Or something.

What jurisdictions are you talking about?

Would you like a recent quote showing that people still believe that helmets prevent concussions and brain injury and are designed to do so?

Point me to the specific part of the study to which you are referring in support of your position. I think you'll find that things are not as simple as you wish to believe .... yet again.

This helmet thread. Duh.

Previous studies posted here, especially the Austrialian study commonly cited by the bare-headers in close proximity with mention of their MHL, dealt only with serious injury. There were no figures regarding less than serious head injury data -- light to moderate head injury.

Withing the past few pages, a new report was cited, showing that -- no shocker -- the less severe the injury* the more protection a helmet offers. Again, I believe it was an Australian study.

Just to be clear about this, are you claiming that data was not available until recently about the prevalance of non-brain-injuring studies? Which injury scoring scale are you referring to, measure in which country and on which dates?

Just wondering----------------has anyone here been convinced by the anti helmet cult not to wear a helmet?

I am claiming that there was no available data that anyone seemed to be able to scare up for less-than-serious head injuries, until recent studies quoted in this thread. All studies provided here in this thread regarding injury rates after institution of MHLs have only considered serious head injury, not less than serious head injury. Although that never stops people arguing against helmets to conveniently forget such qualifiers when claiming that injury in general did not decrease.

You'd have to check that Australian study all you bare-headers refer to when quoting no decrease in head injury after institution of MHL regarding injury scale and dates.

No, of course not -- there are ignorant people in all walks of life, helmet wearers certainly don't get a pass. There's still people that believe the world is flat, too...

I'm leaning on figures posted by Proileri from a quoted study in #5085.

An article today about a cyclist fatality is quick to point out he was not wearing a helmet, because surely, a bicycle helmet would have saved him from a collision with a GARBAGE TRUCK!

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...sh-4542548.php

OK, back round- Me- 41 year old ex high level gymnast, and yes, former college basketball player as well. I have bombed down insane fire trails before on non suspension mountain bikes back in the days, and I have done a lot of road bike riding as well, time trials, and I have hit 60mph+ on a road bike. I have also been in many fistfights, and in my youth I used to do insane parkour type of stuff long before it existed. Concussions? Yes, several, none from cycling. And not because I wore a helmet, because I never hit my head in a fall on a bike... If I could go back, I would have worn a helmet when I was a varsity gymnast as a freshman in high school. I would have worn a helmet when I played basketball in college. I would have worn a helmet when I went to parties and got into fights. I would have worn a helmet when I tried crazy parkour stunts. Car accidents? Yea a helmet would have been nice there as well. What it comes down to for me is that if am going to do something that I deem risky on a bike, I wear my helmet. When I am just cruising around, I never wear one...It works for me, but may not be the best idea for everyone...

But, but ,but the woman who blamed the cyclist for everything said a helmet would have saved him. She represents the helmeteers well.

Gee-------------no tons of posts so far from people that have been convinced to quit wearing helmets. I can only conclued that the anti hemlet crowd are just wasting their time peeing into the wind.

I guess not wearing helemts is a good choice for those that make no mistakes. I could live with that. I never wear a helmet with a plan to go out and hit my head that day. But that guy hit by the garbagetruck was not killed due to helmet issues, but poor judgement from a couple of people.

Your "conclusions" on this subject, among others are set in stone and have been for a long time.

It is not about no mistakes, because one could ride and make no mistakes and still get hurt because of another's mistake. It is about assessed risk. The point I was trying to make is about assessed risk (good judgment). In my experience I have needed a helmet more so in other areas of life where helmets are never worn, than I have in casual riding. When I deem there to be a certain level of risk, I wear my helmet... It is that simple. I do not go to high school basketball games and yell at everyone to wear a helmet, I do not tell everyone who drives a car to wear a helmet, I do not tell gymnasts to wear helmets, I do not tell young guys who are inclined to get into fights to wear helmets. I do not tell people who go into stores that may have wet floors to wear helmets.... These are all situations that deem wearing a helmet MORE SO than a casual bike ride by a good rider. Assess your risks in life and live YOUR life the way you want to. Don't tell me to wear a helmet when I am riding my bike in my gated community at slow to moderate speeds. In fact, never tell me when and when not to wear a helmet.


What it comes down to is logic. Step outside of reactionary emotional responses and see the big picture. There are many risks we all take in life. If the wear your helmet every time you are out crew were to also say that I should wear my helmet when I drive my car, or play a sport, or walk into a store that is cleaning it's floors... well, then I would say you have a good point there guys. But you don't, so you don't.

I feel better when I ride without a helmet after reading this thread.

Helmets are good at preventing severe brain injury And death. No surprise here. "The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all cyclists wear helmets that fit properly for each ride, and supports legislation that requires all cyclists to wear helmets."

Why would a pediatric group who just completed a study on deaths of kid riders <16 years old follow with a result of supporting legislation that all cyclists wear helmets, including adults, when adults are a group they didn't study? And of course there's this caveat at the end of the actual study:

"Finally, some authors argue that mandatory helmet laws decrease bicycle ridership, and thus the benefits of helmets preventing head injuries may be offset by the medical problems that arise from a decreased number of cyclists.The present study did not address the effect of helmet laws on ridership."

...but regardless, they still recommend and support MHLs. Unbelievable... :rolleyes:

Once again, logic please. Of course helmets prevent, to some degree, severe brain injury and death. Do you think that those who do not wear helmets don't know this and you are somehow informing us for the first time? The hole in the wear your helmet all of the time argument is that you do not preach wearing a helmet at other times where risk is present. So, that just makes you guys Fascists living in a realm void of logic.

One good rule of thumb: when an article leads off with the long-discredited "Existing research shows that bicyclists who wear helmets have an 88 percent lower risk of brain injury" line, you might as well not bother. Everything that follows will automatically be junk.

Well...I do believe the American Academy of Pediatrics will ultimately have more influence on public safety policy than a few anti-helmet deniers on a bike forum.

What he's talking about is the fact that the 20+ year old study they cite in their own work has been thoroughly debunked. Even most of those in favor of helmets know this study is bunk. It had a laundry list of problems:If you really want to lean on that reed, be my guest, but I wouldn't trust it. ;)

Again lets forget about the safety aspect of helmets, and look at the legal area. When a driver hits a cyclist and it is the drivers fault, you will ALWAYS read that the cyclist was at least partly at fault because he was not wearing a helmet. Thats why I always wear a helmet even while riding my trike. I wear my helmet and have TWO flags on the trike. Right away that cancels out the big lie that the driver didnt see me, and since I an wearing a helmet, the facts of an accident starts nearer the truth.

Folks will believe what they want. Maybe Sudo Bike has helped steer you toward believing in the truth. Maybe not. Regardless, I see more and more "serious" cyclists training sans helmet every year. The message - that bike safety is about what's in your head rather than what's on it, and that a few ounces of Styrofoam can't perform miracles - is getting out, no matter how hard the helmeteers try to stifle it.

I haven't read this entire thread, because its too long at this point. The helmet issue is, in my opinion, an important one because there are situations where head gear somewhat mitigates the risk of serious injury.

I voted in the category of wearing a helmet sometimes, depending on the riding conditions. My reasoning isn't sophisticated or supported by studies; its just an old peckerwood's logic after 60+ years of riding and one brain-shaking cycling accident. You might call me a proponent of 'informal accident probability theory' when it comes to helmet use.

In all of my years on a bike, I've had only one serious accident. My road bike front tire dropped into a narrow crack in the street and I was catapulted into the curb head first. Because I was riding on busy, unfamiliar streets that day, I was wearing my helmet; the foam liner split cleanly in the temple area where I contacted concrete. I was scraped and bloodied on my arm and one leg, but my head survived nicely. The bike shop owner who sold me the helmet was amazed I walked away without a concussion, or worse, because the helmet damage was obvious; he sent it to Giro and gave me another one.

Despite my wife's cajoling about the need to wear a helmet every time I ride, I prefer to ride without one unless I'm competing for road space with busy traffic or riding on unfamiliar roads. I'm more observant about pavement conditions, and I choose routes that offer safer riding conditions. Its just more fun to ride without a helmet; it feels freer and more natural. Its the same free feeling I enjoyed while riding my bike as a kid.

I say wear a helmet or not depending on what you want your riding experience to be and what you perceive the risks to be for a given outing. The studies are interesting, but I rely on my heart and my gut for guidance in deciding when to wear one.