The Helmet Debate

[400bhp]

Am I the only person who wears a helmet, yet actually voices the right for people to choose not to do so?

No, of course not.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I wear one if the situation requires it: ie if I am DH MTB'ing

Other than that my cycling does not (IMO) require me to have one.

I don't demand that people wearing helmets take them off, but find it very strange that I am constantly adivised to wear one mainly by people who don't even ride a bike.

They have this formed idea that I will be 'safe' if I wear one. Thanks, but no thanks.

Where did they get the idea from if they don't ride a bike?

The media - and it's almost pathological portrayal of cyclists as Bob the Builder extras.

 

[Red Light]

Am I the only person who wears a helmet, yet actually voices the right for people to choose not to do so?

You mean you wouldn't arrest helmet wearers for impersonating a police officer?


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[400bhp]

Perhaps you have a point about the meeja.

But that doesn't mean they have an agenda. Ignorance more like.

And we can only speculate if this idea [formed by non cyclists] was generated by and perpetuated by the meeja.

Why do you wear a helmet for downhill mountain biking and not elsewhere, out of interest? Should you not wear a motorcycle type helmet for such events?

 

[ComedyPilot]

Ah dialogue.....now we're getting somewhere.

The meeja - why do they portray Dutch cyclists as predominantly regular people in normal clothes, yet British cyclists images are mainly sporting?

I wear a helmet when DH MTB'ing on account of all the trees and big rocks that might smack me about the head when I am pushing the limit on a gnarly black run.

I don't have such a problem on a summers evening run to the pub, down quiet country lanes.

 

[doog]

I wear one if the situation requires it: ie if I am DH MTB'ing

I don't demand that people wearing helmets take them off, but find it very strange that I am constantly adivised to wear one mainly by people who don't even ride a bike.

I find it strange that people are constantly advising you to wear a helmet. Everyone who knows me knows I am a cyclist, commuter and tourer and not one person has ever advised me to wear a helmet. Not even me mum!

 

[ianrauk]

I find it strange that people are constantly advising you to wear a helmet. Everyone who knows me knows I am a cyclist, commuter and tourer and not one person has ever advised me to wear a helmet. Not even me mum!

It happens......

 

[snorri]

The meeja - why do they portray Dutch cyclists as predominantly regular people in normal clothes, yet British cyclists images are mainly sporting?

I believe the images portrayed are generally an accurate assessment of the current situation in both countries. The majority of media images are of summer cycling which is when the sporting types are more numerous.
Instead of blaming the media for misrepresenting, you could be asking British cyclists why they feel it essential to get togged up in "all the gear" before getting on a bike. It's just not worth using a bike for short trips to the shops, pub, friends etc. if you have to spend time changing clothes before and after the journey, so they use alternative modes of transport. It's only in winter that normally dressed unhelmetted cyclists outnumber those with sporty clothing and helmets, in my locality.

 

[Sobrique]

Well, I have to say my 'default' assumption, was 'of course helmets are a good idea'. I started wearing one when much younger, as the insistence of my parents, and have never found them to be particularly a problem.
So I've been quite intrigued... well, if I'm honest, that there was any debate at all. But it's prompted me to start digging, and I've definitely found a shortage of research giving a reasonably good answer, one way or another.
That's something I find quite surprising actually - I'm used to seeing studies published successive years, effectively contradicting each other, because they've talking about different scenarios. But not really the degree to which the 'cycle helmet question' doesn't seem to have had really much at all in the way of credible research.

I'll accept that for most people, it's an open question - having cracked a cycle helmet on the front windscreen of a minibus, I'm inclined towards wearing them .
But I'd really appreciate it if someone could direct me towards ... well, any links that give results of studies into the subject?

Even if the eventual answer is 'sometimes yes, sometimes no'

 

[Nantmor]

For the anti side try http://www.cyclehelmets.org/
For the pro maybe http://www.bhit.org/

 

[Red Light]

Well,
But I'd really appreciate it if someone could direct me towards ... well, any links that give results of studies into the subject?

I would recommend Tim Gill's review for the National Children's Bureau to set the context and the two papers by Paul Hewson on the UK data sets as the best quality studies out there in a sea of very poor quality studies on both sides.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457505000588
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15389580590931590

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[ufkacbln]

For the anti side try http://www.cyclehelmets.org/
For the pro maybe http://www.bhit.org/

BHIT are the biggest bunch of inept, unprofessional and lying charlatans in the entire helmet debate. Most of the original high profile supporters very quickly jumped ship and distanced themselves as the claims became more bizarre and further from any form of reality

Typically they claim that helmets will save more lives each year than there are actual head injuries,

They figures for child deaths due to cycle head injuries are in fact greater then the number of had injuries in all cycling groups... etc


Even more brilliant is the extravagant, lying and unattributed claim that cycle helmets will save 50 children's lives per year.As the average number of deaths is 12 that means that cycle helmet compulsion would somehow create another 38 serious head injury accidents per year!


In the meanwhile I give you Angela Lee, Founder of BHIT showing her knowledge of how to wear a helmet that is too small, badly fitting, and apparently does not have straps, never mind actually fastening the thing in place..... a fine example of their values and I rest my case.

PS and as it is Christmas I have been charitable and toned down my views on this dangerous charlatan and her organisation!

 

[ComedyPilot]

I like the way cycling is linked with graphics to firemen (danger from blazing buildings etc, soldiers (bullets) Cricketers (some maniac throwing a hard ball at 100mph), Police officers (maniacs with claw hammers (happened to me))

Here's a point - Firemen don't wear the helmet all the time while being firemen, only when in danger. Cricketers don't wear it all the time, only when in danger. Police officers don't wear it all the time, only on foot patrol (for show/dress code/danger)

To state cyclists should wear a helmet at all times and link to people in dangerous professions is stupid in the extreme. I would prefer the responsibility for the vulnerability of children be put at the feet of the people most likely to kill or injure them: motorists.

 

[Nantmor]

BHIT are the biggest bunch of inept, unprofessional and lying charlatans in the entire helmet debate. Most of the original high profile supporters very quickly jumped ship and distanced themselves as the claims became more bizarre and further from any form of reality

Quite. I preferred to leave any inquirer to form their own judgements, rather than be accused of steering. Perhaps the worst lies did need pointing out.

 

[Red Light]

BHIT are the biggest bunch of inept, unprofessional and lying charlatans in the entire helmet debate.

The are not known colloquially as BsHIT or BeHIT for no reason.

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