[rgordin]

From the NY Times today:

"For example, about 90 percent of bicyclists killed in the United States in 2009 were not wearing helmets. A majority were middle-aged men."

 

[InfiniteLoop]

How many of those cycling head injuries would have been prevented by wearing a helmet? Likely about zero. Foam cycling helmets do not appear to be effective at forces great enough to cause brain injury. Not only do these helmets not prevent neck injuries which lead to brain injuries, but they may well increase incidents of neck injuries.

 

[mjduct]

if you hit a car... nothings going to really help you.

If you crash on your own a helmet will help alot.

Simple physics, look at your sub200 gram weight weenie road helment and compare it to a full face DOT approved motorcycle helmet

 

[bayAreaDude]

How many of those cycling head injuries would have been prevented by wearing a helmet? Likely about zero. Foam cycling helmets do not appear to be effective at forces great enough to cause brain injury. Not only do these helmets not prevent neck injuries which lead to brain injuries, but they may well increase incidents of neck injuries.

Any facts to support this declaration?

 

[OldChipper]

Per a recent article in one of the cycling rags, helmets have done a LOT to prevent deaths. Not so much with concussions and other non-fatal brain injuries. This is due to a number of factors including liability concerns and industry inertia. There are some interesting designs soon to hit the market that address reducing concussions and spine injuries however.

 

[wagg]

here we go.

 

[rgordin]

How many of those cycling head injuries would have been prevented by wearing a helmet? Likely about zero. Foam cycling helmets do not appear to be effective at forces great enough to cause brain injury. Not only do these helmets not prevent neck injuries which lead to brain injuries, but they may well increase incidents of neck injuries.

Nice to have opinions.

 

[rkdvsm]

What I don't understand is all this judgment against people who choose not to wear a helmet. It might surprise you, but it's not illegal to not wear a helmet when riding your bike.

However in many states, it is legally required for people to use a bell, lights, reflectors, and quite possibly mirrors. Using all these can actually help prevent an accident while a helmet can protect your head once an accident is already in progress.

Don't get me wrong, I wear a helmet when I ride, but I'd much rather stop an accident from occurring in the first place using bells, mirrors, lights, and reflectors.

I just think it's ironic that the people who are committing illegal acts (not using a bell, lights, reflectors, mirrors, etc.) are judging people who are doing completely legal things (not wearing a helmet).

 

[bayAreaDude]

What I don't understand is all this judgment against people who choose not to wear a helmet. It might surprise you, but it's not illegal to not wear a helmet when riding your bike.

However in many states, it is legally required for people to use a bell, lights, reflectors, and quite possibly mirrors. Using all these can actually help prevent an accident while a helmet can protect your head once an accident is already in progress.

Don't get me wrong, I wear a helmet when I ride, but I'd much rather stop an accident from occurring in the first place using bells, mirrors, lights, and reflectors.

I just think it's ironic that the people who are committing illegal acts (not using a bell, lights, reflectors, mirrors, etc.) are judging people who are doing completely legal things (not wearing a helmet).

In many states sodomy is illegal. Common sense and the law only occasionally overlap. Next time i get a blowout going 40 down a mountain it's not my bell that's going to help me.

 

[rkdvsm]

Next time i get a blowout going 40 down a mountain it's not my bell that's going to help me.

I agree with that. Again, I am an advocate of helmet use, but I just won't look down on people who ride without one like some of the comments that I saw here.

Do helmets really keep cyclists safer? | Grist

But there are many more cases where cyclists could have avoided collisions with pedestrians and other cyclists if they slowed down when approaching and used a bell. How often do you approach pedestrians and resort to yelling "ON YOUR LEFT!". How often do you have a tire blowout going 40mph? Wear a helmet. Use a bell. They both work. Don't worry about the weight gain and aerodynamic loss. Your safety is priority.

 

[tednugent]

From the NY Times today:

"For example, about 90 percent of bicyclists killed in the United States in 2009 were not wearing helmets. A majority were middle-aged men."

Suprised Bloomberg has not made a law forcing everyone to wear a helmet yet....

I wonder if those against hearing helmets, actually don't wear a helmet when they ride?

 

[JCavilia]

In many states sodomy is illegal.

Not that it's relevant, but that statement hasn't been true since the Supreme Court decided Lawrence v. Texas 10 years ago.

 

[tednugent]

How many of those cycling head injuries would have been prevented by wearing a helmet? Likely about zero. Foam cycling helmets do not appear to be effective at forces great enough to cause brain injury. Not only do these helmets not prevent neck injuries which lead to brain injuries, but they may well increase incidents of neck injuries.

This is written so broad...

So do you mean if they were wearing helmets, how many fatal head/brain injuries would have become non-fatal?

Yes, a thin foam helmet doesn't do too much in terms of preventing a concussion, unless the foam was softer and 100x thicker to provide a suitable "crumple zone".

but... would these guys be better off not wearing a helmet?

ANd.... my cracked helmet from going over the bars and hitting concrete disagrees with the anti-helmet crowd.

 

[rkdvsm]

Suprised Bloomberg has not made a law forcing everyone to wear a helmet yet....

I wonder if those against hearing helmets, actually don't wear a helmet when they ride?

Speaking for myself, I believe that it's up to the individual to decide for themselves whether or not they want to wear a helmet. So I'm not for it nor am I against it. As for myself, I always ride with one.

With that said, I also use all the other safety equipments that will help me NOT to get into an accident in the first place.

If Bloomberg enforces cyclists to wear helmets, he better do the same with bells, lights, reflectors, and mirrors.

You don't know how many times I crossed the GWB on foot to have a cyclist zip by me yelling "ON YOUR LEFT!" or ride by without using a headlight. Scared the crap out of me. I always appreciate the few who did.

 

[canuckjgc]

Helmets save lives and prevent injuries, it's just a fact proven time and again.

But if you don't want to wear one (if the law allows), then don't wear one, and we (in Canada at least) will pick-up the tab for your head injuries and rehabilitation, because that's the price of living in a free country. We also pick-up the tab for the smokers and the KFC eaters and that's the way it should be - I'm not a fan of the government dictating a lifestyle. And I'm not so cruel to have each health issue judged to see if it is worthy of public assistance or not.

 

[tednugent]

Speaking for myself, I believe that it's up to the individual to decide for themselves whether or not they want to wear a helmet. So I'm not for it nor am I against it. As for myself, I always ride with one.

With that said, I also use all the other safety equipments that will help me NOT to get into an accident in the first place.

If Bloomberg enforces cyclists to wear helmets, he better do the same with bells, lights, reflectors, and mirrors.

You don't know how many times I crossed the GWB on foot to have a cyclist zip by me yelling "ON YOUR LEFT!" or ride by without using a headlight. Scared the crap out of me. I always appreciate the few who did.

What grinds my gears over there on the GWB and on the East side MUT.... all the joggers and cyclists wearing headphones. You can scream all you want... but they can't hear you.

 

[rkdvsm]

This is written so broad...

So do you mean if they were wearing helmets, how many fatal head/brain injuries would have become non-fatal?

Yes, a thin foam helmet doesn't do too much in terms of preventing a concussion, unless the foam was softer and 100x thicker to provide a suitable "crumple zone".

but... would these guys be better off not wearing a helmet?

ANd.... my cracked helmet from going over the bars and hitting concrete disagrees with the anti-helmet crowd.

You have to be careful with this line of reasoning. To address your comment, I would say you are 100%, totally correct. Of course these cyclists brains would have been damaged if they were not wearing a helmet. Needless to say, they may have died. A bell, lights, reflectors, and mirrors would have been utterly useless.

However, how often does this kind of accident occur? How often do people smack their head on the ground like that?

When I am riding my bike or walking in my neighborhood (or on the narrow GW bridge path), I am shocked when a cyclist ride at night without lights or reflectors. It is so easy for me or, worse yet, a driver to miss these cyclists. I am also amazed at how fast some of them zip past pedestrians. Cyclists need to slow down even if it's breaks their momentum. I know some cyclists are in training, but using the GW bridge or any path with other non-racing cyclists and pedestrians as your training ground is just outright disrespectful. Keep in mind that yelling "ON YOUR LEFT!" or using a bell is pointless if the pedestrian/cyclist is listening to music in their headphones. So please slow down.

Am I suggesting that cyclists not wear helmets? Of course not. Wear one, but slow down, use a bell, lights, mirrors, reflectors. Consideration of safety goes beyond just wearing a helmet.

 

[tednugent]

You have to be careful with this line of reasoning. To address your comment, I would say you are 100%, totally correct. Of course these cyclists brains would have been damaged if they were not wearing a helmet. Needless to say, they may have died. A bell, lights, reflectors, and mirrors would have been utterly useless.

However, how often does this kind of accident occur? How often do people smack their head on the ground like that?

When I am riding my bike or walking in my neighborhood (or on the narrow GW bridge path), I am shocked when a cyclist ride at night without lights or reflectors. It is so easy for me or, worse yet, a driver to miss these cyclists. I am also amazed at how fast some of them zip past pedestrians. I know some cyclists are in training, but using the GW bridge or any path with other non-racing cyclists and pedestrians is just outright disrespectful. Keep in mind that yelling "ON YOUR LEFT!" or using a bell is pointless if the pedestrian/cyclist is listening to music in their headphones. So please slow down.

Am I suggesting that cyclists not wear helmets? Of course not. Wear one, but slow down, use a bell, lights, mirrors, reflectors. Consideration of safety goes beyond just wearing a helmet.

That's the whole point of the rather vague study that was referenced in the article/link.

For a person on the road, it may not be bounced off the ground. A head bouncing off of parked car can scramble someone's brains.

Downhill MTBers.... there is a reason why they wear all that body armor, neck support (to prevent whiplash), and a full faced helmet... probability of injury is much greater. Which.... is why I don't do DH. I'll go down the same mountain on a snowboard instead (also wearing a helmet)

 

[rkdvsm]

What grinds my gears over there on the GWB and on the East side MUT.... all the joggers and cyclists wearing headphones. You can scream all you want... but they can't hear you.

Just addressed that issue. You're right no amount of yelling or even a dinky bell will be heard. That's why slowing down around these joggers/pedestrians is really the only way.

As I write this, I started thinking that some might say, "Duh...Of course, I should slow down." However, it's trickier than that because I realized that it isn't so easy to spot a headphone-wearing pedestrian/jogger especially when you are focused on riding. That's why we, as cyclists, can't assume everyone hears us when we use a bell or yell, "On your left!" until they turn around, acknowledge our presence, and move out of the way.

I admit to using a bell and even yelling and sometimes people will recognize that I'm behind them and move. But there were also plenty of times they didn't even look back. That means, either they heard me and didn't want to turn around or they didn't hear me and don't know I'm there. As many of you who are capable of going 20-30mph, you have to assume they don't know you're there. Please slow down.

 

[mikerp]

LOL

From the article
"Cycling was also the leading cause of sports-related head injuries in children under 14"
"Bike accidents contribute to more sports-related head injuries than any other activity."

So the kid riding a bike around his neighborhood is consider actively being part of the cycling sport? and anyone riding a bike is participating in a sport?

The homeless guy with no helmet or lights that got hit by the police car at 2200 last month in the neighboring town was actually participating in a sport.
The meth head chick (sores on her face) that was talking to herself when I pulled up next to her at an intersection; that crossed the 4 lane highway instead of waiting for a green light (also no helmet) was also participating in the sport of cycling.

Statistics are great.