glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
So that'll be low impact (comparatively), what use would they be falling off at 15mph, or in a collision with a car?
Are they even designed/tested for those events?
The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread
- Thread starter Shaun
- Start date
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- Tags
- helmet helmet debate
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So that'll be low impact (comparatively), what use would they be falling off at 15mph, or in a collision with a car?
Are they even designed/tested for those events?
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Cycle helmets aren't tested for that.
classic33
Leg End Member
As said upthread, repeated blunt trauma impact is the biggest killer.
Not certain what force is required to crack/split your skull, but they are deemed good enough to prevent it. They were also good enough for cyclists thirty or more years ago. They'll also not stop your brain "bouncing about" in your skull after you've stopped.
The inflatable helmet is now being trialled.
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
Thanks, I know that.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
This is not an injury likely to be suffered by cyclists, off topic
.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Certain debates around cycling safety certainly feel likeThis is not an injury likely to be suffered by cyclists, off topic
This is a good starting point (although from quite an old (2001) study:-
https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(03)00092-1/fulltext
There is this well known Australian study which was focused on Paediatric injuries:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2542522/
There is a canadian study which focuses on mortality only:
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/17/E921
And there is an interesting aggregate study of studies between 1989 and 2017. The statement on cyclehelmets.org is not inconsistent with the idea of helmets providing protection. What I haven't found is a study suggesting that injuries have increased as a result of wearing cycle helmets, only studies that suggest that wearing one can prevent damage to the head and upper face.
https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(03)00092-1/fulltext
There is this well known Australian study which was focused on Paediatric injuries:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2542522/
There is a canadian study which focuses on mortality only:
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/17/E921
And there is an interesting aggregate study of studies between 1989 and 2017. The statement on cyclehelmets.org is not inconsistent with the idea of helmets providing protection. What I haven't found is a study suggesting that injuries have increased as a result of wearing cycle helmets, only studies that suggest that wearing one can prevent damage to the head and upper face.
classic33
Leg End Member
The "hairnet" was a standard helmet at one point.This is not an injury likely to be suffered by cyclists, off topic
But as someone said the increase in risk compensation amongst field sports players was shown to increase, when helmets were worn. Blunt trauma impacts increased as well. This increase in risk compensation by those who choose to wear a helmet, led to an increase in blunt trauma impacts in those people.
How it transferred from field sports to road cycling was explained by risk compensation (alone) increasing in those who wore one.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
There doesn't appear to be much in the way of recent research, including risk compensation. It's not unusual to hear of regular helmet wearers feeling unsafe when not wearing a helmet which would suggest risk compensation in utility cycling could be an interesting topic for research.
In light of lack of further research, it would seem there can be little validity in calls for compulsory helmet wear for utility cycling.
I wore a helmet for the first time today. I'd grown up not wearing one and had never given much thought to wearing one. Having started commuting by bike my wife has mentioned getting one a couple of times. I got one at the weekend and I must admit to feeling a bit of a wally wearing it in the shop and when I got home. Mrs Z insisted that I parade around the house in it. . Much sniggering, even tbough it was her idea. I felt a bit self conscious as I set off this morning, but forgot about it after a couple of minutes. Riding home I never gave it a second thought. I can't say that I felt any safer, but every little helps I guess.
What if you fall off at 15mph but by the time your head hits the gravel you are only doing 5mph.
classic33
Leg End Member
It's not always just yourself that you may be helping. If wearing one makes someone else at ease over you cycling, would it hurt?
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
Then I'd guess you've just fallen into a huge pile of leaves and you'd be fine.
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
For what it's worth, it's the fact that people guess that has got this thread to 356 pages.
PMarkey
Guru
- Location
- Queensbury,West Yorkshire
Well my trusty Hoy Vulpine cap is still going strong ,I was hit by a car on a large roundabout whilst on the Llanfair 400km Audax resulting in a quite large head wound and small bleed on the brain after bouncing off the passenger side windscreen pillar. The SAR (subarachnoid haemorrhage) wasn't anywhere near the impact site and was probably caused by my brain bouncing around my skull 
Not an endorsement for not wearing a helmet or Hoy Vulpine caps more a counter balance to all the "A helmet saved my life" posts.
Paul
Not an endorsement for not wearing a helmet or Hoy Vulpine caps more a counter balance to all the "A helmet saved my life" posts.
Paul
