Wear that helmet!

[Daveyraveygravey]

Mr Will said:

I'll confess to a vested interest here. I cannot wear a helmet without suffering weeks of pain afterwards. I am happy that I am safe enough without one but a mandatory helmet law would result in me having to give up cycling. I also get very fed up of being told I should wear one by other cyclists when I'm out riding, many of whom are riding unsafely in a variety of other ways.

Wow, that seems very strange, have you had that checked out?

And in your next post, you mention KSI, what's that?

[anonymous-user]

Kermit power said:

Garyhun's response rather proved my point.

You'll have to do better than that as it does no such thing but highlight the ludicrousness of your post.

You're obviously a very angry man where this is concerned.

I suggest you stay off the roads and seek some anger management treatment.

Here have another, that post of yours was quite a rant

[Mr Will]

Daveyraveygravey said:

Mr Will said:

I'll confess to a vested interest here. I cannot wear a helmet without suffering weeks of pain afterwards. I am happy that I am safe enough without one but a mandatory helmet law would result in me having to give up cycling. I also get very fed up of being told I should wear one by other cyclists when I'm out riding, many of whom are riding unsafely in a variety of other ways.

Wow, that seems very strange, have you had that checked out?

And in your next post, you mention KSI, what's that?

Yes, been referred all the way to Harley street and the only solution anyone could propose was a combination of various pills and potions and a ban on helmet wearing. Now that it's under control I can actually get away with one for short periods but two consecutive days is too much (even for a short period on each day).

KSI - Killed or Seriously Injured. Totally unrelated to my problems!

[Kermit power]

garyhun said:

Kermit power said:

Garyhun's response rather proved my point.

You'll have to do better than that as it does no such thing but highlight the ludicrousness of your post.

You're obviously a very angry man where this is concerned.

I suggest you stay off the roads and seek some anger management treatment.

Here have another, that post of yours was quite a rant

It's nothing to do with being angry, and everything to do with being able to think about the possible consequences of my actions.

I didn't die (obviously!) on that day, and the bloke who looked after me knew that by the time I saw him again. That still didn't stop him, a complete stranger, from bursting into tears when he opened the door.

I surprisingly remembered most of the accident and the immediate aftermath, right up to the point where he asked me if I could hear the ambulance siren. He told me that was the point at which I blacked out and started fitting. That wasn't much fun for him (or me!), but he was more freaked out by the police starting to measure the scene the assumption that they may be dealing with a fatal incident whilst the paramedics were still treating me.

Ultimately, who knows... without that wake up call - and the wake up call was not what I went through, but seeing the effect it had on a stranger who just happened to be there at the time - I might still share the immature thoughtlessness of your "it's my freedom of choice" attitude.

I'm not suggesting that people don't undertake risky activities. There's a risk every time I get on a road bike to commute on London roads or head off into the hills on my mountain bike, but like any sensible grown up, I'll assess the risk, weigh it against the rewards, and mitigate it where possible.

Wearing a bike helmet is right up there with wearing a seatbelt in the car in terms of ease and lack of downside. Of course it's not going to save you from everything, but it might save you in some situations, or at least lower the damage, but if you're determined to press on insisting on your freedom of choice, that's up to you. Hopefully your family won't ever have to pay a price for your precious freedom.

[anonymous-user]

Kermit, as I said earlier in this thread, it's an emotive subject and one which will never have universal agreement.

Let's agree to disagree shall we?

[ohHello]

Gaspode said:

That may or may not be the case, but surely by far the commonest head injury is caused by banging your head when you fall off your bike, and more or less any sort of hat or helmet would help. Of the cyclists who are hit by cars, I would think that the number who are actually run over is relatively small?

And yet the evidence shows that helmet wearing has no statistically significant effect on head injuries.

[anonymous-user]

ohHello said:

And yet the evidence shows that helmet wearing has no statistically significant effect on head injuries.

Oye, this is PH, it's opinion that matters!

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 12th September 12:15

[walm]

ohHello said:

And yet the evidence shows that helmet wearing has no statistically significant effect on head injuries.

Trust me.
Do.
Not.
Go.
There.

[Gaspode]

ohHello said:

And yet the evidence shows that helmet wearing has no statistically significant effect on head injuries.

Depends how they categorise head injuries, I would think.

I guess have fallen off bikes less than 100 times in my life, and in by far the majority of those I wasn't wearing a helmet (I started riding bikes at the age of 5 in 1964, and they were my only transport up until 1977). On the few occasions when I have hit my head, I haven't sustained any major injuries, the worst was a few cuts and a headache for a day or so.

So you could argue that in by far the majority of accidents, wearing helmet would make no or little material outcome, and from my experience I would agree.

But the fact remains I ask myself the question "If I were to bang my head when falling off, would I rather be wearing a helmet?" and I always answer yes. But that doesn't mean I would refuse to get on a bike if a helmet wasn't available, and neither does it mean I think they should be made compulsory.

[ohHello]

Gaspode said:

Depends how they categorise head injuries, I would think.

I guess have fallen off bikes less than 100 times in my life, and in by far the majority of those I wasn't wearing a helmet (I started riding bikes at the age of 5 in 1964, and they were my only transport up until 1977). On the few occasions when I have hit my head, I haven't sustained any major injuries, the worst was a few cuts and a headache for a day or so.

So you could argue that in by far the majority of accidents, wearing helmet would make no or little material outcome, and from my experience I would agree.

But the fact remains I ask myself the question "If I were to bang my head when falling off, would I rather be wearing a helmet?" and I always answer yes. But that doesn't mean I would refuse to get on a bike if a helmet wasn't available, and neither does it mean I think they should be made compulsory.

I don't think there are no circumstances where a helmet will help, but:

-Cycling is low risk
-The likelihood of falling off and hitting your head is low
-The range of incidents where a helmet would make the difference between a serious head injury and only a minor one, or the difference between death and "only" a serious head injury is vanishingly small

Therefore, I wearing a helmet is so unlikely to make a difference to my safety as to be not worth the bother. I find cycling much more enjoyable without wearing one.

There are plenty of activities we do where the risk of head injuries is similar, or even higher than cycling, yet we do not suggest people wear helmets for those.

Oh, actually I do wear one when mountain biking, because I fall off a lot, and at the sort of speeds where it might actually help.

[Watchman]

Has everybody missed the countless other helmet threads or something?

I think it was established earlier in this thread that the OP only really wanted to bring to people's awareness the video made by the WPC, and that the major contributory factor in the unfortunate story was the lack of lighting/visible clothing.


Do we really need to continue to debate helmets? What is being written here has been written again and again, and people's opinions on this have not and will not change because of one person's experience or another person posting up some dubiously-verifiable statistics.

[yellowjack]

Watchman said:

Has everybody missed the countless other helmet threads or something?

I think it was established earlier in this thread that the OP only really wanted to bring to people's awareness the video made by the WPC, and that the major contributory factor in the unfortunate story was the lack of lighting/visible clothing.


Do we really need to continue to debate helmets? What is being written here has been written again and again, and people's opinions on this have not and will not change because of one person's experience or another person posting up some dubiously-verifiable statistics.

[ohHello]

Watchman said:

I think it was established earlier in this thread that the OP only really wanted to bring to people's awareness the video made by the WPC, and that the major contributory factor in the unfortunate story was the lack of lighting/visible clothing.

In which case, a better title for the thread would have been "Fit those lights!" not "Wear that helmet!"

[TheLemming]

The other downside of statistics is that they are incomplete.
Based on either self-reported statistics (flawed) or hospital / treatment records which only include treatment accidents - and ignore the accidents where no treatment was needed (because of wearing a helmet or not).

Personally I've had at least one accident that helmetless would have been an A&E visit at best (my head whiplashed into the tarmac HARD), but instead isn't included in any statistic.

Above all though the biggest statistic proved throughout the world is that cycling is a net health benefit and that mandatory helmet laws reduce cycling uptake.

Cycling without a helmet is better for you (as an overall statistic) than not cycling at all and will as an aggregate increase the lifespan and the fitness and quality of life of everyone who does.

So the main reason that any helmet discussion gets shut down hard by everyone involved is that (lets be honest) most cyclists would agree that helmets are a "good idea" - but that mandatory helmet use is a bad idea.

Personally, if I'm nipping to town or heading to the pub I wont bother (it's under a mile). If I'm going out riding I will always have one on.

[Watchman]

ohHello said:

Watchman said:

I think it was established earlier in this thread that the OP only really wanted to bring to people's awareness the video made by the WPC, and that the major contributory factor in the unfortunate story was the lack of lighting/visible clothing.

In which case, a better title for the thread would have been "Fit those lights!" not "Wear that helmet!"

It was established that the title could have been better. If you've read this far, you'd have seen that.

[TKF]

ohHello said:

Even if helmets were 100% effective in preventing head injuries, a mandatory law still doesn't make sense, as more people will die from inactivity due to being put off cycling than would possibly be saved due to reduced head injuries.

Whichever way you look at it, mandatory helmet laws are a public health disaster.

Hi heebeegeetee. No need to register a brand new account just for this thread.

[ohHello]

TKF said:

Hi heebeegeetee. No need to register a brand new account just for this thread.

Huh?

[Pot Bellied Fool]

ohHello said:

In which case, a better title for the thread would have been "Fit those lights!" not "Wear that helmet!"

We've already established that I named it wrong! Mea Culpa.

[Pot Bellied Fool]

Watchman said:

I think it was established earlier in this thread that the OP only really wanted to bring to people's awareness the video made by the WPC, and that the major contributory factor in the unfortunate story was the lack of lighting/visible clothing.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Thought of this thread on Saturday

Had a nasty accident on the last bit of a club ride, I was rushing home to take the family shopping (ironically I hate shopping!)

In a split second I was thrown over the handlebars on an empty road, just on a straight piece of smooth road no obstacles

I think I hit a pothole and the metal mudguard was a touch loose, so it jammed in the wheel, I've had a few crashes , but this was the quickest, not even a split second to realise or react. I was straight over the handlebars and landed head/face first on the ground, I didn't even get my hands out, I think I might of somersaulted in the air. My club mate then hit me/my bike and went off as well

My helmet took most of the impact and a huge chunk is missing, Ive already binned it. My face is a mess, bruised ice socket, deep graize and very fat lip, rest of me is OK. I guess I was very lucky not to loose teeth, as the helmet took most of the impact away from my mouth. Bike is a bit fcked, especally the brand new wheels I just put on for the ride!

Not really sure why I am posting this, but it reinforces in my mind why helmets are a "no brainer" (oh dear) . For me the worst thing about "crashing" is the "what ifs" and the trauma after, I keep going over in my mind what an idiot I was and what I could have done to avoid it, I would hate myself even more if I didn't take the precaution of wearing a helmet as I would probably be a lot worse and missing some teeth!