The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[Inertia]

Not sure

Spills in 64 & 67 with just a few grazes, then nothing for 35 years.

Then between 2005 and 2017, 8 spills, resulting in a few bruises, two broken collor bones, fractured pelvis, broken tooth and a few facial cuts needing stitches. Oh and with one of the spills, I was airlifted to hospital.

So what's my percentage?

I think you highlight the dangers of taking personal experience and, applying it to everyone and drawing a conclusion as User9609 has done.

 

[mjr]

What does that mean exactly. Genuine question as I was trying to workout what that would mean for me but couldn't come up with anything. I understand the concept of risk compensation but I reckon I would ride in the same manner regardless of what I was wearing.

You may reckon that, but evidence suggests otherwise. Even my own experience (lots of crashes with hard hat, few otherwise, mostly thinking I rode the same apart from one late notable exception where I used a helmet because it was icy ) suggests I crash more when using one and increased risk-taking is one possible explanation that I can't rule out.

These people probably thought they'd take the same risks regardless of the hat they wore too http://www.bath.ac.uk/research/news/2016/01/25/helmet-wearing-risk-taking/

 

[Sharky]

I think you highlight the dangers of taking personal experience and, applying it to everyone and drawing a conclusion as User9609 has done.

I dont. These are the factors that have influenced my decision to be converted.

 

[Inertia]

I dont. These are the factors that have influenced my decision to be converted.

Sorry if it sounded that way but I wasnt accusing you of doing that. You should make the decision thats best for you.

 

[Slick]

You may reckon that, but evidence suggests otherwise. Even my own experience (lots of crashes with hard hat, few otherwise, mostly thinking I rode the same apart from one late notable exception where I used a helmet because it was icy ) suggests I crash more when using one and increased risk-taking is one possible explanation that I can't rule out.

These people probably thought they'd take the same risks regardless of the hat they wore too http://www.bath.ac.uk/research/news/2016/01/25/helmet-wearing-risk-taking/

They have extrapolated inflating a fictional balloon to the max with that evidence.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

There's a certain religious fervour that often manifests in those who want to convince others of the reasons helmets should be worn.
The language is similar; it's common to hear them refer to faith, belief, being converted, and they prefer stories of personal epiphany to evidence.

I remain an atheist, despite being pestered in the street by the odd helmet evangelist.

 

[theclaud]

There's a certain religious fervour that often manifests in those who want to convince others of the reasons helmets should be worn.
The language is similar; it's common to hear them refer to faith, belief, being converted, and they prefer stories of personal epiphany to evidence.

I remain an atheist, despite being pestered in the street by the odd helmet evangelist.

I wish I had a quid for every unsolicited 'observation' about my lidlessness I've been treated to by strangers and acquaintances. It should surprise no one that about 90% of them are male.

Another observation about liddists within the cycling world - they often seem slightly offended at not being noticed or recognized. Have they not figured that everyone looks the same under a massive plastic hat?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

What does that mean exactly. Genuine question as I was trying to workout what that would mean for me but couldn't come up with anything. I understand the concept of risk compensation but I reckon I would ride in the same manner regardless of what I was wearing.

If you hit your head on tarmac it hurts. To compensate you moderate your speed and bike position through corners, particularly wet ones. You adjust your position on downhills that go over cattle grids. To compensate in a myriads ways because you do not like pain. Some wearers of helmets seem to think if they come off their helmet will protect them, so they do not moderate their riding to avoid coming off to start with. Then we have a post or tale of how the helmet saved their life.

Recent example:

A club mate was late for the Sunday run. So he rode quickly to catch up and he went too fast round a sharp wet corner came off and knocked himself unconscious. The main lesson for him was, thank god I was wearing my helmet, blah blah blah. Rather than don't try and ride so bloody fast round that sharp corner especially when it is wet. We all know that corner should be treated with respect even when dry.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

So to summarise

If you mostly do not wear a helmet the main lessons you pay attention to are, how to avoid coming off, having that accident to start with. Where as the lessons helmet evangelists learn is "wear a helmet" and pay little emphasis to what caused their accident to start with.

 

[Mugshot]

A club mate was late for the Sunday run. So he rode quickly to catch up and he went too fast round a sharp wet corner came off and knocked himself unconscious. The main lesson for him was, thank god I was wearing my helmet, blah blah blah. Rather than don't try and ride so bloody fast round that sharp corner especially when it is wet. We all know that corner should be treated with respect even when dry.

Without wishing to turn the thread into a story sharing exercise I will mention a friend of mine that will happily share a similar tale. He believes that helmets should be compulsory, his argument for supporting this was his experience of bashing his helmeted head on the road, which of course saved him from far worse injury. The incident consisted of him riding down a narrow, unlit country lane early one icy morning coming off on the sharp left-hander under the over hanging tree, on his standard road bike commuter. The fact that a different route (there was no necessity for him to go down there and he would have known it wouldn't be gritted), or that he didn't have ice tyres on, or that he was almost certainly going too fast for the conditions or the corner doesn't enter into it, the only thing which is relevant, is that the helmet saved him.

 

[Slick]

If you hit your head on tarmac it hurts. To compensate you moderate your speed and bike position through corners, particularly wet ones. You adjust your position on downhills that go over cattle grids. To compensate in a myriads ways because you do not like pain. Some wearers of helmets seem to think if they come off their helmet will protect them, so they do not moderate their riding to avoid coming off to start with. Then we have a post or tale of how the helmet saved their life.

Recent example:

A club mate was late for the Sunday run. So he rode quickly to catch up and he went too fast round a sharp wet corner came off and knocked himself unconscious. The main lesson for him was, thank god I was wearing my helmet, blah blah blah. Rather than don't try and ride so bloody fast round that sharp corner especially when it is wet. We all know that corner should be treated with respect even when dry.

As I said, I understand the concept of risk compensation and can believe it, but pain is possible falling off on a corner without hitting your head so you do all these compensation things anyway.

 

[Rusty Nails]

When I returned to cycling after many years out it was into mountain biking. That was new to me and quite risky so I decided to always wear a helmet. The falls often included a bump on the head, sometimes into branches but one against iron railings and another on a hard floor. The second time I woke up, with my bike alongside me, in an ambulance to the hospital where I was diagnosed with concussion which included some bleeding in the brain. The helmet was totalled. Logically, or illogically, I believed that it saved worse injury so for me there was face validity at least in their effectiveness.

I never had a helmet when I did a lot of road riding in my teens and early twenties, but when I started road riding again four years ago I decided to continue with the helmet wearing. It does not feel uncomfortable at all, in fact I have forgotten to wear it a couple of times and did not notice, and I never have the arrogance to tell tell other cyclists, male or female, what to do about helmet wearing

I cannot understand all this aggro about wearing or not wearing. It's your head so do as you see fit about what you put on it. As far as preaching is concerned it seems that both sides are more than a bit preachy about it. People in falls without a helmet say it saved them from worse injury, while people without helmets say that their lack of a helmet saved them from a broken neck. All conjecture, as it still will be ten years from now.

 

[mickle]

Participating in this thread only to say I've not fallen off my bike in 11 years and not hurt myself falling off my bike since I can't remember.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It can't helped to be noted that the stories come from the helmet preachers. Try finding a thread that is started by some one who came off without a helmet. Try finding five. Yet search for the same for someone wearing a helmet and it is easy as pie. Helmet preachers will get robust replies because we have more important things that need to be done to improve safety. Helmets are a distraction.

 

[Wobblers]

This might be the beer talking, but Wobblers I want to have your children!

I'm afraid, Skolly, that you'll have to join the end of the queue.