View Poll Results: Helmet wearing habits?
I've never worn a bike helmet
178
10.66%
I used to wear a helmet, but have stopped
94
5.63%
I've always worn a helmet
648
38.80%
I didn't wear a helmet, but now do
408
24.43%
I sometimes wear a helmet depending on the conditions
342
20.48%
Voters: 1670. You may not vote on this poll
The helmet thread
#276
Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Delaware shore
Posts: 13,558
Bikes: Cervelo C5, Guru Photon, Waterford, Specialized CX
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1106 Post(s)
Liked 2,180 Times
in
1,470 Posts
Plus you can usually buy a new helmet for $25
#280
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dorset, SW England, United Kingdom
Posts: 425
Bikes: Heavily modded Cannondale Hooligan 1 (2009) and an upgraded Raleigh Max Zero-G
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#281
Cycle Year Round
*Puts on flame ******ent suit*
I know helmets are a ^hot^ topic, and I am neither Pro nor Anti the wearing of helmets. But I wonder if wearing a helmet would have significantly reduced her injuries?
Personally, having read the article below, if she had not tried to ride over the piece plastic, this would not of happened. BTW, the section of the A338 that she was travelling on is a Dual Carriageway with a 50 MPH speed limit.
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/new...sex_Way_crash/
I know helmets are a ^hot^ topic, and I am neither Pro nor Anti the wearing of helmets. But I wonder if wearing a helmet would have significantly reduced her injuries?
Personally, having read the article below, if she had not tried to ride over the piece plastic, this would not of happened. BTW, the section of the A338 that she was travelling on is a Dual Carriageway with a 50 MPH speed limit.
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/new...sex_Way_crash/
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said according to eyewitnesses the bike wobbled suddenly and the back wheel appeared to slide out causing Mrs Bluemel, who is chairwoman of the Southampton Cycling Campaign, to fall and hit her head.
__________________
Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.
Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.
Last edited by CB HI; 10-24-11 at 06:35 PM.
#282
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 6,401
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 13 Times
in
13 Posts
Well, there's one big difference between seat belts and bicycle helmets: seat belts are demonstrably effective at reducing mortality when used correctly.
#283
Senior Member
This isn't the worst example of misdirection I've seen. I think the worst one I've seen is the one you posted back in April, where the cyclist was at fault rather than 3 motorist
I exchanged emails with the coroner and he said,
I did not intend my comments to suggest that cycle helmets were the panacea for all potential head injuries suffered in road traffic crashes but rather to encourage the use of cycle helmets rather than not using them at all.
Last edited by closetbiker; 10-24-11 at 07:14 PM.
#284
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Copenhagen
Posts: 1,832
Bikes: A load of ancient, old and semi-vintage bikes of divers sorts
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
But you're right: Had her wheel been properly tightened, things might not have gone so amiss, perhaps. Maybe. Thing is, these discussions of anecdotes won't help us decide whether one ought to wear a helmet, whether it doesn't matter, or whether they're harmfull. Only research based on reliable statistics can tell us that. As far as I'm concerned, it seems to me that helmets aren't significantly relevant for general cyclist safety.
#286
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Los Alamos, NM
Posts: 1,846
Bikes: Fuji Cross Comp, BMC SR02, Surly Krampas
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#287
Senior Member
It's seemingly always about the lack of helmet, almost never about some very preventable circumstances and never about the reasonable limitations helmets naturally have
Last edited by closetbiker; 10-24-11 at 07:36 PM.
#288
Bicikli Huszár
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Fresno, CA
Posts: 2,116
Bikes: '95 Novara Randonee
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
As far as whether the helmet would have helped, those are some pretty sparse details. We don't know how she fell, if she hit a curb, etc. Who knows? Silly to speculate or imply that we should speculate that a helmet may have helped.
#289
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Warwick, UK
Posts: 1,049
Bikes: 2000-something 3 speed commuter, 1990-something Raleigh Scorpion
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I agree. It always seems to be a case of 'He fell off and was injured because he wasn't wearing a helmet' vs 'He fell off and was injured despite wearing a helmet.' Never is the focus on safe cycling practice rather than whether the rider was or wasn't wearing a helmet. This is the issue I have with over-promotion of helmets: they distract from more important safety issues such as cycling predictably and following the rules of the road.
#290
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Houston TX area
Posts: 816
Bikes: Trek 1420 triple, Mercier Corvus, Globe 1 700, Surly Disc Trucker, GT Avalanche, GT Grade, GT Helion, Mercier Corvus, Motobacane Boris X7 Fat Bikes,
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Anyone watch Spaceballs? Now there is the reason to wear a helmet!
#291
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Los Alamos, NM
Posts: 1,846
Bikes: Fuji Cross Comp, BMC SR02, Surly Krampas
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Prevention v mitigation. I believe that becomes a smoke screen - any safety program involves both. Drive your care safely, obey the traffic laws, but wear a seatbelt and have airbags. Handle tools carefully, restrict access, but still have workers below you wear hard hats. On and on and on. We use the safety device just for the instance where we make a screwup. The lady certainly made an error by running over the pipe, but that isn't the issue! The issue is helmets. Would the helmet have helped? Might my helmet help me in a mishap?
Here is a clear instance where no X-thousand pound vehicle was involved. Speed didn't seem to be (yes, I said seem) the culprit. She possibly made an error in riding over the pipe. Might the helmet have helped? That is the question, NOT her riding skills. Prevention is a different discussion - parallel, but different.
By deflecting the discussion from the potential safety benefit (mitigation) of a helmet to focusing on riding skills, you defeat your own argument!! Because who else would better need a helmet than someone that might make a riding skills mistake? I certainly fit in that group, and I suspect most of us might...
Here is a clear instance where no X-thousand pound vehicle was involved. Speed didn't seem to be (yes, I said seem) the culprit. She possibly made an error in riding over the pipe. Might the helmet have helped? That is the question, NOT her riding skills. Prevention is a different discussion - parallel, but different.
By deflecting the discussion from the potential safety benefit (mitigation) of a helmet to focusing on riding skills, you defeat your own argument!! Because who else would better need a helmet than someone that might make a riding skills mistake? I certainly fit in that group, and I suspect most of us might...
#292
Bicikli Huszár
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Fresno, CA
Posts: 2,116
Bikes: '95 Novara Randonee
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The problem is that it's an impossible question to discuss intelligently. We know very few details. She could have hit a curb, or a rock, or a completely flat road.
That said, I'm absolutely willing to say, tentatively, that it's absolutely possible. Helmets do have uses, and can mitigate injury; nobody here is contesting that. All that is being contested is that a) they are life-savers (by design, not by fluke) and b) that they are necessary, or practically necessary, for safe cycling. Again, nobody is contesting that they mitigate injuries, only the degree to which they do so.
That said, I'm absolutely willing to say, tentatively, that it's absolutely possible. Helmets do have uses, and can mitigate injury; nobody here is contesting that. All that is being contested is that a) they are life-savers (by design, not by fluke) and b) that they are necessary, or practically necessary, for safe cycling. Again, nobody is contesting that they mitigate injuries, only the degree to which they do so.
Last edited by sudo bike; 10-25-11 at 06:50 AM.
#293
Senior Member
Thread link summary:
A far more realistic site that addresses the helmet issue is the first one I provided on this new version of the thread,
https://bicyclesafe.com
If one is interested in studies and analysis, far more qualified anaylsis and opinions can be found at https://cyclehelmets.org/
------------------------------
a worthwhile read is the wiki entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet <-- Grand-daddy/mommy mother/fatherlode of helmet study linkage in the text and references at the bottom
Have you tried this? I know many will not regard it as neutral because it is very clear about the flaws in the pro-helmet position, but it does offer a fairly dispassionate analysis of the available evidence.
If you insist...
Head injuries and bicycle helmet laws
D. L. Robinson
AGBU, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
Accepted 6 February 1996. ; Available online 26 February 1999.
Abstract
The first year of the mandatory bicycle helmet laws in Australia saw increased helmet wearing from 31% to 75% of cyclists in Victoria and from 31% of children and 26% of adults in New South Wales (NSW) to 76% and 85%. However, the two major surveys using matched before and after samples in Melbourne (Finch et al. 1993; Report No. 45, Monash Univ. Accident Research Centre) and throughout NSW (Smith and Milthorpe 1993; Roads and Traffic Authority) observed reductions in numbers of child cyclists 15 and 2.2 times greater than the increase in numbers of children wearing helmets. This suggests the greatest effect of the helmet law was not to encourage cyclists to wear helmets, but to discourage cycling.
Author Keywords: Bicycle; Head injury; Helmet; Legislation
D. L. Robinson
AGBU, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
Accepted 6 February 1996. ; Available online 26 February 1999.
Abstract
The first year of the mandatory bicycle helmet laws in Australia saw increased helmet wearing from 31% to 75% of cyclists in Victoria and from 31% of children and 26% of adults in New South Wales (NSW) to 76% and 85%. However, the two major surveys using matched before and after samples in Melbourne (Finch et al. 1993; Report No. 45, Monash Univ. Accident Research Centre) and throughout NSW (Smith and Milthorpe 1993; Roads and Traffic Authority) observed reductions in numbers of child cyclists 15 and 2.2 times greater than the increase in numbers of children wearing helmets. This suggests the greatest effect of the helmet law was not to encourage cyclists to wear helmets, but to discourage cycling.
Author Keywords: Bicycle; Head injury; Helmet; Legislation
A far more realistic site that addresses the helmet issue is the first one I provided on this new version of the thread,
https://bicyclesafe.com
If one is interested in studies and analysis, far more qualified anaylsis and opinions can be found at https://cyclehelmets.org/
------------------------------
a worthwhile read is the wiki entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet <-- Grand-daddy/mommy mother/fatherlode of helmet study linkage in the text and references at the bottom
...I would suggest going to this site, which provides objectively collected data, some pro-helmet interpretations and links to sites which counter their views:
https://www.bhsi.org
For researched rational responses to many of the negatives about helmets I would suggest this site:
https://www.bhsi.org/negativs.htm
https://www.bhsi.org
For researched rational responses to many of the negatives about helmets I would suggest this site:
https://www.bhsi.org/negativs.htm
It's not common to receive head injuries on bikes any more than it is to receive them off a bike, which is, not not common.
Here's another link....
Here's another link....
[helmets/helmet advocates] promote injury.
If the scalp helps reduce rotational injury to the brain by helping the head slide along pavement rather than catch, and a helmet reduced this effect, doesn't it stand to reason that at least in these sorts of accidents a helmet mitigates the effect of the scalp?
Again, why do you think they are now trying to replicate this "scalp effect" in new helmets? What would be the purpose if it were not effective?
"It has been suggested that the major causes of permanent intellectual disablement and death after head injury may be torsional forces leading to diffuse axonal injury (DAI), a form of injury which usual helmets cannot mitigate and may make worse.[68]"
"A bicycle helmet with its own synthetic "scalp" has been designed with the aim of mitigating rotational injury.[71]"
Again, why do you think they are now trying to replicate this "scalp effect" in new helmets? What would be the purpose if it were not effective?
"It has been suggested that the major causes of permanent intellectual disablement and death after head injury may be torsional forces leading to diffuse axonal injury (DAI), a form of injury which usual helmets cannot mitigate and may make worse.[68]"
"A bicycle helmet with its own synthetic "scalp" has been designed with the aim of mitigating rotational injury.[71]"
...read the links I provided: Focusing on helmets distracts people from what's more likely to actually save their lives: Learning how to ride safely. It's not that I'm against helmets, I'm against all the attention placed on helmets at the expense of safe riding skills.
Here's another link for you to read and consider...
one of the most powerful laws in the universe is the law of unintended consequences
Here's another link for you to read and consider...
one of the most powerful laws in the universe is the law of unintended consequences
...an Australian judge sided against a helmet law and with a cyclist who argued wearing a helmet caused more harm than it prevented
''Having read all the material, I think I would fall down on your side of the ledger,'' the judge told Ms Abbott after she had spelt out her case against the laws that exist in few countries other than Australia and New Zealand.
''I frankly don't think there is anything advantageous and there may well be a disadvantage in situations to have a helmet - and it seems to me that it's one of those areas where it ought to be a matter of choice.''
He found Ms Abbott had ''an honestly held and not unreasonable belief as to the danger associated with the use of a helmet by cyclists'', and quashed her conviction...
''Having read all the material, I think I would fall down on your side of the ledger,'' the judge told Ms Abbott after she had spelt out her case against the laws that exist in few countries other than Australia and New Zealand.
''I frankly don't think there is anything advantageous and there may well be a disadvantage in situations to have a helmet - and it seems to me that it's one of those areas where it ought to be a matter of choice.''
He found Ms Abbott had ''an honestly held and not unreasonable belief as to the danger associated with the use of a helmet by cyclists'', and quashed her conviction...
don't forget the paper the Australian judge read prior to rendering a decision:
The testing and design of standard helmets continue to reflect the discredited theory that linear acceleration is the dominant cause of brain injury and to neglect rotation.
and another study examining a vital lack of coverage by the bicycle helmet
The common designs of commercially available bicycle helmets do not prevent direct contact loading on the temporal and zygomatic arch region and this contact loading is potentially harmful.
has been shown in court to be common knowledge in the helmet industry
It has been known for years by the helmet industry that the majority of head impacts occur below the "test line," and that the majority of injurious impacts are concentrated in the front or temporal region.
but this issue of protection (or lack thereof) may be completely moot because
1) On a per-mile basis, the odds of being killed or sustaining a serious head injury while riding a bicycle are about the same as the odds of being killed or injured while out for a walk.
2) On a per-capita basis, the odds of being killed while riding a bicycle are nearly the same as the odds of being killed by a bolt of lightning (this author has, in fact, been struck by lightning -- albeit indirectly -- so he is well aware that "extremely improbable" is not quite the same as "impossible"); the odds of sustaining a serious head injury while riding a bicycle are about half the odds of sustaining a serious injury while out for a walk.
The testing and design of standard helmets continue to reflect the discredited theory that linear acceleration is the dominant cause of brain injury and to neglect rotation.
and another study examining a vital lack of coverage by the bicycle helmet
The common designs of commercially available bicycle helmets do not prevent direct contact loading on the temporal and zygomatic arch region and this contact loading is potentially harmful.
has been shown in court to be common knowledge in the helmet industry
It has been known for years by the helmet industry that the majority of head impacts occur below the "test line," and that the majority of injurious impacts are concentrated in the front or temporal region.
but this issue of protection (or lack thereof) may be completely moot because
1) On a per-mile basis, the odds of being killed or sustaining a serious head injury while riding a bicycle are about the same as the odds of being killed or injured while out for a walk.
2) On a per-capita basis, the odds of being killed while riding a bicycle are nearly the same as the odds of being killed by a bolt of lightning (this author has, in fact, been struck by lightning -- albeit indirectly -- so he is well aware that "extremely improbable" is not quite the same as "impossible"); the odds of sustaining a serious head injury while riding a bicycle are about half the odds of sustaining a serious injury while out for a walk.
if you continue to be worried about hurting your head from falling over, you may want to wear your helmet while walking as well because,
The tests that cycle helmets currently go through mean that they should offer similar protection to a pedestrian who trips and falls to the ground.
The tests that cycle helmets currently go through mean that they should offer similar protection to a pedestrian who trips and falls to the ground.
If protection from being hit by a car is your concern, a helmet might be a good choice if it was designed to provide such protection, but it is not.
"bicycle helmets are not designed to withstand the impact of collisions with motor vehicles"
"The tests cycle helmets currently go through mean that they should offer similar protection to a pedestrian who trips and falls to the ground... helmets protect in falls without any involvement with motor vehicles...in todays road traffic accidents, it's not unlikely for a cycle helmet to be subjected to severity loads far greater than it was designed to cope with"
"bicycle helmets are not designed to withstand the impact of collisions with motor vehicles"
"The tests cycle helmets currently go through mean that they should offer similar protection to a pedestrian who trips and falls to the ground... helmets protect in falls without any involvement with motor vehicles...in todays road traffic accidents, it's not unlikely for a cycle helmet to be subjected to severity loads far greater than it was designed to cope with"
[regarding motor-vehicle/bicycle collisions as it pertains to the utility of helmets in such]
"The tests cycle helmets currently go through mean that they should offer similar protection to a pedestrian who trips and falls to the ground... helmets protect in falls without any involvement with motor vehicles...in todays road traffic accidents, it's not unlikely for a cycle helmet to be subjected to severity loads far greater than it was designed to cope with"
"The tests cycle helmets currently go through mean that they should offer similar protection to a pedestrian who trips and falls to the ground... helmets protect in falls without any involvement with motor vehicles...in todays road traffic accidents, it's not unlikely for a cycle helmet to be subjected to severity loads far greater than it was designed to cope with"
a bicycle helmet is not designed for impacts with other vehicles.
Impacts with other vehicles introduces additional forces that were not designed for... here's a third source that explains a bit more "when a cyclist is knocked off by another vehicle, this frequently results in the head being spun and subjected to torsional effects. One consequence of this is that they tend not to hit the ground as cleanly as children who are typically involved in low-impact, non-twisting injuries,"
Impacts with other vehicles introduces additional forces that were not designed for... here's a third source that explains a bit more "when a cyclist is knocked off by another vehicle, this frequently results in the head being spun and subjected to torsional effects. One consequence of this is that they tend not to hit the ground as cleanly as children who are typically involved in low-impact, non-twisting injuries,"
according to the Canada Safety Council, it is more important to wear a helmet than text while cycling
Paying attention to riding and avoiding distractions from cellphones and music players ranks second on the Canada Safety Council's top tips for improving cycling safety — behind wearing a helmet
And people question helmet skeptics when they say helmet promotion reduces cycling safety?
Paying attention to riding and avoiding distractions from cellphones and music players ranks second on the Canada Safety Council's top tips for improving cycling safety — behind wearing a helmet
And people question helmet skeptics when they say helmet promotion reduces cycling safety?
[examples of pro-helmet groups citing discredited studies, which groups also push for MHL legislation, and which are supported by helmet manufacturers]
https://www.helmetssavelives.org/
The single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes is a helmet.
Bike Helmet: Difference of Life or Death
Paying attention to riding and avoiding distractions from cellphones and music players ranks second on the Canada Safety Council's top tips for improving cycling safety — behind wearing a helmet.
https://www.helmetssavelives.org/
The single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes is a helmet.
Bike Helmet: Difference of Life or Death
Paying attention to riding and avoiding distractions from cellphones and music players ranks second on the Canada Safety Council's top tips for improving cycling safety — behind wearing a helmet.
Last edited by mconlonx; 10-29-11 at 04:34 PM.
#294
Senior Member
You seem to be claiming, with cited articles, that in an accident involving a motor vehicle and a bicycle, where the cyclist is wearing a helmet, and some impact is sustained by the helmeted head within those parameters for which the helmet is specifically designed to provide protection and injury mitigation, the helmet will not work as designed. I still contend that it quite possibly might provide the protection for which it as designed.
I couldn't find any indication otherwise in the articles you cited; one mentioned forces in excess of those sustained in grand prix racing, the other, acceleration of the rider due to motor vehicle contact.
#295
Senior Member
Impacts with other vehicles introduces additional forces that were not designed for.
The first source gave you this basic information, the second source expanded this a bit by saying impacts with motor vehicles introduce an acceleration to the impact, and here's a third source that explains a bit more "when a cyclist is knocked off by another vehicle, this frequently results in the head being spun and subjected to torsional effects. One consequence of this is that they tend not to hit the ground as cleanly as children who are typically involved in low-impact, non-twisting injuries,"
I exchanged emails with Dr. Sheikh about his study and the injuries treated involved simple falls (what helmets are designed for) and not impacts with motor vehicles (which they are not).
#296
Senior Member
It's about misplaced priorities and attitudes, the attitude that the most important factor in bicycle safety is helmet use, when it's not.
Last edited by closetbiker; 10-26-11 at 07:40 AM.
#297
Senior Member
true. We know little, but we do know that serious injury from simple falls is a rarity. It may be that this poor woman is seriously injured, but if she is, it is not the norm by any stretch.
#298
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 922
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I just talked to someone the other day that had suffered a concussion when he tripped on a child's toy on their stairs. Please, please, everyone, wear a helmet on the stairs. The doctors say that he would have DIED if he hadn't been wearing a helmet.
#299
Senior Member
It's about perspective and unless there's a push to wear helmets 24/7 for everyone, pushing them for cyclists just places the whole issue out of perspective
#300
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Warwick, UK
Posts: 1,049
Bikes: 2000-something 3 speed commuter, 1990-something Raleigh Scorpion
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
My view exactly. Cycling just isn't that dangerous when done properly, certainly a lot less risky that walking down stairs or stumbling home drunk. Nobody suggests stair helmets or drinking helmets, so why are they apparently required for cycling?
Last edited by Monster Pete; 10-25-11 at 11:26 AM.