Hard hat...

[Mike5537]

Here is whats left of my brothers helmet after he went off a jump too fast and landed on his head, it more than likely saved his life. needless to say no matter how good you think you are, wear a helmet!

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[middleagecyclist]

While I choose to wear a helmet I do so most of the time to keep my other half happy. I am under no illusion about the safety claims that are offered.

I'm very glad your brother survived his fall but the fact his helmet broke does not prove it saved his life by any means. A polystyrene helmet behaves in a very different way to bone. It more than likely reduced or prevented some scalp damage though.

In fact helmets can potentially can make neck injuries more severe by increasing rotational injury and they do bugger all to reduce/prevent diffuse axonal injury (the shaking/tearing of the brain inside the skull when movement is stopped suddenly). There is also evidence helmet wearers are passed more closely by car drivers and then there is the societal health impact of expected helmet wearing on reducing the number of cyclists and so reducing potential exercise. The best thing about the Boris Bikes IMO is the fact helmets are not required as part of the hire arrangement.

I'll continue to wear a helmet for my reasons (marital harmony) but will politely resist any attempt to make helmet wearing mandatory or expected on wider level.

 

[Jdratcliffe]

While I choose to wear a helmet I do so most of the time to keep my other half happy. I am under no illusion about the safety claims that are offered.

I'll continue to wear a helmet for my reasons (marital harmony) but will politely resist any attempt to make helmet wearing mandatory or expected on wider level.

+ 1

 

[Francesca]

Glad your bro is ok Mike.Thats really great news . I choose to wear a helmet everytime I am MTB or cycling on road and agree with the safety aspects etc and not bothered what others think, its my choice. However, there are many people on here who do not wish to wear a helmet for their own personal reasons. Be ready for some responses from them in relation to your post!!

 

[Mike5537]

If people dont want to wear helmets thats fine, I understand both sides of the argument. Personally I feel safer with mine on the road, off road it varies with my mood so I can't tell people what to do, but in this situation (location, use, impact) then the helmet made a big difference!

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[Globalti]

I don't need convincing - I once hit a kid on a BSO who suddenly swerved out in front of me. I bounced off, hit the pavement and somersaulted over the bars slamming the back of my head hard on the ground. The impact made me see stars and left the texture of the ground imprinted on the shell while the rear straps were embedded deeply into the shell, which broke along its length. I have no doubt that without the helmet I'd have been knocked unconscious at best so I reckon anything, which reduces the odds of a serious injury has got to be worth using.

 

[Red Light]

Another failed helmet. No sign of compression of the foam, just a broken bit of polystyrene in its place. It didn't save his life, it failed.

 

[screenman]

Err! Foam has a memory so once it has compressed it will return to its original size. You sir I would suggest may not know what you are talking about.

 

[Francesca]

lol!! helmet debate coming! ! where's Adrian ??

 

[screenman]

Fran, is that the best that you had to contribute?

 

[middleagecyclist]

At this point I would just like to reproduce a comment left on my blog some time ago which i think has relevance and humour.

Ask a person if, when carrying an uncooked egg in his breastpocket, wether that egg would protect his head when, say, being hit by a car, and that person would say that, of course, a raw egg in his pocket wouldn't, couldn't protect him. "Even if it broke?", you would ask. "Especially if it broke!", he would say. The idea that something as fragile and inherently breakable could somehow protect you from harm would be considered ludicrous.

Then ask him if that same egg could protect him from braindamage if you would ducttape it on top of his head. You will get the same negative answer. He'd probably shoot you an incredulous look as well as a few suggestive remarks about 'sympathetic magic'.

But ask him if he thinks a styrofoam helmet would protect him from getting braindamaged after being hit by a car and he will launch into descriptions of having fallen of his bike once and his helmet breaking and that this was proof, *proof* I tell you!, for the helmet's noggin'-safing abilities.

 

[middleagecyclist]

[QUOTE 1916469, member: 45"]...this is an internet helmet argument, so it's completely pointless.[/quote]
Beg to differ. Just because the arguments are well known to most and the battle lines already well established there's no reason we can't have a bit of light hearted banter!

 

[middleagecyclist]

[QUOTE 1916487, member: 45"]
Why are you suggesting that a raw egg is comparable in protective abilities to a helmet, you breathin' eejit?[/quote]
Calm down dear!

Because it is as tested as any helmet is tested above 12mph impacts i.e. not at all!

Not many would believe a broken egg is proof it would have protected a skull/brain in the event of an impact yet some are all too willing to believe a broken helmet is some how proof it did its job.

The fact a helmet breaks does not mean the skull would have broken if the helmet was not there!

 

[screenman]

That last line is also a very glass half empty line.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Perhaps the egg would make a good blood coagulant. It works for car radiators I'm told