Pro-helmet article on BBC One Show right now

[summerdays]

3- maybe not been mentioned before, it gives me more confidence when riding, weather this is substantiated or not, it does make me feel better

3 good reasons for me to wear my helmet

should it be law? i think it will be one day

I see others have picked you up on the more confidence - very bad reason for wearing a helmet .... it supposedly gives the motorists more confidence as well.

Becoming law - I am against that unless cars start wearing very large foam helmets too .

Well, I was borrowing a quote from the wonderful Dr Ben Goldacre

I saw him last week at the Colston Hall (the Uncaged Monkeys) - and at the time wished that they could devise an experiment or two to truly get to the bottom of the helmet debate.

 

[MacB]

And if cyclists didn't wear helmets that 1% would be a lot higher.

Do you lack the ability to read and comprehend or do you just not bother reading the rest of a thread?

Will you stop passing your guesses off as some sort of irrefutable fact.

 

[Crackle]

Hello there

It was my wife featured on the show (the lecturer who said that she'd probably be dead without the helmet). Sadly they cut what she had to say so the message didn't really come across. Mac, in her case it is not at all hard to conclude that she would have been far, far worse without the helmet. There was a rock on the road, about a centimetre and a half across, that made a big dent in the lid. Without the helmet I don't think anyone can doubt that it would have gone straight through the side of her skull, meaning that in addition to the other serious injuries she sustained she would have had a dirty depressed fracture in her skull, with lots of bits of bone and grit pushed into her brain. We were extremely lucky: the injuries she sustained should have left her in a hospital for the rest of her life as they were. Had she not worn a helmet I think she probably wouldn't have died, but the most likely outcome is that she wouldn't really have lived either.

Regarding the comment that it's selfish to ride without a helmet, well in my opinion that is true. Having been left coping with a toddler and a baby while my wife spent six weeks in a coma and then six further months in hospital, I can tell you that anyone who doesn't use simple and reasonable precautions to reduce the probability of their family members having to go through similar is indeed selfish. Of course, this depends on whether you think that wearing a helmet is a reasonable effort, and I can understand the argument if you think it's not - I know about the lack of real hard evidence either way on this question, and I agree about the eye-watering foolishness of the comment by the other lady about "forget about research" or whatever it was. Nonetheless, I disagree with you - just remember though that what you're risking isn't a clean death, it's spending the rest of your life having someone else wipe your bottom and not remembering who your children are or what you did this morning. Head injuries don't just destroy individual lives, they destroy whole families.

Rob

First of all, many sympathies Rob, that sounds a traumatic time for you all.

I'd caution against making assumptions though. Most of us would love to know exactly what protection in what circumstances a helmet would give but there are no real world tests which will tell us as yet. Speaking as someone who fractured their skull when my head hit the floor at 25mph, long before helmets became popular, I know a little about cycling head injuries but I'm afraid I'm very sceptical about claims of what helmets will save you from and totally against compulsion.

 

[Vikeonabike]

As someone pointed out, it's all about risk assesment.
I've never had a car accident where a seatbelt has been required to save me from going through the windscreen in 25 years of driving. Regardless of the law, I wouldn't consider driving without one. I've never had a motorcycle accident where the wearing of leathers whould have saved me from serious road rash. I still wouldn't ride a motorbike without wearing them. Doesn't matter how hot and uncomfortable it is.
Ive never had my stab proof vest tested in action in 7 years of Policing, however, regardless of standing orders, I wouldn't go on duty without it.
I wear a bicycle Helmet. I've had at lest 3 accidents where my helmet has made heavy contact with the ground.
Does it make me feel safer and more confident, yes. Does this mean 25% of cars might get between 8-12 cms closer to me when overtaking. Can't say I've noticed!

Am I risk averse....? You have to be joking, adrenalin is the best drug in the world and you can only get it by taking risks. It's managing those risks..

I'll finsh by borrowing a motorcycling mantra.
There are only two types of cyclist. Those who have fallen off and those who are about to fall off? Which one are you?

 

[screenman]

Do you think if you had had a helmet on it may have even slightly cushioned the impact your head made at 25mph? Just curious.

To add to the above mantras from my motorcycling days, dress for the accident not the journey.

 

[Crackle]

Do you think if you had had a helmet on it may have even slightly cushioned the impact your head made at 25mph? Just curious.

I hit my temple area. The helmet edge may have taken some of the impact if the same thing happened today, may..... Then again, witness the recent death in the Giro. Above a certain speed or at a certain angle, helmets won't help it seems. I wear mine out of hope it might but I'm far from convinced.

 

[400bhp]

Can't we just have a sticky helmet debate thread at the top?

 

[Peter91]

Do you lack the ability to read and comprehend or do you just not bother reading the rest of a thread?

Will you stop passing your guesses off as some sort of irrefutable fact.

I don't see what you're getting at, both points I made where in response or related to posts in the thread, just like the rest.

 

[Magikarp]

"It's selfish of anyone not to wear a helmet"....
true true

If you get injured, its not just you who's going to bear the weight but as well as your loved ones...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

yawn...

 

[monkeypony]

The chance of being hit by a car or falling when walking or having visited the pub and hitting your head is the same if you do or don't wear a helmet.
If you do wear a helmet then obviously the chance of hurting your head is significantly reduced. If you don't then it is significantly increased. The difference between the two is the very, very small inconvenience of having a bit of a weight on your head (less tan 300g) and having to remember to put it on. I see absolutely no logic in a pedestrian or pub user deciding not to wear one.

Show me the pedestrian who can travel at over 50mph and I'll give you a good argument as to why they should probably wear some head protection.

 

[yello]

I've never had a motorcycle accident where the wearing of leathers whould have saved me from serious road rash. I still wouldn't ride a motorbike without wearing them. Doesn't matter how hot and uncomfortable it is.

At the risk of derailing this thread... no, let me rephrase... with the intention of derailing this thread!

Voab, I'm sure you are aware that the motorcycle police in France (and other countries too for that matter) don't wear leathers. In fact, you'll see them in short sleeve cotton shirts. They've done risk assessments too. I think, though this information given to me by an ex class 1 rider in the UK, that they factor in heat and discomfort into the risk assessment. If you're too hot or uncomfortable in leathers then you are likely to become distracted or inattentive (dehydration?).

I must admit, I don't know the reason but I can see an argument for the one I was given. I still wear leathers here, it feels wrong not to, but I accept it's only my view/opinion - I'm about the only biker I ever see here that does! And if I do see another leathered up biker I'd wager they're a Brit too!

 

[Crackle]

"It's selfish of anyone not to wear a helmet"....
true true

If you get injured, its not just you who's going to bear the weight but as well as your loved ones...

I don't mind a debate about facts but this is just patent nonsense. So what are the risks of, say becoming ill compared to the risks of a cycling head injury or the risks of a non cycling head injury compared to the risks of a cycling one. Do you know?

Do you do anything which is vaguely risky and therefore selfish. I recommend you don't cross the road or drive a car or use stairs or indeed perform any household DIY and especially don't use ladders.

 

[MacB]

I don't see what you're getting at, both points I made where in response or related to posts in the thread, just like the rest.

you stated that without helemts the %age of cyclists with head injuries would be much higher, if you make these statements of fact then you need to be able to support them in some way.....stands to reason isn't enough

 

[billy1561]

I don't wear a helmet when I'm out on the bike, you might think i'm being selfish, you're entitled to think that but I'm taking precautions by watching the traffic, reading the road ahead and behind and looking wear I'm going, that makes me quite safe. And I ride on busy trunk roads, some with 70 mph speed limits.

I fell off mine on a footpath completely alone, not a car in sight. All my own fault. Thought i was quite safe too