Originally posted by John C. Ratliff
Up until last May, I thought much like Merriwether. I had been in several accidents, and my head had never touched ground. This included significant accidents--crashes. I felt my judo and parachute fall training would keep me from having a head injury. Tuck your head, chin into chest, and roll; usually your head won't touch the ground at all (and that protects you from the type of neck injury which causes paralysis too). On one fall, I rolled several times, and ended upside down in a bush, all without my head hitting the ground. I wore my helmet as an example to my kids, but with the same almost contemptuous attitude that if a fall came my way, I wouldn't need it.
John
John, whatever you used to think, what you're attributing to me is very clearly
not what I've been saying. I've been clear-- very clear, in fact-- that I'm not saying any benefit that helmets provide can be provided some other way.
As I've said several times already, I'm saying that the expected benefit of helmets is low, not because they are
redundant, but because the likelihood of a severe collision with one's head is not very high while cycling. Given what objective data show, the likelihood of a head collision while cycling is no greater than while walking near traffic, or riding in car. It's less than the risk of serious brain injury or death while swimming. Yet no one insists that you have to wear a helmet while driving, and no one insists that you must wear a life vest while swimming. No one says helmets or life vests are "necessary" for these activities.
But people, including you, do insist that you must wear a cycling helmet. It's very "important" to do this, you say. Well, I'm wondering just
why it's so important to wear protective gear against this risk, but not the others. I've asked this over and over, and you don't respond. You keep acting as if you're replying, but in fact you ignore this point I've made over and over. In your last post, you say that I just think that you can provide all of the benefit of helmets with judo rolls.
I'm interested in what have to say about the actual benefits of helmets
given a crash , and I'm glad we have someone with your expertise here on the board. Don't get me wrong. But if you won't respond to what I say, what am I supposed to do? I don't know, I'll just leave it here, I guess.
Bumbaclat: it's always good for a chuckle to hear a buffoonish high school kid, or someone who just writes like one, make clear that it's time to take charge and let people know what's what. Your contributions are excellent; keep it up!