Helmets

[tyred]

I was walking from my kitchen to my bedroom one day and I tripped on a piece of loose carpet in the hall and banged my head. Now I always wear a helmet while walking around my home. You can't be too careful.

 

[martynjc1977]

I seemed to have stirred up a hornets nest. That's my opinion regarding kids wearing helmets based purely upon how I would feel if my son fell off and banged his head and I hadn't asked him to wear his helmet. I'm in agreement with people who say we shouldn't wrap kids in cotton wool, I just couldn't live with the guilt if my son sustained a head injury as a result of falling off his bike and this could have been avoided if I'd made him wear a lid.

I know this is slightly more serious but..... I'm also in the same dilemma regarding my daughter and motorbikes. She is going to want one when she's 16 (my fault, I got her into it). I've adopted the attitude of not doing anything to help her get one. If she wants one and gets one off her own back ie. she pays for it etc. then I will do everything in my power to ensure she is a good and safe rider. These are my personal feelings and not one that everyone will agree with I'm sure .

Yep it's your opinion, But my son understands there is risk in the world. There is a risk when climbing a tree, risk when sliding down the banister, risk when taking on that first ever home made ramp on your bike (he ain't tried this yet). Things we took for granted as kids were slowly taking away from ours. I want my son to learn about the world, not just from what i can tell him, but some things he will have to learn the hard way, the same way I did. As parents it's our duty to protect our offspring but to give them enough slack to allow them grow, a cycle helmet will only give him a false sense of security, where he is developing the skill and awareness that will last him a lifetime on his bike.

As for your daughter, teach her how to research it properly, weigh up the risk and then let her make the choice. I did not own a car till I was 24, I had a motorcycle from 17.

 

[teletext45]

The helmet was the first thing i bourght with my bike, although i've got a serious 'mushroom head' syndrome going on but i still wear one.

 

[Lyn]

I don't personally wear one, I do encourage my young daughter (aged 3.5) to wear one, until she is old enough to form her own opinion.

I do have a real problem, however, with any proposals to introduce the compulsory wearing of helmets (such as recent moves in Northern Ireland). My country of birth, Australia, introduced compulsory helmets when I was a child and it had a massive impact on killing off any potential increase in cycling down there. The safest countries to cycle in - Holland, Denmark, Germany, France etc – are the ones with the most cyclists, so it should be in our interests to champion freedom of choice and allow people to ride however they are most comfortable.

 

[Deb13b]

Had my first ride wearing a helmet yesterday. Have to say I don't like it. I was totally self-conscious. Still haven't made my mind up re helmets.

 

[benb]

1. There is no clear evidence that helmets are particularly effective at reducing head injuries.
2. There is no clear evidence that helmets make injuries worse, or make them more likely.
3. There is a little evidence that motorists give cyclists less room when they are wearing a helmet, but it's not exactly compelling. (and besides, the solution to that, as always, is better driver education)
4. Compulsion would be a disaster.
5. We should trust people enough to let them decide whether to wear a helmet or not based on their personal preference.
6. If you wear a helmet, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine too.

I'm of the opinion that helmets are mostly useless, but anyone is completely free to wear one if they choose. I'm stuck wearing one though, as I like to have lights at head height (front and rear) and I need somewhere to mount my camera.

 

[asterix]

Compulsory helmets would be a very good way to decrease the number of cyclists on the road.

The few remaining cyclists would be put at risk because drivers would be unfamiliar with encountering a cyclist (see another post about misjudging cyclists speed when overtaking) and they would drive as if there were not likely to be cyclists.

The motorists lobby would approve of that. Would all those who think you can only be safe if you wear a helmet?

 

[Fletch456]

Someone may have mentioned this already but a study showed that cyclists without helmets were given more room than those wearing (200 vehicle passes for each).

I spent a good deal on a Giro Atmos last year to get something fairly comfortable and well vented so that I would wear one. Though I am not keen on them and don't very often wear it - save it mainly for sportives. I like couple of cycling caps that I have and they are more comfortable as I perspire a heck of a lot.

Interestingly Australia has been considerin repealing it's law forcing helmet wearing as it is being seen as a barrier to people taking up cycling (maybe a small one amongst others, no doubt) .

 

[sabian92]

I wore one as a kid (mum and dad rules, which i can understand, as I've got naff balance. I regularly fall over my own feet, even now at 18!) and I stopped for a long time after the age of about 9. I bought a Bell Venture recently because I'm going to ride a damn sight more now, and at least if I do crash, my skull won't take the impact (not saying the helmet will save me, but any protection is better than none), and if I get hit by a car, they can't claim it was a lack of a lid that caused my injuries. It's basically there to get me out of trouble. Well worth the £30 quid, I reckon.

 

[ianrauk]

I did a test.I got on my hands and knees and tried headbutting some tarmac.... it hurt a lot.
Therefore I now wear a polystyrene helmet all the time I am not on the bike.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Yes. I always wear a helmet even if I am riding half a mile.

 

[I like Skol]

and if I get hit by a car, they can't claim it was a lack of a lid that caused my injuries.

??????????

Surely it's being hit by a car that would cause the injuries?

 

[suecsi]

I think we're thinking insurance and stuff here - it might be silly, but there have been incidents where insurance payouts have been less because of the SMIDSY type attitude, i.e. no hi-vis, couldn't see you, lower payout.

I suspect the same excuse could be wheeled out for helmet wearing as well, rightly or wrongly - quite a few insurance companies like to have an excuse to pay less.

I do wear one, particularly at the home end, as everyone near home drives like complete maniacs and there is a high percentage of WVM/Couriers/HGVs/Buses etc. Work end I'm not so particular, off road cycle paths mainly.

I have stopped wearing the hi vis jacket in favour of a hi vis vest over normal black coat, and sometimes not the vest at the work end. At least I can take off the vest on the train and not look like a train worker coming home from the night shift.

 

[sabian92]

??????????

Surely it's being hit by a car that would cause the injuries?

A car is going to injure me regardless, but it's for insurance purposes. Especially as I have no bike insurance at all anyway. That and it'll protect me from small knocks anyway if anything.

 

[mickle]

Wearing a helmet for insurance purposes is the worst possible reason of all. When people feel the need to do this there's something very seriously wrong with the planet we are living on.