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
#5301
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#5302
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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.
#5304
Senior Member
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.
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.
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#5306
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Just wondering----------------has anyone here been convinced by the anti helmet cult not to wear a helmet?
#5307
Senior Member
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.
#5308
Senior Member
I'm leaning on figures posted by Proileri from a quoted study in #5085.
#5309
Senior Member
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!
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...sh-4542548.php
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...sh-4542548.php
#5310
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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...
#5311
Cycle Year Round
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!
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...sh-4542548.php
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...sh-4542548.php
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#5312
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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.
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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.
#5314
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#5315
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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.
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.
Last edited by Kidballistic; 05-24-13 at 12:29 PM. Reason: cause I wanted to
#5317
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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."
#5318
Senior Member
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."
"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...
#5319
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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."
Last edited by Kidballistic; 05-24-13 at 07:15 PM. Reason: cause I wanted to
#5320
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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."
#5321
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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.
#5322
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"The claims that helmets reduce head injuries by 85% and brain injuries by 88% come only from this source, yet are quoted widely as fact. For example, a policy statement on bicycle helmets by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2001 states: 'The bicycle helmet is a very effective device that can prevent the occurrence of up to 88% of serious brain injuries.'”
[...]
"The most serious criticism concerns the considerable differences between the two main groups of cyclists upon which the research is based. Case-control studies are valid only if the 'control' group is representative of the population at risk (the cyclists who might suffer head injuries)."
"As well as having a helmet wearing rate 7 times that of the cyclists riding round Seattle, the ‘community control’ group came from higher income households and had parents with higher educational levels. The observational survey of child cyclists riding in Seattle found that helmet wearers were predominantly white, middle class, riding with their parents in parks, whereas the non-wearers were more often black or other races riding alone on busy city streets. The risk profile of these two groups would be quite different."
[...]
"Although the authors call odds ratios “percentage reductions in risk”, it is more informative to use risk ratios (RR) = %HIH / %HIN where %HIH and %HIN are the percentages of helmeted and non-helmeted cyclists with head injuries. TRT89 reported data for cyclists attending the emergency department for non-head injuries. For this group, which can be considered as an alternative control, the risk ratio was 0.36, suggesting that helmets prevented 64% of head injuries.
McDermott, Lane, Brazenore and Debney, 1993 obtained more information and reported numbers of head injuries excluding forehead lacerations in the TRT89 study. The risk ratio excluding forehead lacerations was 0.39, a small reduction in the estimated benefit of helmets.
McDermott’s data on hospital admissions also illustrates the folly of labelling odds ratios as risk ratios. 28.6% of adult cyclists who wore helmets still had head injuries. If helmets prevented 85% of head injuries, an impossible 191% of non-helmeted cyclists would have head injuries. The actual figure (38%) was higher than for helmet wearers, but the difference due to helmet wearing was not statistically significant. (McDermott, Lane, Brazenore and Debney, 1993)"
[...]
"The authors reported only 3 age categories: <15, 15-24 and 25+. However, a subsequent analysis of a subset of the same data (Thompson, Thompson and Rivara, 1990) showed that 83% of children aged 0-4 suffered head injury, compared to 42% of 5-9 year olds and 23% of 10-14 year olds. Such large differences suggest that age adjustment in the original study may have been inadequate and hence the conclusions invalid."
Last edited by sudo bike; 05-25-13 at 02:08 AM.
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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.
#5324
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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.
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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.
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.
Last edited by SwampDude; 05-25-13 at 12:08 PM. Reason: Spelling