The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[Justinslow]

3/

Since gardening is more likely to result in injury than cycling per hour, have you registered on the Gardeners' World forum to shriek "It's your FUNERAL!" at our helmetless green-fingered brethren?

Funnily enough my chosen profession is "gardening" and I haven't twatted my head on anything more substantial than a small branch. Do you think the reason gardening is deemed as dangerous - because of the relatively high injury rates is because of head injuries? More like all the untrained people dealing with machinery, hand tools, chemicals, heavy objects.......

 

[ufkacbln]

No, just somebody with an opinion, which happens to be different to yours, some of you really are excelling yourselves with abusive comments, I thought better of you in engaging in decent debate but alas just nastiness seems to prevail.

Nope just a hypocrite using scare tactics and then throwing a tantrum when the glaring gaps in their tactics are demonstrated

You will note that there was no reply as to why the melodaramatic concern over cyclist head injuriees,yet has never seen, felt anything or has any opinion on the more common head injuries. These hurt less, the vegetables are easier to feed through a straw and the effect on families apparently so much less traumatic they don't even deserved recognition


The reason for this is that the desperate use of the 'Wear a helmet or be a vegetable" does not stand up to the simplest of questions

 

[theclaud]

Funnily enough my chosen profession is "gardening" and I haven't twatted my head on anything more substantial than a small branch.

I once stood on a rake in the classic slapstick fashion. It twatted me on the head. Hard. I should've been wearing a helmet.

 

[martint235]

I once stood on a rake in the classic slapstick fashion. It twatted me on the head. Hard. I should've been wearing a helmet.

I've done this too but it got me right on the sternum. God it hurt. I should have been wearing body armour. Dangerous business this gardening lark, people should be warned.

 

[glenn forger]

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/jun/29/bike-blog-cycling-safety

I can tell you that there were 720 days in hospital last year because of 'contact with powered lawnmower' and another 357 due to 'contact with plant thorns, spines and sharp leaves', and 3,267 from 'fall from tree' (although that will probably be children, rather than gardeners'.
The point I am making is that people perceive risk in different ways for different activities. Sometimes they perceive risk in strange ways. Sometimes they say that 'cycling is risky' when what they mean is 'cycling feels uncomfortable, because of fast motorised vehicles and aggressive driving'. The latter doesn't actually necessarily make it any more risky, but it feels it. You are not in control of your safety, thus you feel more at risk. In the garden you are in control of the risks, thus it feels safe, but actually the risks may be greater. John Adams is the expert on risk - and well worth reading his work.

 

[benb]

I see the pro helmet argument has descended to intellectual dishonesty and hysterical emotional blackmail again.
Quelle surprise.

It's a bit sad and depressing.

 

[Justinslow]

UOTE="theclaud, post: 4111498, member: 1405"]I once stood on a rake in the classic slapstick fashion. It twatted me on the head. Hard. I should've been wearing a helmet.[/QUOTE]
Yes maybe you should have been wearing one of these like I do sometimes.

 

[Justinslow]

I see the pro helmet argument has descended to intellectual dishonesty and hysterical emotional blackmail again.
Quelle surprise.

It's a bit sad and depressing.

As is the equally caustic responses from the "antis".

 

[Justinslow]

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/jun/29/bike-blog-cycling-safety

There you go then, kids climbing trees, ban them!

 

[theclaud]

Yes maybe you should have been wearing one of these like I do sometimes.
View attachment 116245

That would have been a bit eccentric. I was just walking down the garden.

 

[Justinslow]

I've done this too but it got me right on the sternum. God it hurt. I should have been wearing body armour. Dangerous business this gardening lark, people should be warned.

Can be, like anything, it's whether you take precautions that matters, like looking where you are walking, learning how to operate a piece of equipment, wearing gloves etc etc.
Generally you will probably be gardening alone or with a partner, with no other human input to cause you accident, when cycling you have all manner of "in coming" to deal with.
And I think they are warned, every piece of gardening equipment or chemical or whatever will contain on the label a warning for the operator to read.

 

[Justinslow]

That would have been a bit eccentric. I was just walking down the garden.

Not looking where you were going? Probably the same as most pedestrian falls.

 

[Mugshot]

Nope just a hypocrite using scare tactics and then throwing a tantrum when the glaring gaps in their tactics are demonstrated

Well, I guess there's a first time for everything.

 

[Mugshot]

As is the equally caustic responses from the "antis".

I realise you want to ride this little hobby horse around for a while and that unfortunately glenn has muddied the waters and given you an easy thread diversion tool, but is there any chance you could address the questions which Adrian asked you please? Post #1835 in case you missed them.

 

[Brandane]

No one is disputing that you were a police officer. The point is that you are relying on some spurious level of authority on the subject of cycle helmets about which a police officer knows no more than anyone else.

As another "ex Police Officer", I can only relate my one and only memory of attending an accident involving a cyclist. He was wearing a helmet, a car hit him from behind, he did not survive. Therefore the logical conclusion is that in my professional experience, helmets are ineffective.