Originally Posted by
LesterOfPuppets
Well if you're looking at it from an activity standpoint you need to look at it from a per participant per hour aspect. I think driving or riding in an automobile actually turns out to be safer statistically.
If you're looking at it from a commuting standpoint you'll need to assess head injuries per participant per mile.
From what I've seen there is just no really good data for cycling. Data is usually collected from hospital admissions. All kinds of cyclists end up in the hospital and everyone from BMX kids doing stunts at the skatepark to DH MTBers to MUPers who ride 20 miles per year on poorly maintained rigs really skew the stats.
You really have to go with your gut and your perceived risk. When in doubt, wear a helmet.
I understand and can agree with your point, but then that leads into the next area to question, time spent during the activity. But it goes way beyond that, you also have to figure into that the skill level of the participants invloved. Look specifically at professional, top level road cyclists, They spend 6 to 8 hours every day on their bikes. Sometimes they wear a helmet, sometimes not, but the point is; what percentage of those individuals experience accidents involving head trauma, not in races, but training rides? My guess is the number is not very high at all, even though statistically they should be much more prone to it. The reason? They are much more skilled and competent on their bikes than a large majority of riders.