No Helmet = No Seatbelt!!! - Page 3

True, but its not enforced in Sydney. Can't speak for the rest of OZ.

The only reason not to wear a helmet is cos your stupid.

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Not sure if that's entirely true. One of the guys I work with who rides from the Eastern Suburbs to the city has been fined twice for not wearing a helmet and once for riding without lights at night. Both ocassions near Hyde Park.

You're being kind

I did hear a cop tell a lady as she rode on the footpath to wear a helmet next time. A few days later I saw a cop hand a guy a piece of paper[I assume a fine] & he had no helmet.
When the law first came in you would see people being fined on a regular basis, now it rarely happens.

I don't know; I think I need to see a study to prove it. Maybe I will go out and beat my head against the tarmac with a helmet and then go out and beat my head against the tarmac without a helmet and then see which beating feels better.

Despite what many may say or believe about helmets, you can summarize all those arguments with this analogy. It's better to have some insurance than no insurance at all and helmets are nowhere near as expensive as a week or more in the hospital. I never ride on a public road or in a group without one no matter how goofy or silly people may think I look (with or without head protection). Just my $0.02.

No actually, the only reason not to wear a helmet is because you have a realistic understanding of the miniscule risk of riding a bicycle without one and are willing to take that miniscule risk. Note, I'm not saying that a helmet doesn't provide some amount of protection (the jury's out on how much), I'm just saying that it is a very reasonable decision for an adult to look at the very small risk of riding without one and decide not to bother.

My opinion is that the hysteria about helmet use is causing less bicycle riding (due to the hassle and the mistaken fear) and therefore causing more costly health ill-effects than the risk of injury of riding without helmets.

But I don't think governmental or private helmet zealots look at it this way. They just say "hey, if you hit something, your helmet will protect you", therefore everyone should wear one. OK, but there's a lot of tiny risks of illness and injury that we do not protect ourselves against. Why cycling? It's just stigmatizing it and less people ride.

For what it's worth, I was knocked off my bike by a 180 pound Great Pyrenees dog about six weeks ago.

I was at the front of a paceline when this dog ran out in front of me from behind a bush, and I didn't see him until he was right under my front wheel.

From rider accounts behind me, my front wheel (650C tri bike) tucked under the dog's shoulder, and I was flipped airborne and came down directly on my head! I was going 26mph when I hit the dog.

If you were to ask ANY of the dozen riders behind who witnessed this what they thought would have happened to me if I had not been wearing a helmet?? They would ALL agree with me. I would be done for, NO question.

Agreed. As a kid, I biked for 10 years, crashed plenty of times, and never hit my head. Toured while in HS and college for 2-3 years, crashed once, didn't hit my head. Raced irregularly for 8 years, crashed plenty of times, hit head just once, while wearing a hairnet. Post-racing fitness riding for 25 years, never even tipped over for failing to release clipless pedals. My racing scars have all healed, my bent frames and parts have all been replaced, and I do not want to go there again.

Of course, my wife insists I wear a hard helmet, and it helps me feel like part of the club. When I forget to put it on, though, it sure feels wonderful.

You've got to note that I was replying to Steelem. He is the type where you have to state the obvious !

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I have a tender spot on the back of my head from a no helmet stack 38 years ago.
I now always wear a well ventilated helmet with a peak.
I believe this stops my head from baking on a hot day, as well as the peak shading my eyes and offering some protection from stinging rain.
It will also help if my head ever bounces off the road again.

I have to admit, I'm not a zealot nor do I believe government regulation is the answer. It really is a matter of personal choice and responsibility. Sure, I like to ride sans helmet on occasion but I live in Metro Baltimore and believe me there are some *crazy* drivers around here so any amount of protection outside of airbags and a steel-reinforced safety riding cage is definitely necessary! Of course, there are those that respect the cyclists' use of the road with an occasional honk of the horn and wave to say "I see you and respect your use of the road" but there are some around here that will flip you off and try to get as close to you with the Urban Assault Minivan (R) as to run you off the road. Those are the worse, especially on those two-lane roads with no shoulder and a foot between the white line and a utility pole! I'll step off my soapbox now, but ultimately you have to be the judge and do whatever you feel comfortable with. Just don't forget to think about some of those wildcards with a driver's license out there. Be safe no matter how you choose to ride!