Originally Posted by
rydabent
Playing the numbers like some of the anti helmet posters he do, is just that playing the numbers. Remember if you flip a coin 100 times, and every time it came up heads, the odds on the next flip are still 50-50. Just because you have not had an accident for 20 years does not mean you wont have one tomorrow. Defy the odds and wear a helmet.
What are the odds of a sober adult riding a Townie at 12mph around the cul-de-sac having a crash AND hitting their head in such a manner that they have brain damage or die? One in a million? One in ten million? So if every time I get on my bike my odds are one in a million of cracking my skull open, perhaps I am willing to take that chance.
Now what about the professional downhill freestyle bike racer. What are his chances of brain damage or death with every competitive ride? Maybe one in a thousand? Or would it be one in ten-thousand? Certainly his chances of injury would be much greater than the Townie guy, yet if he goes 9,999 rides without busting his head open, he STILL has a one in ten-thousand chance of getting hurt on the 10,000th outing right? He is not CERTAIN to crack his skull once every 10,000 rides is he?
My cycling actually falls between those two examples and I wear a helmet 100% of the time. It's a habit and I enjoy wearing hats anyway. Given how many people play the Lotto in the USofA, I don't think most folks have a very good grasp of probability and math anyway. I doubt they think about all that before they put on their helmet, or not.