Springs here, time to dump the helmet

[Mark_Robson]

New here - but was on looking for details on my new bike. I got a new bike because I had an off a couple of weeks ago, driver coming the opposite direction turned right in front of me, I went over his bonnet at 20mph and my head smashed his windscreen in, I didn't feel it but my helmet has quarter of it taken out in a chunk; helmet saved my life! I'm glad I was wearing it and would never go without a helmet before or even more now!

Hi and welcome to the site Gav.
You will be surprised to know that there is an element of cyclists who believe that helmets play no part in cycling. They will tell you that your helmet played no part in saving your life and that if you hadn't been wearing one you may not have been involved in the accident at all, as helmets make cyclists and motorists less cautious. They will try to convince you that helmets offer no protection and that they are purely a placebo to make the more naive cyclist believe that he or she is contributing to their own safety whilst cycling.

Try doing a forum search on helmets and set aside a couple of weeks to wade through the arguments.

 

[Generationgav]

I've had similar arguments with other cyclists. The driver was a smidsy and I can't see why no helmet would had made me more visible; I was on a White bike and I'm 6ft 4! Also no helmet wouldnt have made me brake harder. I understand all of the arguments, but wanted to give my opinion. The police, paramedics and ambulance staff said the helmet saved my life; maybe not but i'm sure it saved me from a broken skull!

 

[Red Light]

[quote ='Mark_Robson' ]

You will be surprised to know that there is an element of cyclists who believe that helmets play no part in cycling. They will tell you that your helmet played no part in saving your life and that if you hadn't been wearing one you may not have been involved in the accident at all, as helmets make cyclists and motorists less cautious. They will try to convince you that helmets offer no protection and that they are purely a placebo to make the more naive cyclist believe that he or she is contributing to their own safety whilst cycling.

Try doing a forum search on helmets and set aside a couple of weeks to wade through the arguments.[/quote]

Or have a peruse of this figure from the British Medical Journal showing the effect changes in helmet wearing had on cyclists in Ontario. You can see by just how much head injuries fell when cycle helmet use doubled and by how much they increased again when it halved before drawing your own conclusions on how effective they are.

 

[lit]

I've had similar arguments with other cyclists

why the need to bother? wear a helmet if you want, I and many others are happier without.

 

[yello]

My lid's staying on as I can't face a messy divorce, living in a bedsit, post divorce car crash relationships, unmemorable one night stands, a drink and occasional drug problem and the inevitable depression.

Just for anyone that's interested, you can have that lifestyle and wear a helmet if you want. The two are not mutually exclusive

 

[dondare]

This is the time of year when i stop wearing a helmet for commuting...light in the mornings, light in the evenings, little or no ice, my reasoning is it's a lot more dangerous in the winter...its time to get the wind in my hair

Do you do the same ?

No, because I don't wear one in Winter.
And yet I continue to live!!!!

 

[iZaP]

I don't wear a helmet unless it's necessary

 

[dondare]

I've had similar arguments with other cyclists. The driver was a smidsy and I can't see why no helmet would had made me more visible; I was on a White bike and I'm 6ft 4! Also no helmet wouldnt have made me brake harder. I understand all of the arguments, but wanted to give my opinion. The police, paramedics and ambulance staff said the helmet saved my life; maybe not but i'm sure it saved me from a broken skull!

There are so many "my helmet saved me" stories that the only possible conclusion is that helmeted cyclists are considerably more accident-prone than non-helmeted ones.

 

[Mark_Robson]

There are so many "my helmet saved me" stories that the only possible conclusion is that helmeted cyclists are considerably more accident-prone than non-helmeted ones.

Unless the non-helmeted ones didn't live to tell the tale.

 

[jig-sore]

fact number 1: my helmet saved my from a nasty smack to the side of the head last year when i went down on mud.

fact number 2: on Friday (very hot weather) my helmet caused me to over heat 50 miles into a ride. i had to take it off and ride without it the rest of the way and soon cooled down after that.

so i agree that helmets are needed, but if they are gonna make you pass out ??? maybe i need a better ventilated one ??

 

[gb155]

I love this debate

my (then) 19 stone body, moving at 20 Mph, being hit by a van doing about the same, landed on the back of my head

It took the full force, Maybe I just got lucky, but as my head was fine, I dont see the point in wearing one


*time to sit back and watch the flame war now I guess*

 

[DrSquirrel]

Well gb155, your type of events is more reliable than others that say "the helmet saved my life".


You know you're not dead (without using a helmet)

vs

They don't know if they would have died... (without using a helmet)

 

[ufkacbln]

[QUOTE 1334163"]
Yep, leave Cuno and BM to their usual ways however I will say the following:

HELMETS SAVE LIVES
[/quote]

SO DOES THE THUDGUARD!

 

[fossyant]

not another debate...........

OK Facts...

Only ever felt glad of my helmet on two occasions.... once in an MTB race - tw@tted a low level branch, and the other time was me landing on my head and shoulder in Dec 2008 (which lead to surgery on shoulder) - just so happened to stop the third party being a pain. Oh and I still had a bad head ache for a week, gravel rash of the skull can't be funny - not much flesh.

TBH I wear my helmet as an air cooling system - always use a skull cap under, that wicks the sweat and my lid evaporates it. I wear glasses too. Works for me.

 

[dondare]

Unless the non-helmeted ones didn't live to tell the tale.

Then there would be a great many more dead cyclists.