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
#251
Senior Member
The first issue we have to consider is the manner in which an impact can be absorbed by a helmet which is above the "test line", an inch or two above the lowest portion of the helmet. If the impact occurs below this test line, the helmet can't provide the protection it was designed to.
Does the impact occur within this range? Most often they don't.
The next point is, does an impact from a simple fall result in a crushed skull, resulting in death? Well, I'm not going to say it never happens, but I will say it happens to people off a bike just as much, if not more, which is to say, very rarely.
It is collisions with motor vehicle that kills people on bikes and the few times when it doesn't, high speeds (speeds beyond the limits of a helmet) and impacts with fixed objects are involved.
I'm always amazed at how many people stick with a theory rather than look at a reality and adjust their idea.
Australia and New Zealand have had close examinations that show when everybody uses helmets, injuries don't drop. Everybody can have their own thoughts and ideas about what they think would happen if everybody (or anybody) wore helmets but the reality is staring them in the face. Helmets haven't made a difference.
In my province, the legislators proclaimed long and loud about how the evidence (from a small case control study) was overwhelming that wearing bicycle helmets will dramatically reduce serious injury and death. So what happened when everybody did start wearing helmets? Cyclists continued to suffer serious injury and death, only now they were wearing helmets when they did.
Last edited by closetbiker; 10-23-11 at 08:47 AM.
#252
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
I have to wear a hard hat where I work. That hat will likely never save my life - if someone drops a sledgehammer from a scaffold, and it hits me on the head, I will probably be sleeping in a box in the cool earth in about three days. However, if someone drops a screwdriver or pair of pliers from that two story height, I won't have the headache I would have. Did it save my life? No. Did it stave off a certain inury? Yes.
I recall hitting my head with a "breaker bar" when trying to cut up a large tree and remove the root ball (yes, you read it right, I hit MY own head). The iron bar weighs a good 40 pounds. It was amusing later in the afternoon to observe how far I was able to throw it in pain and frustration after it slipped and crowned me. Hurt like hades! Hurts just to think about it. Had a worn that simple, silly hardhat I have in my shop I might have strained my neck, but I wouldn't have had my eyes crossed by that cussed bar.
I wear a helmet because I don't care for pain. Well, htfu training pain is ok, but not impact pain. I realize a 5000 pound SUV will flat kill me, helmet or no. And a fall at 40+mph will take a lot of hide, and landing square on my head at that speed will likely see me do a permanent lights-out, as well (and high speed descents scare me, as I know that my lycra-clad form will lose in a battle with the pavement or one of our monstrous Oregon drainage ditches). But I wear a helmet whenever I ride. That styrofoam cooler on my head can prevent a serious headache, keep me from leaving a patch of scalp on the road if I lay it down and do the road rash thing, and might possibly save my life. I'm not simple enough to believe that the helmet is the be-all end-all of head protection (and head protection does not mitigate the only risk - a close friend almost lost his son to internal bleeding after a bike wreck, from the handlebar rupturing his spleen).
But whack your head, wearing a helmet, with a hammer handle. Now take the helmet off and repeat. Ouch. So to me the helmet is worth it.
And if I think you are <word I cannot type> for not wearing one, that's my opinion. Whether I think you are logical or not, that's my opinion. It is your head to leave uncovered, mine to cover.
And I am opposed to mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws. You do your thing - it isn't some legislature's job to save you from yourself no matter what the topic. The mandatory laws are usually based on saving the children - a favorite ploy of all lawmakers - and then they "logically" grow from there.
I recall hitting my head with a "breaker bar" when trying to cut up a large tree and remove the root ball (yes, you read it right, I hit MY own head). The iron bar weighs a good 40 pounds. It was amusing later in the afternoon to observe how far I was able to throw it in pain and frustration after it slipped and crowned me. Hurt like hades! Hurts just to think about it. Had a worn that simple, silly hardhat I have in my shop I might have strained my neck, but I wouldn't have had my eyes crossed by that cussed bar.
I wear a helmet because I don't care for pain. Well, htfu training pain is ok, but not impact pain. I realize a 5000 pound SUV will flat kill me, helmet or no. And a fall at 40+mph will take a lot of hide, and landing square on my head at that speed will likely see me do a permanent lights-out, as well (and high speed descents scare me, as I know that my lycra-clad form will lose in a battle with the pavement or one of our monstrous Oregon drainage ditches). But I wear a helmet whenever I ride. That styrofoam cooler on my head can prevent a serious headache, keep me from leaving a patch of scalp on the road if I lay it down and do the road rash thing, and might possibly save my life. I'm not simple enough to believe that the helmet is the be-all end-all of head protection (and head protection does not mitigate the only risk - a close friend almost lost his son to internal bleeding after a bike wreck, from the handlebar rupturing his spleen).
But whack your head, wearing a helmet, with a hammer handle. Now take the helmet off and repeat. Ouch. So to me the helmet is worth it.
And if I think you are <word I cannot type> for not wearing one, that's my opinion. Whether I think you are logical or not, that's my opinion. It is your head to leave uncovered, mine to cover.
And I am opposed to mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws. You do your thing - it isn't some legislature's job to save you from yourself no matter what the topic. The mandatory laws are usually based on saving the children - a favorite ploy of all lawmakers - and then they "logically" grow from there.
#253
Senior Member
The ground stays still and has friction. The impact will be oblique. The tests helmets go through are not representative of the real life conditions of falls cyclists experience.
Last edited by closetbiker; 10-23-11 at 09:38 AM.
#254
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Long Beach, Ca.
Posts: 591
Bikes: Raleigh Sojourn, '67 Raleigh Super Course, old Gary Fisher Mamba, and a generic Chinese folder
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I have to wear a hard hat where I work. That hat will likely never save my life - if someone drops a sledgehammer from a scaffold, and it hits me on the head, I will probably be sleeping in a box in the cool earth in about three days. However, if someone drops a screwdriver or pair of pliers from that two story height, I won't have the headache I would have. Did it save my life? No. Did it stave off a certain inury? Yes.
I recall hitting my head with a "breaker bar" when trying to cut up a large tree and remove the root ball (yes, you read it right, I hit MY own head). The iron bar weighs a good 40 pounds. It was amusing later in the afternoon to observe how far I was able to throw it in pain and frustration after it slipped and crowned me. Hurt like hades! Hurts just to think about it. Had a worn that simple, silly hardhat I have in my shop I might have strained my neck, but I wouldn't have had my eyes crossed by that cussed bar.
I wear a helmet because I don't care for pain. Well, htfu training pain is ok, but not impact pain. I realize a 5000 pound SUV will flat kill me, helmet or no. And a fall at 40+mph will take a lot of hide, and landing square on my head at that speed will likely see me do a permanent lights-out, as well (and high speed descents scare me, as I know that my lycra-clad form will lose in a battle with the pavement or one of our monstrous Oregon drainage ditches). But I wear a helmet whenever I ride. That styrofoam cooler on my head can prevent a serious headache, keep me from leaving a patch of scalp on the road if I lay it down and do the road rash thing, and might possibly save my life. I'm not simple enough to believe that the helmet is the be-all end-all of head protection (and head protection does not mitigate the only risk - a close friend almost lost his son to internal bleeding after a bike wreck, from the handlebar rupturing his spleen).
But whack your head, wearing a helmet, with a hammer handle. Now take the helmet off and repeat. Ouch. So to me the helmet is worth it.
And if I think you are <word I cannot type> for not wearing one, that's my opinion. Whether I think you are logical or not, that's my opinion. It is your head to leave uncovered, mine to cover.
And I am opposed to mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws. You do your thing - it isn't some legislature's job to save you from yourself no matter what the topic. The mandatory laws are usually based on saving the children - a favorite ploy of all lawmakers - and then they "logically" grow from there.
I recall hitting my head with a "breaker bar" when trying to cut up a large tree and remove the root ball (yes, you read it right, I hit MY own head). The iron bar weighs a good 40 pounds. It was amusing later in the afternoon to observe how far I was able to throw it in pain and frustration after it slipped and crowned me. Hurt like hades! Hurts just to think about it. Had a worn that simple, silly hardhat I have in my shop I might have strained my neck, but I wouldn't have had my eyes crossed by that cussed bar.
I wear a helmet because I don't care for pain. Well, htfu training pain is ok, but not impact pain. I realize a 5000 pound SUV will flat kill me, helmet or no. And a fall at 40+mph will take a lot of hide, and landing square on my head at that speed will likely see me do a permanent lights-out, as well (and high speed descents scare me, as I know that my lycra-clad form will lose in a battle with the pavement or one of our monstrous Oregon drainage ditches). But I wear a helmet whenever I ride. That styrofoam cooler on my head can prevent a serious headache, keep me from leaving a patch of scalp on the road if I lay it down and do the road rash thing, and might possibly save my life. I'm not simple enough to believe that the helmet is the be-all end-all of head protection (and head protection does not mitigate the only risk - a close friend almost lost his son to internal bleeding after a bike wreck, from the handlebar rupturing his spleen).
But whack your head, wearing a helmet, with a hammer handle. Now take the helmet off and repeat. Ouch. So to me the helmet is worth it.
And if I think you are <word I cannot type> for not wearing one, that's my opinion. Whether I think you are logical or not, that's my opinion. It is your head to leave uncovered, mine to cover.
And I am opposed to mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws. You do your thing - it isn't some legislature's job to save you from yourself no matter what the topic. The mandatory laws are usually based on saving the children - a favorite ploy of all lawmakers - and then they "logically" grow from there.
#255
Senior Member
Now my picture proves nothing just as Closetbiker's proves nothing but I offer it as just a balance to the idea that helmeted riders take more risks.
In fact, when one examines all of the evidence (and not just rely on personal experience) it seems the downsides of riding with helmets can (not does) outweigh the benefits of riding a bike. No one knows for sure why, but we do know that the theoretical benefits of using helmets hasn't appeared in real life results.
I was providing a contrasting point to The Chemist's post so he could hopefully understand a differing point of view.
I suggest that others look around at other cyclists and observe certain risky behaviors: no lights, running red lights, riding against traffic, sidewalk riding.
Last edited by closetbiker; 10-23-11 at 10:03 AM.
#256
Senior Member
Neither is:
A helmet subjected to forces by a motor vehicle at levels for which it was designed to mitigate damage to the wearer, should quite possibly effectively mitigate damage to the wearer as designed.
#257
Senior Member
"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"
#258
Senior Member
Maybe yes; maybe no. Is this an example that, in spite of the limited utility of helmets, some people are still dooshbags?
#259
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
How does cycling's almost zero compare with an industrial site's almost zero, a pedestrian's almost zero, or even a drunk driver's almost zero?
Does a goose egg count as an almost zero? Stitches? Concussion? Or coma?
Do you measure by miles ridden? Or by trips? Or by type of riding? Maybe age of rider or skill level?
A statistical analysis that has any meaning at all takes a bit of thought to devise. And all too often the "deviser" is devising in order to prove his/her point.
There is a dearth of reliable statistics on this topic - so to say "almost zero" has almost zero basis - we are almost reduced to anecdotal numbers or observations. In my life, I have known two cyclists to suffer head injuries. Certainly not statistics. But I know that I have crashed, my head has banged the ground, and my helmet has arguably prevented a headache. For the inconvenience, it is worth it to me. Apparently it is not worth it to you. But again, it is our decision - we get to make it based on our own opinion, since there really aren't any reliable numbers for us to make a decision.
#260
Senior Member
Nice try, though.
"In many legal cases I have studied where a cyclist was in collision with a motorised vehicle, the impact energy potentials were of a level that outstripped those that we use to certify Grand Prix motor racing helmets.... Whether they might be used to reduce head injuries inside motor vehicles is a moot point."
Your quote was based on forces in excess of what I specifically delineated. Not arguing in good faith, now, are we...? Tut, tut.
And for all y'all who say, "Well, if you wear a helmet on a bike, you should probably wear one in a car!", looks like the good director would beg to differ with your advice...
#261
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
I have to wear a hard hat where I work. That hat will likely never save my life - if someone drops a sledgehammer from a scaffold, and it hits me on the head, I will probably be sleeping in a box in the cool earth in about three days. However, if someone drops a screwdriver or pair of pliers from that two story height, I won't have the headache I would have. Did it save my life? No. Did it stave off a certain inury? Yes.
I recall hitting my head with a "breaker bar" when trying to cut up a large tree and remove the root ball (yes, you read it right, I hit MY own head). The iron bar weighs a good 40 pounds. It was amusing later in the afternoon to observe how far I was able to throw it in pain and frustration after it slipped and crowned me. Hurt like hades! Hurts just to think about it. Had a worn that simple, silly hardhat I have in my shop I might have strained my neck, but I wouldn't have had my eyes crossed by that cussed bar.
I wear a helmet because I don't care for pain. Well, htfu training pain is ok, but not impact pain. I realize a 5000 pound SUV will flat kill me, helmet or no. And a fall at 40+mph will take a lot of hide, and landing square on my head at that speed will likely see me do a permanent lights-out, as well (and high speed descents scare me, as I know that my lycra-clad form will lose in a battle with the pavement or one of our monstrous Oregon drainage ditches). But I wear a helmet whenever I ride. That styrofoam cooler on my head can prevent a serious headache, keep me from leaving a patch of scalp on the road if I lay it down and do the road rash thing, and might possibly save my life. I'm not simple enough to believe that the helmet is the be-all end-all of head protection (and head protection does not mitigate the only risk - a close friend almost lost his son to internal bleeding after a bike wreck, from the handlebar rupturing his spleen).
But whack your head, wearing a helmet, with a hammer handle. Now take the helmet off and repeat. Ouch. So to me the helmet is worth it.
And if I think you are <word I cannot type> for not wearing one, that's my opinion. Whether I think you are logical or not, that's my opinion. It is your head to leave uncovered, mine to cover.
And I am opposed to mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws. You do your thing - it isn't some legislature's job to save you from yourself no matter what the topic. The mandatory laws are usually based on saving the children - a favorite ploy of all lawmakers - and then they "logically" grow from there.
I recall hitting my head with a "breaker bar" when trying to cut up a large tree and remove the root ball (yes, you read it right, I hit MY own head). The iron bar weighs a good 40 pounds. It was amusing later in the afternoon to observe how far I was able to throw it in pain and frustration after it slipped and crowned me. Hurt like hades! Hurts just to think about it. Had a worn that simple, silly hardhat I have in my shop I might have strained my neck, but I wouldn't have had my eyes crossed by that cussed bar.
I wear a helmet because I don't care for pain. Well, htfu training pain is ok, but not impact pain. I realize a 5000 pound SUV will flat kill me, helmet or no. And a fall at 40+mph will take a lot of hide, and landing square on my head at that speed will likely see me do a permanent lights-out, as well (and high speed descents scare me, as I know that my lycra-clad form will lose in a battle with the pavement or one of our monstrous Oregon drainage ditches). But I wear a helmet whenever I ride. That styrofoam cooler on my head can prevent a serious headache, keep me from leaving a patch of scalp on the road if I lay it down and do the road rash thing, and might possibly save my life. I'm not simple enough to believe that the helmet is the be-all end-all of head protection (and head protection does not mitigate the only risk - a close friend almost lost his son to internal bleeding after a bike wreck, from the handlebar rupturing his spleen).
But whack your head, wearing a helmet, with a hammer handle. Now take the helmet off and repeat. Ouch. So to me the helmet is worth it.
And if I think you are <word I cannot type> for not wearing one, that's my opinion. Whether I think you are logical or not, that's my opinion. It is your head to leave uncovered, mine to cover.
And I am opposed to mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws. You do your thing - it isn't some legislature's job to save you from yourself no matter what the topic. The mandatory laws are usually based on saving the children - a favorite ploy of all lawmakers - and then they "logically" grow from there.
#262
Senior Member
How about another doctors opinion who sat on the Canadian Standards Association Committee establishing helmet standards?
Dr. Michael Schwartz, neurosurgeon said,
helmets will mitigate the effects of falling off your bicycle and striking your head . . . If a cyclist is accelerated by a car, then the helmet will not work and will not prevent a severe or even fatal injury.
#263
Senior Member
sure it is, and nice to see you place your expertise above the good doctors.
How about another doctors opinion who sat on the Canadian Standards Association Committee establishing helmet standards?
Dr. Michael Schwartz, neurosurgeon said, [blah, blah, something mconlonx agrees with]
I suppose you don't agree with him either?
How about another doctors opinion who sat on the Canadian Standards Association Committee establishing helmet standards?
Dr. Michael Schwartz, neurosurgeon said, [blah, blah, something mconlonx agrees with]
I suppose you don't agree with him either?
There's nothing you can glean from the source you cited to indicate helmet effectiveness when "...subjected to forces by a motor vehicle at levels for which it was designed to mitigate..."
So I do indeed tend to agree with and thus affirm the expertise of the good doctor in this matter, just that it has nothing to do with what I said. Which is dishonest on your part and does your cause no good when you argue in such demonstrably poor faith.
I do not disagree with your second source, either. But thanks for wording it like I disagree with first source, again, when I've already voiced my agreement in the post you're responding to.
#265
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Long Beach, Ca.
Posts: 591
Bikes: Raleigh Sojourn, '67 Raleigh Super Course, old Gary Fisher Mamba, and a generic Chinese folder
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
What is almost zero?
How does cycling's almost zero compare with an industrial site's almost zero, a pedestrian's almost zero, or even a drunk driver's almost zero?
Does a goose egg count as an almost zero? Stitches? Concussion? Or coma?
Do you measure by miles ridden? Or by trips? Or by type of riding? Maybe age of rider or skill level?
A statistical analysis that has any meaning at all takes a bit of thought to devise. And all too often the "deviser" is devising in order to prove his/her point.
There is a dearth of reliable statistics on this topic - so to say "almost zero" has almost zero basis - we are almost reduced to anecdotal numbers or observations. In my life, I have known two cyclists to suffer head injuries. Certainly not statistics. But I know that I have crashed, my head has banged the ground, and my helmet has arguably prevented a headache. For the inconvenience, it is worth it to me. Apparently it is not worth it to you. But again, it is our decision - we get to make it based on our own opinion, since there really aren't any reliable numbers for us to make a decision.
How does cycling's almost zero compare with an industrial site's almost zero, a pedestrian's almost zero, or even a drunk driver's almost zero?
Does a goose egg count as an almost zero? Stitches? Concussion? Or coma?
Do you measure by miles ridden? Or by trips? Or by type of riding? Maybe age of rider or skill level?
A statistical analysis that has any meaning at all takes a bit of thought to devise. And all too often the "deviser" is devising in order to prove his/her point.
There is a dearth of reliable statistics on this topic - so to say "almost zero" has almost zero basis - we are almost reduced to anecdotal numbers or observations. In my life, I have known two cyclists to suffer head injuries. Certainly not statistics. But I know that I have crashed, my head has banged the ground, and my helmet has arguably prevented a headache. For the inconvenience, it is worth it to me. Apparently it is not worth it to you. But again, it is our decision - we get to make it based on our own opinion, since there really aren't any reliable numbers for us to make a decision.
#266
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
Funny you use being a pedestrian as an example, because it is a good one. There are actually fewer head injuries for cyclists (and no, I'm not going to re-post every link here, either find it yourself or not...) then there are for pedestrians. Are you suggesting that pedestrians should wear helmets also? Oh, and I fully encourage you to find any reference to there being more head injuries for cyclists than there are, or at least were before hard hats, than in industry. Espescially construction. Please...and yes, there are reliable numbers, just follow any link here and you'll find them.
I am wearing a helmet. You may or may not, at your pleasure. And either one of us can get smacked by a Mac truck and the helmet is of course irrelevant. But my wearing my helmet isn't going to get me hurt, and it certainly won't hurt you (me wearing a helmet).
#267
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Long Beach, Ca.
Posts: 591
Bikes: Raleigh Sojourn, '67 Raleigh Super Course, old Gary Fisher Mamba, and a generic Chinese folder
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
HB, YOU are the one that made the almost zero statement. YOU get to support it if you wish. Again, I'm not trying to persuade, but apparently you are.
I am wearing a helmet. You may or may not, at your pleasure. And either one of us can get smacked by a Mac truck and the helmet is of course irrelevant. But my wearing my helmet isn't going to get me hurt, and it certainly won't hurt you (me wearing a helmet).
I am wearing a helmet. You may or may not, at your pleasure. And either one of us can get smacked by a Mac truck and the helmet is of course irrelevant. But my wearing my helmet isn't going to get me hurt, and it certainly won't hurt you (me wearing a helmet).
#268
Senior Member
it has nothing to do with what I said.
Heck, even the bhsi says the most important thing is to avoid collisions with motor vehicles because collisions with them exceed the limits of a helmet
Last edited by closetbiker; 10-23-11 at 10:31 PM.
#269
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
Cyclist who had helmet STOLEN, fighting for her life !
*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/
Originally Posted by Bournemouth Daily Echo
8:10am Monday 24th October 2011 By Katie Clark
Lindsi Bluemel fighting for life after Wessex Way crash
A PROMINENT cycling campaigner whose helmet was stolen two days ago is fighting for life after a freak accident on the Wessex Way, Bournemouth, on Sunday morning.
Lindsi Bluemel, 56, from Southampton was riding along the cycle lane of the westbound carriageway of the A338 around 9.15am on Sunday when the incident took place.
She had just passed under the Springbourne flyover and was riding uphill towards the on slip road when she tried to ride over a five-metre long piece of UPVC plastic measuring 20mm by 15mm, which was lying diagonally across the cycle lane.
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.
Witnesses stopped and gave first aid before an ambulance took her to Poole Hospital with life-threatening head injuries.
She is currently in a critical but stable condition. Her family has been informed.
Mrs Bluemel, who is an experienced cyclist, had her helmet stolen a couple of days ago.
She had not yet replaced it and was not wearing one at the time of the accident, the Dorset police spokesperson added.
As part of her work with the Southampton Cycling Campaign, Mrs Bluemel has called for roads to be made safer in the city alongside other improvements for cyclists.
Police closed the road underneath the Springbourne flyover while they investigated the incident.
The road was closed for more than two hours although the closure did not cause significant delays.
Witnesses should contact PC Brehmer on the non-emergency 101 number if they have any information.
Lindsi Bluemel fighting for life after Wessex Way crash
A PROMINENT cycling campaigner whose helmet was stolen two days ago is fighting for life after a freak accident on the Wessex Way, Bournemouth, on Sunday morning.
Lindsi Bluemel, 56, from Southampton was riding along the cycle lane of the westbound carriageway of the A338 around 9.15am on Sunday when the incident took place.
She had just passed under the Springbourne flyover and was riding uphill towards the on slip road when she tried to ride over a five-metre long piece of UPVC plastic measuring 20mm by 15mm, which was lying diagonally across the cycle lane.
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.
Witnesses stopped and gave first aid before an ambulance took her to Poole Hospital with life-threatening head injuries.
She is currently in a critical but stable condition. Her family has been informed.
Mrs Bluemel, who is an experienced cyclist, had her helmet stolen a couple of days ago.
She had not yet replaced it and was not wearing one at the time of the accident, the Dorset police spokesperson added.
As part of her work with the Southampton Cycling Campaign, Mrs Bluemel has called for roads to be made safer in the city alongside other improvements for cyclists.
Police closed the road underneath the Springbourne flyover while they investigated the incident.
The road was closed for more than two hours although the closure did not cause significant delays.
Witnesses should contact PC Brehmer on the non-emergency 101 number if they have any information.
#270
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Boston Area
Posts: 1,998
Bikes: Univega Gran Turismo, Guerciotti, Bridgestone MB2, Bike Friday New World Tourist, Serotta Ti
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
If Ms. Bluemel herself had believed that a helmet was such a critical piece of equipment, why didn't she get a replacement? It's not like her helmet was stolen two minutes before she rode her bike.
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
#271
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
If Ms. Bluemel herself had believed that a helmet was such a critical piece of equipment, why didn't she get a replacement? It's not like her helmet was stolen two minutes before she rode her bike.
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
#272
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 1,144
Bikes: Schwinn Tourist (2010), Trek 6000 (1999)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
If Ms. Bluemel herself had believed that a helmet was such a critical piece of equipment, why didn't she get a replacement? It's not like her helmet was stolen two minutes before she rode her bike.
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
#273
24-Speed Machine
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Wash. Grove, MD
Posts: 6,058
Bikes: 2003 Specialized Allez 24-Speed Road Bike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
If Ms. Bluemel herself had believed that a helmet was such a critical piece of equipment, why didn't she get a replacement? It's not like her helmet was stolen two minutes before she rode her bike.
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
The answer to your specific question is that it is impossible to know what difference it would have made.
Speedo
Also, Why did she try to ride over the pipe in the first place.
#274
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lincoln Ne
Posts: 9,924
Bikes: RANS Stratus TerraTrike Tour II
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3352 Post(s)
Liked 1,054 Times
in
634 Posts
The vaguely hidden assumption here is it is her fault for not wearing a helmet. However since it was just her and her bike, a helmet surely would have mitagated her injury.
Also there is not enough information to make a logial judgement. She may have already have ordered a helmet from an internet store, and was waiting for it to come in.
Also there is not enough information to make a logial judgement. She may have already have ordered a helmet from an internet store, and was waiting for it to come in.
#275
Senior Member
The newest installment of the helmet thread started off with this moderator comment
I tend to agree with Speedo
because there have been plenty of helmet wearing cyclists who are severely injured wearing helmets. While some case controlled studies have shown they have reduced injury (and others that show they haven't), real life records show there is no clear indication wearing them have helped reduce injury.
The premise of the article implies a helmet would have reduced injury. It runs against the research.
There's that too, and one of the big problems of focusing on helmet use. Prevention takes a back seat to mitigation. The cyclist would have been completely injury free had she not run over the pipe to begin with