JanMM

Hey! All of a sudden we're in A & S. Cool!

2 Piece

I replied to this thread when it was actually another thread and not part "this helmet thread 2" In post 1227 the op ask "My question is this, Is their any merit to the horror stories i hear about wearing helmets? Most notably the stories about someone getting their spinal column damaged at the neck?" My response was in post 1235 "I would like to ask all those who have had a big crash and the helmet saved your "life", what caused the crash in the first place? A helmet is no substitute for good riding skills." And low an behold the responses were IMO crazy, like "does it really matter why it happened" or "cause of accident discussion is basically irrelevant" I can see it now, the next jumbo jet crash kills a bunch of people and they say don't worry about finding the cause of the accident, maybe it will not happen again.
A helmet is a safety device. You wear one to help protect your self from unforeseen circumstances. But the most important safety device you already have (for most people) is inside the helmet (brain), when used Properly. No helmet is going to save you from making Bad decisions. If you can not learn, or Accept Responsibility, from what caused you to have the crash in the first place, you will have another one. Just like that video link in post 1261, it suppose to show that "accidents" happen. Well, to me it shows a guy in a testosterone filled pace line going to fast to control his "vehicle" (bicycle). Notice the rider in front did not hit the objects in the road, nor did any of the other riders, nor did any of the others hit the fallen cyclist. It only takes a split second, and the faster you are going the less of a split second you have.
I never meant to condone, justify the use or non use of a helmet. I just want cyclist to understand that when they ride in a manner that they can maintain full control of their bicycle they will probably stop having "accidents" in which they 'use" a helmet.
I would recommend that anyone interested do a web search on the subject. Very interesting studies. One of them shows that the USA has the largest helmet use and also has the most head neck injuries per country.
Please, next time you post a helmet saved me in a crash story, please take a good brutal evaluation of the incident and post that along with your story. Everyone gets to learn that away.
Piece out, be safe.

CarinusMalmari

Bicycle helmets are more like meat cleavers and bears. It's sure better than nothing in case you encounter a bear, but there is no reason to believe it's going to be terribly effective, so it's best to avoid bears altogether.

CarinusMalmari

There's also lots of stories about Dead Magical Carpenters saving lives, and none about Dead Magical Carpenters causing injury. Still I think Christianity is a steaming pile of BS.

Plus, in the Netherlands where basically everyone cycles without a helmet, cycling crashes are seen as inconvenient and embarrassing, but otherwise as mostly harmless, because people usually walk away from them without much in the way of injuries. This sort of implies that most of those AHSML stories are BS too, As in, people would have been just fine without their helmets.

CarinusMalmari

An awful lot of AHSML stories start out with "I was doing something stupid, risky and/or completely avoidable" and end with "the helmet saved my life". Even lots of the example given in the last few days are in that basic format. Many helmeteers seem to be as oblivious to basic cycling safety as their patron saint Chris Bucherre.

mconlonx

Wherever this other thread started or came from, there is quite a bit of fail in it. Would urge those interested to read the first half dozen or so pages of The Helmet Thread 2 to get the gist of what's up with helmets.

Tl;dr?
- Helmets are not a magic safety device, most of the opinions about "a helmet saved my life/saved me from [injury]/trauma Dr. said" are spurious and unfounded.
- Latest research seems to indicate that they do help mitigate some injury, but the more severe the injury, the less a helmet provides useful mitigation.
- Cycling is largely and routinely a safe activity, and helmets will only help with safety in the rare event that you crash, and the even rarer event that such a crash involves a head-strike in an area of the head protected by a helmet.
- Risk mitigation is still debatable, but the one study inconclusively indicated that those who usually do not wear a helmet don't ride riskier with one, but that those who regularly wear a helmet ride safer when they are not wearing one.

Wear one if it makes you feel better or are swayed by arguments for wearing helmets (I wear a helmet most of the times I ride), or go without, at your own discretion. Just don't be preachy about it, either way.

YouthInAsia

Amen. Agreed. And I'm a wretch of a man dependent solely on the grace of God. But I still think most of these bicycle helmets look stupid.

Most people on this thread talk a lot about safety and prevention. And I'm in favor of safety and prevention. But I'm also willing to take a certain amount of risk for the sake of enjoyment and adventure. Probably a little more than most. Perhaps I'm an urban rider with a downhiller's mentality. Helmet 9 times out of 10. Fun 10 times out of 10. Craziness sometimes.

350htrr

Yes, Yes, Yes... But the fact remains that this thread exists not just because some people say MHSML (my helmet saved my life) today... Other people say HAU (helmets are useless), and even cause harm... And I won't get into an accident cause I'm such a good and careful rider and people who keep having accident are lousy riders...

rydabent

350

Yeah sure. Look at any sport, the number one person in any sport no matter how good they are get into accidents and get killed. Ever heard of Jim Clark???

mconlonx

You mean the race car driver who died of a broken neck and fractured skull even though he was wearing a helmet at the time...?

gpburdell

It amazes me how some people get all wrapped up in what they think other people ought to be doing. Even more amazing are the stretches of pseudo-logic some will go to in order to try to convince others to their way of thinking.

It's almost as if some people need some sort of affirmation of their decision and feel rejection if another person chooses differently. Reminds me of the running-with-headphones debates.

Want to wear a helmet? Go for it.
Don't want to wear a helmet? Great. Knock yourself out.

I-Like-To-Bike

If only he had been riding a recumbent on a lonely road like this hip dude! Nothing like comparing grapes to watermelons, eh?

Garfield Cat

Come to think about it, I put eyeglasses in the "looks stupid" category. Its just I'm so accustomed to it. That includes sunglasses. Frames are now a fashion business. Helmets became the same.

CarinusMalmari

Meanwhile in the real world, it's not the people who ride without helmets who demand conformity. That's not even the case in the Netherlands where not wearing a bicycle helmet is the norm. And while the bare headed are often thought of as being superficial, it isn't them who wear a hat that is a compromise between safety and most of the superficial motives they accuse the bare-headed of.

rydabent

Like it or not, this is how the public views cyclist. In this mornings Lincoln Journal Star, there is a report of a cycle accident. The cyclist is in the hospital in critical condition. The report states he went over the handle bars and landed on his head. The last sentence states "the rider was not wearing a helmet". That people is tanamount to saying the cyclist was stupid for not wearing a helmet. It indicates he may be in a lot better shape if he had worn a helmet, that that is probably true.

CarinusMalmari

The public in the English speaking world, where basically everyone hates cyclists, views it that way. In places where cycling didn't utterly fail, which is in most other places, helmet shaming is a lot less popular.

2 Piece

+1!

Yankeetowner

Four weeks ago right about now I crashed. I don't know how, and I don't know why. In fact, In fact my last memory is nearly 24 hours before the accident and my next memory is over 24 hours after the accident. I heard I was unconscious for 4-10 minutes and then incoherent. I'm told a helicopter landed and took me to a trauma center. The right front side of my helmet is crushed and deformed. I apparently wasn't able to lift my head to keep it from impacting. My right ankle, knee, elbow, and shoulder have road rash...two broken ribs in area where my right elbow would have pushed against my side. There was no damage to my right hand or glove (later found my glove with my cut off Assos bibs and jersey). I apparently never put my right hand out to break my fall. I currently have memory, cognitive problems, and dizziness problems. Since I don't have anything to compare my fall to, I can't say that the helmet saved my life. I can't even truthfully say that my injuries would have been lessened. However, given the choice between my head hitting the pavement with a helmet versus without a helmet...I am very thankful I was wearing a helmet. Once the dizziness stops and my bike frame is replaced I will, of necessity, buy a new helmet, and I don't care what it looks like or costs, but I want quality and I will always wear it when riding. I don't think the government should tell adults to wear helmets. Everyone is responsible for themselves. But choices have consequences so people should consider the possible consequences in their decision making process.

SynapseRider

My father wrecked his bike today, while not wearing his helmet. Wear your helmet!

CafeVelo

I hope he's ok! I always tell people that I can speak clearly because I was wearing a helmet. In today's group ride someone went down because the road narrows without any markings that it does. Because she was wearing a helmet she finished the ride rather than went to the hospital.

SynapseRider

Thx, he will live just hard headed, but not enough..

a1penguin

Ouch. I hope he is OK. That looks painful.

Tiglath

Helmets are a religious question, it appears. I don't understand why. As I reminder, I keep a cracked helmet from an accident I had a couple of years ago where I got hit by a hit-and-run drunk driver on a bike path. If not for the helmet I would have had to relearn the alphabet, probably, if had made it at all. My daughter fell without a helmet and had years of bad problems due to the concussion, and my wife still won't wear a helmet. And so with many other folks. It's sad how some people are incapable of learning from other people's experiences. I understand how motorbike helmets are hard to wear and bear, but a bicycle helmet sort of disappears after a while and you don't feel it any more.

cale

Did he meet any cute nurses? He looks like he once was a good looking fellow. (Don't tell him I said that.)

Seriously though, hope he's okay. My skiing buddy did the same thing to his head in the same place. Funny thing about helmets, I worn them on the road since the 80's and I only started wearing a ski helmet in the past five years.

SnowCYYCling

I still remember the grinding noise of my helmet two years ago when I target fixated and ate shet. Would have been two-face if it wasn't for the helmet.