For those who like facts, start at the beginning. Bicycle helmet safety standards and stats from federal agencies. I haven't seen these posted recently, so during this lull in the flame war I thought I'd post a few links.

A Comparison of Bicycle Helmet Standards summarizes a bunch of the different standards

1995 STANDARD FOR PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR For Use With Bicycles detailed Snell Standard

2015 STANDARD FOR PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR For Use with Motorcycles and Other Motorized Vehicles if you really want to compare with motorcycle helmets.

Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute Bicycle Helmets for the 2015 Season a LOT of information about current helmets

Injury Prevention & Control: Traumatic Brain Injury links to TBI related data and statistics from the CDC

TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS 2012 Data National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, injury and fatality statistics for bicycling.

FARS data tables, Pedalcyclists from NHTSA detailed fatality stats.

Enjoy.

I, like many participants here, have spent years reading (and arguing about) every bicycle helmet study available. I know that does not meet the standards for your formal helmetology degree, but it is far more than the average MD has done. I also was a paramedic at one time, and saw firsthand the severe limitations of bicycle helmets.

Re. "undermining" the goal of fewer brain injuries, do you truly believe anyone is trying to do that here?

Well, Bill, perhaps you'll enlighten us as to how much training the average medical doctor is given, in medical school, WRT bicycle helmet effectiveness?

It remains that there are "studies" generally undertaken by someone or a group that are out to prove what they "know" is right. Then there are people that report real world accidents where a helmet mitigated or helped prevent injury. Simply put there is theory and then there is reality. I find it amazing how many here argue against reality.

I've read all the posts in this thread. As far as I can tell, nobody is forcing you to act against your reality. If you believe you need to wear a helmet, I don't think anyone is against that. By the same token, each person has the right to act according to his/her own experience (or "reality"). If that means someone decides to not wear a helmet while riding, it should be up to him/her, too.

My reality is that in decades of riding and racing I have never fallen and struck my head or helmet. Not once.

So why should your reality convince me that my reality is not valid?

Yea, i am all for people wearing helmets that want to. I dont feel any safer wearing one, ride 5000 miles a year and never wore one cept when it is required.. I look at the Amsterdam experience where 70% of the population ride bikes and almost no body wears a helmet.

All the name calling and disparaging remarks seem to come from the advocates of helmets, that cant see any other point of view cept their own.

Reality is kind of like when I was a computer tech. There are hard drives in computers, and as I told my customers that didnt like to back up their information------------there are two kinds of hard drives those that have crashed, and those that will. It is the same with cycling there are those that havent crashed, and those that will. You never know when it will happen, so be prepared and wear a helmet. When it comes to crashes, never say never.

You seem to be the type that won't take any chance, no matter how small it may be. OTOH, I'm sure there are others who are willing to take a risk as long as it is small enough by their judgment, and as long as the consequence isn't significant.

Well, there seems to be a third kind: The ones who can't seem to stop crashing and land on their heads all the time. Again, your "reality" is not a good argument for making other people wear helmes.

You're the one who made stuff up. It must be such a burden to be so competent and live in a world of incompetent cyclists and incompetent doctors and incompetent....

-mr. bill

six

Granted there are all levels of ability in bike riders. However I think you would have to agree that professional riders that ride in international races must be highest on the food chain of cyclist. Yet------------you see crashes all the time, and on occasion racers have been killed. Who here that claim they are some of the worlds greatest bike handlers claim they are better than an international bike racer? And yet they wear helmets.

Let me pararephrase that: Simply put, there is science and there is anecdote. I find it amazing how many people here argue against science in favor of anecdote.

And yet hard drives crashing are a very, very infrequent occurrence. Like bicycle crashes. And in the unlikely event that you crash on your bicycle, it is even more unlikely that you will end up hitting your head. And even if you do happen to crash your bike (unlikely), and hit your head (even more unlikely), your helmet may or may not do anything for you, depending on the circumstances of your crash and headstrike.

So full of fail...: There's a difference between racers and ordinary riders, one which leads to more crashes and more severity of injury during races. I have yet to see anyone on this thread or other Helmet Threads claim they are better bike handlers than pro racers. But what's awesome about your post? "You see crashes all the time, and on occasion racers have been killed... And yet they wear helmets."

mcon

Science includes gravity. Gravity is what may put your head on the ground. It is better with a helmet.

By the same token, gravity may put your knees and elbows on the ground. It is better with knee/elbow protectors, no?

Here's some recent science for you from The Netherlands:

http://www.swov.nl/rapport/Factsheet...le_helmets.pdf

Which seems to show the relative effectiveness of bicycle helmets in bicycle-only and bicycle-to-bicycle accidents. I don't think anyone disputes that.

There are equal sections on MV and non-MV collisions.

Cycling in the Netherlands is extremely convenient and safe, and the architect of this goodness, the Fietsersbond, happens to be vehemently against cycling helmets and the promotion thereoff. So we're not talking about some neurosurgeon who heard some regurgitated nonsense about the magical properties of polystyrene, we're talking about world class experts in cycling safety who really know what they're talking about:

Helmets make cycling less safe, says Dutch cycling union - DutchNews.nl

daihard, it also has some information about bicycle-car crashes. Interesting to me, about half of the serious injuries in bike-car collisions involved a head/brain injury. About half did not.

Six Jours might be pleased to note that the "risk factor" in car-bike collisions, when multiple injuries are considered, is only 0.18 higher when not wearing a helmet. It's only 157 of those injuries per billion kilometers however, so it's easy to understand why the Netherlands riders aren't that gung-ho on wearing helmets.

1) This overview of helmet use relies a lot on the 2011 Elvik study -- unsure where Helmet Thread ended up regarding the legitimacy of this study.
2) The Elvik study indicates that while helmet use may reduce head/brain injury, it is only by a factor of 1.72 -- people who wear helmets still have every chance of sustaining the same kind of head/brain injury they wear helmets to prevent.
3) SWOV study also cites that majority of cycling injury, specifically head/brain injury is sustained by youth, not adult riders.
4) SWOV study also cites other studies indicating that mandatory helmet use decreases ridership and that those who wear helmets tend to ride less safe.

Science is fine, but where bicycle helmets are concerned, supports various arguments from both sides, does not offer a definitive answer.

I still maintain that any "study" is terribly flawed since is DOES NOT include all accidents. I suggest that in far more than 50% of the accidents that happen, where the person was saved from injury by a helmet ARE NOT reported. Why would anyone report------------I was not hurt to day!!!!! That was they way it was when I was hit.

That translates to about one such injury per 7254,5 years cycling for the average Dutch person. I think I'll take my chances....

Thanks for your reply. I did see mentions of the bicycle-car accidents, just not as the main focus of the study.

I think whether or not to wear a bicycle helmet comes mainly down to risk assessment. I can understand how one decides not to wear one based on the risk factors outlined in this study.

And with the risk factor being only 0.18 higher, bike helmets sure don't seem to be very effective when it comes to car-bike accidents. :)