Bike helmets

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I have never worn a helmet and always cycle with headphones on. Mind you, where I cycle, I'd be lucky to see more than 2 tractors in an hour

bigjl

Retrogamer wrote: »

This would maybe be better in the cycling forums.

I don't wear a helmet when cycling on the roads. Only on dangerous sections of off road.

There are dozens of studies out there that have concluded that wearing a helmet can increase the risk of serious injury or death through indirect means.
I.e motorists have been shown to give cyclists who wear helmets less space than those who don't meaning the chance of being hit by a car is greater.
Or the cyclist feels more protected so will sometimes subconsciously take more risks than someone that has no helmet and feels more vulnerable.

I don't wear them all the time because they cause me to overheat (i'm quite overweight) and the straps always cause chafing under my chin and around the kneck. If i loosen it so they don't then it might fall off and it's useless anyway.

I sometimes wear headphones when cycling as well. Means if i'm chatting to someone on the hands free kit then it's safer, or if i'm listening to music i usually only keep in the nearside headphone and pop out the offside one.

To be fair if a car is coming towards me and is going to run into me from a direction that i can't see it, hearing it is going to do little to benefit me.

These studies are one thing.

Lots of number crunching by people who either rarely see an actual patient or indeed have never see no one.

There are several Dr's that cycle to their shifts at Hospital in London, the ones that do (specifically A&E Consultants) all wear helmets.

A very minor spill can result in a fatal HI without a helmet, falling over from standing can also result in a fatal HI.

The kinds of mechanisms of injury that result in the kinds of brain injuries being discussed are significant and it is likely that without the helmet a much worse brain injury would have resulted, perhaps even a depressed skull fracture.

I would not allow my children to ride on the road without a helmet.

RichardD1970

bigjl wrote: »

A very minor spill can result in a fatal HI without a helmet, falling over from standing can also result in a fatal HI.

So we should all wear helmets when out walking or in fact doing anything?

loskie

Tyler, reading your OP it seems your main issue is cyclists not adhering to the rules of the road nothing to do with wearing helmets.
Cyclists riding within the rules should be enforced yes but making helmets compulsory will not achieve that.
I would choose not to wear a helmet. That is coming from the son of a man who from the mid 70's to retiring about 12 years ago designed and developed protective headwear from motorcylce to aircrew helmets.

Retrogamer

bigjl wrote: »

These studies are one thing.
Lots of number crunching by people who either rarely see an actual patient or indeed have never see no one.

The numbers are an inconvenient fact for a lot of people. The studies i seen, was for patients who were admitted to hospitals for cycling related injuries and the numbers showed in virtually all cases that there was a much higher percentage of people who head injuries were wearing helmets, vs those that don't.

They showed statistically, wearing a helmet meant you were at higher risk from a head injury, than without.

The other studies showed behavior of cyclists when using helmets then without and also how other road users behaved around road users with helmets than those without.

Traffic traveled much closer to cyclists when they were wearing helmets and cyclists when wearing helmets went faster and took most risks, probably due to the more protective feeling.

RichardD1970 wrote: »

So we should all wear helmets when out walking or in fact doing anything?

Exactly. People suggest wearing helmets when cycling because there is a risk you'll fall and hit your head but in the 27 or so years i've been cycling i've probably fell and hit my head more in the snow or ice than i have cycling but no one advocates head protection when the pavements are slippy.

Strider590

It's probably been mentioned, but in a car v cyclist incident a normal cycle helmet is about as much use as an egg carton.

Cycle helmets are designed for falls under 15mph, not for anything involving traffic.

Lastly, if your driving around getting all worked up about people you perceive to be doing wrong, I suggest you read up on the appropriate subject first or preferably mind your own damn business...... Too many "my way code" vigilantes out on the roads, they're danger to everyone.

Richard53

There is no recognised testing programme for cycle helmets, as there is with motorcycle helmets or car safety (e.g. SHARP and NCAP), so helmets cannot be sold on the basis of their 'safety rating'. Cycle helmet advertising focuses on style and comfort, not safety - because they know there is no credible evidence to support any claims. I believe the design parameters for cycle helmets are to protect against a fall of 2 metres while stationary, so as soon as you get riding you are outside the envelope anyway.


As has been stated many times above, there is no evidence anywhere in the world that helmets reduce death and injury among cyclists. I sometimes think that people argue this from a common sense perspective - 'never mind what the evidence says, they must be safer because they just must be.' I wonder also if there is an element of jealousy: motoring is beset by so many rules and regulations that the sight of a cyclist minding his own business, free of taxes, duties and bureaucracy, riding along bare-headed with a smile on his face just makes people angry as they sit and sweat in their regulated tin boxes.


I wear a helmet about 50% of the time. I don't believe it makes one iota of difference to my safety, and I find wearing it a bit annoying, but my wife likes the idea so I go along with it for her sake when I am commuting. And, for the record, I obey traffic laws when on the bicycle, always.


(Also - this discussion has been remarkably civilised. Try posting a helmet opinion on a cycling forum and watch the fur fly. Usually it's like World War Three. The forum I read most often has a separate sub-forum for helmet discussions, to avoid contaminating the rest of the board with pointless angry posts.)

Johnmcl7

Retrogamer wrote: »

I don't wear them all the time because they cause me to overheat (i'm quite overweight) and the straps always cause chafing under my chin and around the kneck. If i loosen it so they don't then it might fall off and it's useless anyway.

The chin strap sounds like it's far too tight - you should be able to place your finger under the strap when you've got the helmet on. You should be able to put your head forward and hold it there without the helmet moving, if not you need to tighten up the adjuster at the back. If you're not able to do that and wanting to wear a helmet, it may be worth trying some different makes as some will fit better than others.

I find modern helmets quite comfortable to wear and don't really notice mine when I have it on, I wear one pretty much all the time unless I forget it but doesn't bother me in the slightest whether other people wear a helmet or not.

John

neilmcl

Strider590 wrote: »

It's probably been mentioned, but in a car v cyclist incident a normal cycle helmet is about as much use as an egg carton.

Cycle helmets are designed for falls under 15mph, not for anything involving traffic.

For someone who's come off pretty bad after a head on with a car whilst not wearing a helmet I'd have to disagree strongly with you, and I'd imagine the majority of medical professionals/trauma specialists would also disagree.

thescouselander

Personally I do wear a helmet but only because if I didn't and I was in an accident any compensation due might be reduced - I seriously doubt the effectiveness of bike helmets as they're too thin and flimsy to provide and significant protection from injury - especially concussive injuries.

I've heard it said bike style helmets are most effective for crashes under 12 mph - if that's true then the group who'd benefit most from wearing them are pedestrians. Why shouldn't they be made to wear helmets?