Originally Posted by rufvelo
I've fallen on my head with and without using a helmet. Maybe not exact circumstances, but I did notice the difference between cracked skull, blood pouring out, pulled out of the race and being rushed to the ER
versus cracked helmet head intact, dull headache.
--Meaningless anecdotal evidence with a falsely assumed correlation (albeit somewhat acknowledged).
Originally Posted by rufvelo
While I suspect you'll be quick to pick up on the 'not exact circumstances', no two crashes in either your or cyclintom's 'statistics' (the ones we've some to rely on here at least from a humorous standpoint
), questioning helmet use, can [you?] do any better.
--Shifting the burden of proof: attempting to force me to prove that not buying/wearing a helmet (inaction) rather then proving that I should (action).
Originally Posted by rufvelo
It's called commonsense for all those naysayers, you two included.
--Argumentum ad hominem: suggesting that I have no commonsense does not prove your point.
--Argumentum ad populum: appealing to popular belief (disguised as "commonsense") as if the majority cannot be wrong.
--Guilt By Association: Linking me with cyclintom neither disproves nor proves anyone's points.
Originally Posted by rufvelo
Coupled with my real world experiences, the fact that I have and engineering degree(yep, not just you and tom!) and can do my own research, cycling safety included, also suggests I or anyone else not pay any attention to snake oil pedalling merchants, 'researchers' as they call themselves, with either no first hand experience of the matter, or questionable research at best, or worse, neither.
--Argument From Authority: I am glad you have an engineering degree but that, by itself, does not qualify you to judge the effectiveness of cycling helmets. Additionally, simply being an expert would not necessarily make you argument valid- assertions need to be backed up. I would hope that during your education you would have taking a critical thinking course at some time and would be able to piece together a real argument to prove your point rather than relying on fallacies.
As a matter of course, I do not have an engineering degree and simply do not know if helmets work or not, I wear one because I have to and absolutely refuse to believe it will actually significantly help in most accidents. I also ardently refuse to believe in helmets based on (mostly) industry propaganda and bad arguments. I do believe helmets have their uses but believe that many of the zealots that proclaim helmets' virtues do more harm than good to cycling in general.