Helemt or not??
- Thread starter Bugner
- Start date
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"Distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes" - Henry Thoreau.
If cyclists dress like downhill skiers it sets them apart from the crowd, and the crowd then distrust cyclists and bikes. Wearing a helmet and lycra turns you into an object of ridicule and scorn, even if you look damn' good in them. Even if you wear everyday clothes and don the helmet when you're on the bike, it still makes you look different enough. Actually I'm not too bothered by what people think of me personally, but I am concerned by anything that makes cyclists look like fringe people, because it enhances prejudices and discourages people from cycling, and we all benefit if cycling is seen as an everyday activity that normal people can do rather than a peculiar eccentricity. One of the biggest problems with helmet wearing is that it reinforces the myth that cycling is dangerous, and that myth can do us a lot of harm. Cyclists who are involved in accidents are often blamed because they "knew the risks". Cyclists who don't wear helmets are accused of putting an unacceptable burden on the NHS and making the poor innocent motorists who kill them feel bad, the selfish bastards!
In reality normal cycle commuting and touring are as safe as walking. Cycle sports and some forms of recreation have higher risks associated with them so a helmet might be advisable, or even compulsory for participants.
If cyclists dress like downhill skiers it sets them apart from the crowd, and the crowd then distrust cyclists and bikes. Wearing a helmet and lycra turns you into an object of ridicule and scorn, even if you look damn' good in them. Even if you wear everyday clothes and don the helmet when you're on the bike, it still makes you look different enough. Actually I'm not too bothered by what people think of me personally, but I am concerned by anything that makes cyclists look like fringe people, because it enhances prejudices and discourages people from cycling, and we all benefit if cycling is seen as an everyday activity that normal people can do rather than a peculiar eccentricity. One of the biggest problems with helmet wearing is that it reinforces the myth that cycling is dangerous, and that myth can do us a lot of harm. Cyclists who are involved in accidents are often blamed because they "knew the risks". Cyclists who don't wear helmets are accused of putting an unacceptable burden on the NHS and making the poor innocent motorists who kill them feel bad, the selfish bastards!
In reality normal cycle commuting and touring are as safe as walking. Cycle sports and some forms of recreation have higher risks associated with them so a helmet might be advisable, or even compulsory for participants.
Twenty Inch
Guru
- Location
- Behind a desk
Most people focus on the post-accident effects of a helmet. One of the most interesting studies of recent years is the 2006 Bath study that shows that motorists pass closer when the cyclist is wearing a helmet. In other words, helmets can make collisions more likely.
Riding in Circles
Veteran
- Location
- EDINBURGH
I hear that in Scotland, woks are becoming popular as an alternative to cycle helmets.
Riding in Circles
Veteran
- Location
- EDINBURGH
I rarely wear one and if I do then it is for warmth and visibility, but then I have three wheels.
Riding in Circles
Veteran
- Location
- EDINBURGH
domtyler said:Woks or chip pans?
Definitely woks, wide brimmed and big enough for a head and a camera.
In spite of my opinion that helmets are unnecessary because serious accidents are not more common among cyclists than any other group, I do sometimes wear one if I am travelling on a stretch of road which is so poorly desgned that it increases the risk of an accident. It isn't that I believe the helmet will do the slightest bit of good if I'm hit from behind by a speeding car, it's that I don't want the driver to be able claim contributary negligence. I'd sooner see all reference to cycle helmets removed from the Highway Code.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
Catrike UK said:
You heard correctly.
The acrid fumes given off when heated make cycle helmets quite impractical.
dondare said:
(hilighted bit that I think is sadly very true)
Its simply spurious to claim that there is a clear advantage in wearing a helmet. Leaving aside, for the moment, the argument that making people wear helmets discourages people from cycling (as its irrelevent to my individual decision) the biggest problem we face is that if you end up as witness in court to an accident in which you've been hit, and you weren't wearing a helmet, the prosecutor will use that against you. And many a judge will believe that this is evidence of being irresponsible. And yes, its barking mad, but thats how it is.
If it is appropriate for cyclists to wear helmets to ride, say, three miles, then pedestrians (who suffer a similar rate of head injury per unit distance travelled) should also wear helmets for walking, say, three miles. No one believes that they should; the problem is that there is such a widely held, popular misconception that cycle helmets are obviously good.
The solution? Well, the only one I can think of is to encourage more people to cycle. This misconception only works because most people aren't cyclists.
