

;)


...would have...

...should have... could have...

This is one of the reasons there's a helmet sticky. Most of these questions have been or could be handled there. Still, it's a good question to raise, but it's not hard to see that it'll run into what the OP asked not to happen

...It's inconvenient to wear it each and every time you get on your bike. On the other hand, suppose you usually wear it but didn't wear it on a particular day, and bad luck struck and you get hit just when you are not wearing it...

I don't think it's too much of an inconvenience to wear one, but to me, the choice pivots on 2 issues; the likely hood of receiving a head injury, and the ability of the helmet to provide the protection I'm looking for.

I don't think I'm at any greater risk of head injury on the bike than off, and I'm not too worried about superficial injury. I'm more concerned with serious injury. The type that can be life altering.

That's why I took off my helmet. I haven't found any clear evidence that helmets have reduced these types of injuries.

Always. When I was at UC Davis as a student a friend not wearing a helmet hit a curb at low speed and ended up in a coma for months. That taught me that I was on borrowed time without a helmet. A major accident would have cracked my skull if I had not been wearing a helmet.

Essex

good luck with that...

I rode for about 20 years before helmets started to be campaigned for, then I wore one for about 22 years. During these 22 years I researched and discussed the issue for about 12 years and finally decided to remove it, despite living in a MHL province. It's been off for just about a couple of years.+1 since i decided to remove the lid, i've been enjoying my rides even more.

Forewarning: Please do NOT hijack this thread for your pro- or anti- helmet agenda.

I have a new helmet but I don't think I'll wear it a lot. I would be interested to know how often you wear your helmet, in what cases you wear it and what case don't. For example, perhaps most people will not wear it for just going to a local post office or store. Do you wear it for all and only long rides? Or perhaps only at night or only when you think you are going to ride on dangerous roads?

It's inconvenient to wear it each and every time you get on your bike. On the other hand, suppose you usually wear it but didn't wear it on a particular day, and bad luck struck and you get hit just when you are not wearing it...

For 25 years every time I clipped in. Have stopped wearing one after doing an exhaustive literature search and found no reason to continue.

I don't think I'm at any greater risk of head injury on the bike than off, and I'm not too worried about superficial injury. I'm more concerned with serious injury. The type that can be life altering.

That's why I took off my helmet. I haven't found any clear evidence that helmets have reduced these types of injuries.

I sometimes thought that, it may be better to die (or not know that you are completely paralyzed) than having a functioning brain saved by a helmet with a completely paralyzed body. So maybe it's better to forgo the helmet. Anyone thought this way, too?

Used to, no longer unless required on a group ride.

Inconvenience,... meh. Sucked it up and dealt with it.

I was dedicated enough to wearing helmets back then that my kids wouldn't leave the driveway on their bikes without 'em. Since I doffed mine the last time, theirs have been gathering cobwebs. Youngest has wiped out a several times... all he hits are his hands, elbows and knees -- and he's had some YARD SALES!

There are parks around town, and in the region, where I'd take the helmet and wear it to ride there, but that's because I don't know those trails.

on every ride over a mile or so. maybe three or four times a year I'll venture into New Haven helmetless on my way to a social function or to shop.

I actually find that a helmet often keeps my hair from getting mussed.

I sometimes thought that, it may be better to die (or not know that you are completely paralyzed) than having a functioning brain saved by a helmet with a completely paralyzed body. So maybe it's better not to forgo the helmet. Anyone thought this way, too?

Wow. Quite a response considering your proviso.

Anyway, to me the issue is that it hasn't been shown that wearing helmets do what you are suggesting they do. In fact, there's plenty of evidence that shows they don't and even more evidence that there are many other far more effective ways to prevent what you're concerned about.

That's why I took the blinders (and helmet) off. Others may feel differntly, and that's their perogative but it doesn't change the facts of what has happened or the physics and mechanics that lead to these injuries.

How many of these "Do you wear a helmet/How often do you wear a helmet?" threads turn into a helmet debate?

How many of these "Do you wear a helmet/How often do you wear a helmet?" threads turn into a helmet debate?

All of them...

Road bike, always. I ride with large fast groups where there are regularly crashes. Besides the fact that you have to wear a helmet on these rides, I think a helmet might help if I'm bouncing around the pavement at 30+ miles an hour.

On my 3 speed, I never wear a helmet.

99%. Only exception.. A 3 block spin to the grocery store on our slow moving city bike.
Same here.

All the time, except when I shower. People look at me strangely when I go out in public, wife doesn't like that I wear it to bed, but who care? Rather safe than sorry!

All the time, except when I shower. People look at me strangely when I go out in public, wife doesn't like that I wear it to bed, but who care? Rather safe than sorry!

Are you afraid that you will fall on the floor and hit your head while sleeping? ;)

All the time, except when I shower. People look at me strangely when I go out in public, wife doesn't like that I wear it to bed, but who care? Rather safe than sorry!

Wait, we're still talking about protecting our skulls in this thread, right? :)

>Sorry, don't want to start the usual argument about this, but if you know the absence of helmet made no difference, why the CT scan? Either you're at risk of brain injury or you're not, and that is determined by the nature of the accident. Whether or not you were wearing a helmet shouldn't be the determinant of a scan being necessary.

It made no difference to me. My head was above the hood when I hit. The ER folks on the other hand had a different opinion.

Either way, when next I t-bone a vehicle I'll be wearing a helmet and we'll see if I get the same battery of test.
O
You will, wearing a helmet would absolutely make no difference in the decision tree.

I sometimes thought that, it may be better to die (or not know that you are completely paralyzed) than having a functioning brain saved by a helmet with a completely paralyzed body. So maybe it's better to forgo the helmet. Anyone thought this way, too?

No

All the time, except when I shower. People look at me strangely when I go out in public, wife doesn't like that I wear it to bed, but who care? Rather safe than sorry!
:lol::lol: Wait you better wear it in the shower, probably the best use of a bicycling helmet would be to prevent head injuries from slippery falls IN showers!

Are you afraid that you will fall on the floor and hit your head while sleeping? ;)

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_fal_inv_bed-mortality-fall-involving-bed

It's not a matter of if something will happen, but more one of how likely is something to happen.