Helmet saved my life yesterday

[pubrunner]

I understand that I could also take to wearing a wedding cake on my head, as the don't hurt either, but I have no evidence (anecdotal or otherwise ) to suggest that the wearing of wedding cake may be of any (even the tiniest) benefit in the event of a fall.

.

Do you know how much a wedding cake weighs ? (You'd need a neck brace)

It wouldn't be much use to you anyway - it hardly last half a mile, given the ravenous appetites of so many on this forum

 

[jonny jeez]

Do you know how much a wedding cake weighs ? (You'd need a neck brace)

It wouldn't be much use to you anyway - it hardly last half a mile, given the ravenous appetites of so many on this forum

Statistically speaking, you could be correct.

We should start a debate thread...

 

[Red Light]

No no, I'm not playing a game here, nor am I discussing rates, I understand the difference.

What I *am* doing is directly quoting your figures that clearly show that helmeted wearers have 50 percent less head trauma compared to those not wearing lids...am I not?

Out of 1000 head traumas, 600 odd were without lids 300 odd were with.

Unfortunately you don't get it (but thank you for the nice comments anyway ) . If in a general cycling population sample of 1,000 cyclists, 333 wear a helmet and 667 don't and then you find in hospital 333 of a thousand head injuries were wearing a helmet and 667 weren't then the conclusion is the risk of a head injury is the same with or without a helmet. All you are doing is quoting absolute numbers on which basis you would conclude that driving a Trabant (no-one killed) was far safer than driving a Ford or Vauxhall (thousands killed). But don't worry, quite a few research papers that claim benefits for helmets have made the same mistake and forgotten to compare injury rates with and without helmets with helmet wearing rates in the cycling population.

 

[Dan_h]

My helmet saved my life when I had a fall on an Audax a few weeks ago. I managed to lose the front wheel on a bit of gravel and did not unclip quickly enough. I was only doing about 5 miles per hour. I bruised my hand and cut my knee (well, a tiny bit)... my head went nowehere near the ground but I was able to take it off and hold it over my face so no one knew it was me. I don't know what I would have done without it!

 

[hoopdriver]

Are you suggesting a cycle helmet is designed to protect against a fall from a bike whilst doing 15-20mph?

It will certainly offer greater protection than not wearin a helmet.

 

[hoopdriver]

My helmet saved my life when I had a fall on an Audax a few weeks ago. I managed to lose the front wheel on a bit of gravel and did not unclip quickly enough. I was only doing about 5 miles per hour. I bruised my hand and cut my knee (well, a tiny bit)... my head went nowehere near the ground but I was able to take it off and hold it over my face so no one knew it was me. I don't know what I would have done without it!

Yes, terribly witty and all but we get back to the fact that for all your scoffing you were wearing a helmet. You did not go riding without one - even at 5mph. 'Nuff said

 

[hoopdriver]

Well, I came off, headfirst over the handlebars at about 30mph a few years ago, broke ribs, mangled a tendon in my shoulder, required about 20 stitches in my forearm, fractured my shoulder blade and was covered with road rash. My helmet took a terrific knock, was quite scuffed up, but I did not even have a headache.

So, yeah, enough to make a difference

 

[Red Light]

It will certainly offer greater protection than not wearin a helmet.

Not certainly. It may well offer greater harm than not wearing a helmet. Bigger head size so more likely to hit rather than miss something; greater rotational forces on the head, neck and brain. Greater head mass for the neck to try to control. They are all well discussed in the literature as to how helmets can worsen the injuries.

 

[mcshroom]

I didn't say it wasn't cold, I said it wasn't (very far) north!

I'm not sure you're in a position to comment

 

[hoopdriver]

So you acquire assorted injuries to different bits of your body and draw the conclusion that a helmet is a good idea.

Well, I looked at my injuries, looked at my helmet, considered the speed I was going and recalled the violence of the crash and, yeah, that's the conclusion I draw.

Frankly, I think you'd have to be pretty dense to draw any other conclusion.

 

[Dan_h]

Yes, terribly witty and all but we get back to the fact that for all your scoffing you were wearing a helmet. You did not go riding without one - even at 5mph. 'Nuff said

Lol, I have also crashed at approaching 30mph while not wearing one without being killed or seriously hurt so I don't think it is essential. Most of my riding is without a helmet but when I go to the track I have to wear it so I figure I may as well get used to the way it feels.

 

[hoopdriver]

It is an emotional response. You have to be reasonably intelligent and rational and put in some effort to avoid reaching that conclusion.

We'll I'll agree with you that it would take some effort to avoid reaching that conclusion because it would be quite a reach for a reasonably intelligent being to come to any other. Humans do learn. The bright ones do, anyway. Poke finger in fire, get burned. Learn.

 

[Davidc]

We'll I'll agree with you that it would take some effort to avoid reaching that conclusion because it would be quite a reach for a reasonably intelligent being to come to any other. Humans do learn. The bright ones do, anyway. Poke finger in fire, get burned. Learn.

I can always repeat my anecdote - of when I'd have been decapitated if I'd worn a helmet but escaped with no serious injury without. I still have the scar on one of my ears.

It's still an anecdote and therefore as valueless as yours. So I won't bother.

 

[ufkacbln]

My helmet saved my life when I had a fall on an Audax a few weeks ago. I managed to lose the front wheel on a bit of gravel and did not unclip quickly enough. I was only doing about 5 miles per hour. I bruised my hand and cut my knee (well, a tiny bit)... my head went nowehere near the ground but I was able to take it off and hold it over my face so no one knew it was me. I don't know what I would have done without it!

A recumbent trike would have also prevented this accident?

 

[hoopdriver]

What I love about this so called debate is the complete unwillingness of anyone of the anti helmet persuasion to be guided by experience. Nothing past has any value. They are only anecdotes and meaningless. Everything is brand new every day to these people, like a goldfish going up and down inside a tank.