Ben Goldacre - Helmet 'Bad Science'

[Dan B]

I see now why Linf has a marmite jar as an avatar

Because he's extracting the yeast?

 

[booze and cake]

^hehe and because he's also banned in Denmark for being too full of....................................vitamins

 

[Linford]

Because he's extracting the yeast?

Because I say it as I see it..it isn't to everyones taste but it is at least an honest opinion

 

[theclaud]

Because I say it as I see it..

And that's what Marmite does, is it?

 

[srw]

so your risk analysis consists of 'yup, nobody has run me over yet on this route so i'll keep chancing it'

My job title is "Chief Risk Officer". I work for an insurance company. Our raison d'etre is taking on risk from our clients. My job is to ensure that the company understands the risks it's taking on, and manages them effectively.

Do you think that's really likely to be a good description of my risk analysis?

Simple question...have you personally ever witnessed an accident or been involved in one where there has been a serious injury from vehicles moving at speed ?

Yes. Do you want the gory details?

(Don't worry - they're not all that gory. The cyclist concerned made a full recovery within a week.)

 

[srw]

It is an emotional issue not a rational one.

Cold comfort when it is yours or your kids brains on the road...

QED

 

[Linford]

My job title is "Chief Risk Officer". I work for an insurance company. Our raison d'etre is taking on risk from our clients. My job is to ensure that the company understands the risks it's taking on, and manages them effectively.

Do you think that's really likely to be a good description of my risk analysis?


Yes. Do you want the gory details?

(Don't worry - they're not all that gory. The cyclist concerned made a full recovery within a week.)

I'm all ears....

 

[srw]

Cyclist goes down hill at 30mph in a group. Cyclist hits a rough patch of road. Cyclist, riding fixie, gets a foot unclipped from cleat. Cyclist goes down at 30mph. Large amount of blood ensues. Concerned cyclists stop and help him - he is concussed. Ambulance car is two minutes away and is diverted from another shout. Ambulance arrives 20 minutes later; takes cyclist to hospital where to general surprise brain scan comes up positive. For brain. @dellzeqq diverts from group ride to hospital where he acts as chaperone and liaises with cyclist's wife. @lilolee (I believe it was) diverts back to start of ride, picks up car and chaperones cyclist's bike. Rest of ride - including @velovoice, @Flying Dodo and others known to denizens of this place - completes ride, led by a certain tandem pair.

A week later, the blood is still staining the road. Cyclist - @GrumpyGregry - is back to normal but a bit less grumpier. A few weeks later all concerned ride happily to John O'Groats without serious incident.

Now. Do you still think that my risk analysis is going to be as simple as you made out?

(Clue: the answer is very short indeed.)

 

[dellzeqq]

Cyclist goes down hill at 30mph in a group. Cyclist hits a rough patch of road. Cyclist, riding fixie, gets a foot unclipped from cleat. Cyclist goes down at 30mph. Large amount of blood ensues. Concerned cyclists stop and help him - he is concussed. Ambulance car is two minutes away and is diverted from another shout. Ambulance arrives 20 minutes later; takes cyclist to hospital where to general surprise brain scan comes up positive. For brain. @dellzeqq diverts from group ride to hospital where he acts as chaperone and liaises with cyclist's wife. @lilolee (I believe it was) diverts back to start of ride, picks up car and chaperones cyclist's bike. Rest of ride - including @velovoice, @Flying Dodo and others known to denizens of this place - completes ride, led by a certain tandem pair.

A week later, the blood is still staining the road. Cyclist - @GrumpyGregry - is back to normal but a bit less grumpier. A few weeks later all concerned ride happily to John O'Groats without serious incident.

Now. Do you still think that my risk analysis is going to be as simple as you made out?

(Clue: the answer is very short indeed.)

not so sure about the bit less grumpier thing.............

 

[dellzeqq]

may I say that I'd rather have my photograph taken by Cecil Beaton that read an 'article' that employs the word 'methodology'.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Pah. Takes more than a bang on the head from some tarmac to concuss me. Well that's what I told the doctors and they seemed to buy it.

not so sure about the bit less grumpier thing.............

It was fun while it lasted. Especially on one very memorable and windy day on LonJOG churning the big ring into the face of a gale shouting "I'm alive" at the top of my lungs over and over and over....

and a little teeny bit of that joie de vivre still remains under the carapace of grump. I think.

 

[Linford]

Cyclist goes down hill at 30mph in a group. Cyclist hits a rough patch of road. Cyclist, riding fixie, gets a foot unclipped from cleat. Cyclist goes down at 30mph. Large amount of blood ensues. Concerned cyclists stop and help him - he is concussed. Ambulance car is two minutes away and is diverted from another shout. Ambulance arrives 20 minutes later; takes cyclist to hospital where to general surprise brain scan comes up positive. For brain. @dellzeqq diverts from group ride to hospital where he acts as chaperone and liaises with cyclist's wife. @lilolee (I believe it was) diverts back to start of ride, picks up car and chaperones cyclist's bike. Rest of ride - including @velovoice, @Flying Dodo and others known to denizens of this place - completes ride, led by a certain tandem pair.

A week later, the blood is still staining the road. Cyclist - @GrumpyGregry - is back to normal but a bit less grumpier. A few weeks later all concerned ride happily to John O'Groats without serious incident.

Now. Do you still think that my risk analysis is going to be as simple as you made out?

(Clue: the answer is very short indeed.)

Was he wearing a lid ?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Was he wearing a lid ?

Much to the medics great pleasure and releif, and the ill-informed displeasure of the nursing staff, he wasn't.

 

[Linford]

Much to the medics great pleasure and releif, and the ill-informed displeasure of the nursing staff, he wasn't.

Now I know this may be anecdotal, but my friend was wearing my very nearly new carbon fibre crash helmet in 2009 when a car did a u turn on him and he T-boned it....I was behind him on another motorbike. he was doing 60mph at the point of impact and he did a superman impression. The first part of him to connect with the road after impact was his head/crash helmet.
He suffered zero damage to his head, and zero damage to his neck, although he was severely injured in other area's

The lid was damaged obviously but the shell withstood the impact and absorbed the energy.
When the insurance co finalises his settlement, we are going to bandsaw the lid apart to see the damage/compression to the foam from his head and the shells deformation. I'll post the pictures up when that happens.

I am absolutely convinced of the value of headgear if it is fitted properly and up to standard...now compare that to a low speed off which has been described here where someones brains have been severely shaken up because there was nothing between them and the road to absorb the forces in play....

 

[dellzeqq]

Where does wiping your arse with a badger fit on this scale?

sort of comparable. Although having one's arse wiped by (or even with) Cecil Beaton would be less fun than having one's portrait taken by a badger.