http://www.cyclehelmets.org/mf.html?1052

Read and dicuss.

Note to mods: we are the people to whom this is most relevant... We crash into cars all the time



Some quotes:

Helmet laws in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Canada [15] have resulted in the great majority of cyclists wearing helmets, but there has been no reduction in rates of head injury relative to cycle use. An analysis of enforced laws in these countries found no clear evidence of benefit [16].

In the USA, an increase in helmet use from 18% to 50% of cyclists over a decade was accompanied by a 10% increase in head injuries.

Research suggests that rotational force causes most of the fatal and disabling brain injuries in road crashes, but there is no assurance that cycle helmets can mitigate it. Indeed, there is some evidence that cycle helmets may increase it.

In all countries where helmet laws have been introduced and enforced, there has been a substantial reduction in cycle use [15]. Helmet promotion has also been shown to reduce cycle use [38]. Cycling has substantial health benefits [39] and people who cycle regularly live, on average, longer than non-cyclists with less illness and poor health [40]. Concern has therefore been expressed that any benefit from helmet wearing is outweighed by the loss of health benefits to those deterred from cycling. [Which is pretty relevant for me, personally... There are plans to make helmets legally obligatory here, and my neck is crappy beyond belief. I can't ride with a helmet, realistically.]

Helmeted cyclists have been shown to be more likely to hit their heads if they crash and may be more likely to crash in the first place [34]. The disproportionate number of helmet wearers who believe that a helmet has saved their life (see above) is further evidence that helmet use might adversely affect crash involvement or outcome.

There is a good deal of circumstantial evidence that helmeted cyclists are more likely to crash, and data from one study [4] suggests that those wearing a helmet are more than 7 times likely to hit their heads if they do.

Many falls result in arm and shoulder impacts that keep an unhelmeted head just clear of the ground. A helmeted head, being twice as big and a little heavier, is more likely to hit something

Cycle helmets fail catastrophically, not gradually, so it is a mistake to believe that they provide useful, if reduced, protection at higher velocities




This looks like the most thorough and scientific analysis of the issue by a long way. Don't dismiss it with "I crashed last week and my helmet saved my life" or "A friend of my died when he crashed without a helmet" Your anecdotal evidence < scientific research and statisitcal data of 2 billion or so people. See this: http://www.cyclehelmets.org/mf.html?1019


Let the fun begin!


BTW, the graph at http://www.cyclehelmets.org/ is a real eye-opener. Cyclists crash because motorists aren't used to them and don't take care of them. I don't know how the Dutch do 108% of their trips by bike, but it sure helps. The US leads the list of cyclist deaths per distance. Ewww