helmets, because science

[mstone]

http://www.thewashcycle.com/2015/04/helmet-study-authors-change-their-tune.html

Unfortunately, science doesn’t have much impact on public policy or attitudes. It’s not a magic safety beanie, and there’s more to safe cycling than wearing a helmet. But that’ll still be the only thing the press asks about.

[peterw_diy]

I don’t think it’s what the press asks about – it’s a standard checkbox question on police accident reporting forms. Journos want facts and the police forms spoon feed them that info.

Here’s a NY form Google finds: http://dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv104c.pdf

No questions about debris on roadway (condition is either “paved” or “unpaved”). But they sure do look to see if there’s a brain bucket.

[Geoff]

Years ago one of my boys hit a curb hard. He was about 5 at the time. He pitched over the handlebars onto a concrete pad. If not for the helmet, and the fact he was wearing it correctly, the concrete would have sandpapered off his nose. You will understand that I still look back at that with horror at what might have been, and I have strong opinions on helmets.

[mstone]

@Geoff 114723 wrote:

Years ago one of my boys hit a curb hard. He was about 5 at the time. He pitched over the handlebars onto a concrete pad. If not for the helmet, and the fact he was wearing it correctly, the concrete would have sandpapered off his nose. You will understand that I still look back at that with horror at what might have been, and I have strong opinions on helmets.

A regular bike helmet isn’t designed to prevent facial lacerations. If that’s a concern, you should be wearing a full face helmet. Otherwise, that falls into the category of “got lucky”.

Helmet anecdotes tend also to rely very heavily on certainty regarding events which didn’t happen.

[PotomacCyclist]

I’d say that helmets are advisable for people on faster bikes (road and triathlon bikes) and for children, who may not have good coordination and bike handling skills. For other cases and situations, I think helmets are useful most of the time, but other elements play just as large a role in overall safety in those cases. For example, in the other thread, I described why I believe CaBi bikes are so safe, safer than other bikes. I don’t think it’s as important for an adult on a CaBi bike to wear a helmet as it is for that same adult to wear a helmet on a road bike.

On the other hand, teenaged boys can sometimes be risk-takers. I think it’s best for them to be wearing helmets. (Maybe even indoors too, LOL.)

[jrenaut]

Having the choice to wear a helmet is wonderful. Being required by law to wear one means fewer people ride bikes and we are all less safe.

[Greenbelt]

More lives would be saved if car drivers and passengers wore helmets. And pedestrians.

[rcannon100]

[Phatboing]

@Greenbelt 114729 wrote:

More lives would be saved if car drivers and passengers wore helmets. And pedestrians.

I don’t see how wearing a pedestrian is productive, but maybe it’s my lack of imagination.

[PotomacCyclist]

Should car drivers be required to wear pedestrians? That might actually help.

[KelOnWheels]

@PotomacCyclist 114734 wrote:

Should car drivers be required to wear pedestrians? That might actually help.

Some of them try to wear pedestrians on their cars. That usually doesn’t go well.

[PotomacCyclist]

But if they are wearing a pedestrian, they might be inclined to drive much more slowly. Slow cars means less risk for everyone.

FYI – From earlier in the thread, “advisable” is not the same as “mandatory” and it wasn’t intended to read as the same thing.

[Starduster]

“Wearing a pedestrian” is definitely not good for the pedestrian…

On helmets, from someone who has battle-tested them a couple of times, and is in his write-enough mind to right about it: *Highly* advisable and recommended, though the only place we can *mandate* it is for our children. A concussion is its own special Twilight Zone- but not a fun place to be. And the damage is *culmulative*. Some HOF NFL players have died, way too young, largely due to that cumulative brain damage. IndyCar driver & Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti had to retire for that reason. His doctors wanted him to remain a live hero, not a dead one. Lastly, a head injury can risk impairing a child’s entire future life.

No guarantees, just reduced probability of injury. Improving the odds.

[mstone]

@PotomacCyclist 114734 wrote:

Should car drivers be required to wear pedestrians? That might actually help.

I’m picturing this like those cow horns and wondering how that would help.

[Starduster]

P.S. Someone needs to do a *better-run* study. “Something for everyone” doesn’t cut it.

[Author]

Posts