Benefits of wearing a helmet

[Tinuts]

I wear a helmet when commuting as that's when I feel most at risk - riding fast with lots of self important idiots driving about - and I'm wearing all the gear so it looks ok.

If I'm tootling about town in 5-10 mph traffic on a Saturday doing my shopping on my single speed hack wearing casual clothes I wear no helmet, perhaps a flat cap, and pay lots of attention.

Presumably with the Beyers in place?

 

[ferret fur]

Yes, there are more peds than cyclists but this can be taken into account and when it is we find that peds actually have a slightly greater chance of being killed in a road accident than a cyclist for an equivalent journey

Given that on a bike;
you are travelling at anything from 3-ish to 7-ish times faster than a ped
you are in the road with traffic which is at best indifferent, at worst aggressively antagonistic to cyclists
you are on a machine which is subject to mechanical failure and to potholes and other road imperfections as well as geasy roads, ice etc.

I'd love to know how you think being a ped is more dangerous than being on a bike.

Today, while on the bike:
I suffered an attempted left hook as a car tried to turn, without indicating, in an otherwise quiet road, having never got further past me than his passenger door.
I had two pedestrians step out on me without looking both of whom were only avoided by my vigilance.
I failed to get hit by someone opening a car door on me by dint of cycling outside the door zone. This, of course infuriated the driver behind me who squeezed past me with minimal clearnce just as the door was opening.
A fairly standard day on the bike then.
I cannot remember the last time I felt endangered as a pedestrian

In 2008; 115 cyclists were killed as opposed to 572 peds. I don't know where you live but in Edinburgh there are considerably more than 5 peds to each cyclist. Statistics, as ever, can be made to say what you want them to say, but if you really think that your daily cycling experience is safer than being on foot, I for one will come and join you.

 

[dondare]

http://www.yehudamoon.com/index.php?date=2008-07-09

 

[ferret fur]

http://www.yehudamoo...date=2008-07-09

yes you are right. I should take safety advice from a cartoon.

 

[gaz]

It gives you a place to attach your camera, good enough for me.

 

[ferret fur]

Oh. you attach it to the helmet on your head??!!

 

[BentMikey]

It gives you a place to attach your camera, good enough for me.

That's about all I use my helmet for. I'm certainly not stupid enough to believe that a Magic Foam Hat will save my life.

 

[gaz]

That's about all I use my helmet for. I'm certainly not stupid enough to believe that a Magic Foam Hat will save my life.

Well, i've been thinking about getting the new Lazer Helium helmet, the helium inserts in the padding help keep your head from hitting any object if you fall.

 

[Tinuts]

Well, i've been thinking about getting the new Lazer Helium helmet, the helium inserts in the padding help keep your head from hitting any object if you fall.

Jeez. For £220 Sh***ers I'd think so too! I'm in the wrong business.

 

[mcshroom]

£220

Mine cost £8 from LIDL

 

[MacB]

£220

Mine cost £8 from LIDL

I wonder if the £220 one makes someone look 27.5 times more twattish?

 

[ferret fur]

yes you are right. I should take safety advice from a cartoon.

.........sponsored by a company making cycling caps

 

[gaz]

I wonder if the £220 one makes someone look 27.5 times more twattish?

The answer is, yes

 

[Dan B]

I'm not travelling at 25-30mph when I'm crossing the road.

Helmets are designed to a standard: the standard says they'll absorb around 100 joules of energy (I'd have to check, but it's something like that). This equates to,oh, sudden deceleration from about 12mph


But it gets worse (or better, depending on your point of view): kinetic energy increases with the square of speed, so from12 mph to 24mph is a fourfold increase in energy to absorb, not just double.

 

[ferret fur]

But it gets worse (or better, depending on your point of view): kinetic energy increases with the square of speed, so from12 mph to 24mph is a fourfold increase in energy to absorb, not just double.

Which would you rather: 400 or 300 joules energy impacting on your skull. Nobody (sensible) is saying that they prevent death on every occasion. Even if they only prevent 10-15% of deaths a lot of people will think that is a worthwhile thing to have.