Well, I ride 25 miles a day commuting about 220 days a year. I run over 5000 miles per year so I guess my helmets should be good for 15000 to 25000 miles per your estimate. Also I don't subject my helmets to much UV exposure since I ride in the dark for about half the year.

Airbags go off in a car at impacts above 12 mph. I think you are skipping a lot of crash dynamics variables in dismissing an 18 mph crash as soft.

I know of a person who crashed a motocycle at 75 mph and was unhurt. He mostly slid (in leathers) and dissipated all of the energy in sliding.

In my crash I didn't slide at all. I have zero road rash because I stopped completely in one solid SLAM into the pavement. I dissipated my entire 18mph energy in my left hip and thigh plus my helmet. Try riding your bike into a brick wall at 18 mph and let me know how you fair.

Thanks to everyone's comments and well wishes. I started taking 800mg/8 hours Ibuprofen right after the wreck and I'm down to 200mg/8 hours now with reduced swelling and pain. I think I will be back on the bike next week.

Glad to hear you're ok.

And this is why we wear helmets! Having 'tested' the effectiveness of mine a few years ago (and finding them to be remarkably effective) I'll never ride without wearing one again. Glad yours did its job!

One way to look at it: The force will be the same no matter how you fall, what you can decrease is the pressure.

Pressure = Force / Area

For the same force, landing on just your wrist = small area = large pressure = ouch. Landing on a bigger cross-section of your body, say your whole side or leg or forearm = larger area = lower pressure = less ouch. i.e. punching someone, and then grabbing a tootsie pop with the stick pointed out between your fingers and punching them again.


Another way to look at it: You could increase the time it takes you to stop by skidding/rolling instead of trying to stop yourself immediately by bracing with your hands/feet/etc.

Force x time = change in momentum

In either case your change in momentum is the same, riding to stopping, but if you increase the time it takes you to stop, the force needed to stop you is less. i.e. an airbag vs. the steering wheel or a safety net vs. the ground.

Glad you're OK. Now you get to go shopping!

That's awesome.

Now this is a high side http://www.livevideo.com/video/embed...nzo-crash.aspx

When ever I hear people talk about how they don't need to wear a helmet I just can't understand it. When you go down you go sooooo fast there is no time to think at all.

Yes, that was exactly how I went down, except I was not moving 100 mph of course, and so instread of being thrown like that I was just pitched over.