Helmet: Yes Or No?
- Thread starter Gelsemium
- Start date
For what they cost me in money and loss of comfort, I say wearing a helmet is an excellent deal if they ever only would save me from splitting an eyebrow.
ER visits aren't fun in any way, shape or form.
We've done lots of things before that we don't do anymore.
The fact that something usually, by a far margin, is OK, isn't much of a comfort that time when the odds fall out against you.
Sure, it took decades of riding before I had a clean fall that ended up with me hitting my head.
And I'd probably have survived even w/o it.
But given the damage to the helmet, it would seriously have ruined my day.
ER visits aren't fun in any way, shape or form.
We've done lots of things before that we don't do anymore.
The fact that something usually, by a far margin, is OK, isn't much of a comfort that time when the odds fall out against you.
Sure, it took decades of riding before I had a clean fall that ended up with me hitting my head.
And I'd probably have survived even w/o it.
But given the damage to the helmet, it would seriously have ruined my day.
Quote by dabac:
"I say wearing a helmet is an excellent deal if they ever only would save me from splitting an eyebrow."
I got 3 stitches to the right eyebrow WHILE wearing a helmet. Fork blade collapsed as I accelerated away from a track stand at a red light.
But yeah, you're exactly correct. If a helmet saves a non-serious gash or scrape it is worth wearing it 'to me'. If it saves one from receiving coloring books for Christmas...it's most definitely worth wearing one.
"I say wearing a helmet is an excellent deal if they ever only would save me from splitting an eyebrow."
I got 3 stitches to the right eyebrow WHILE wearing a helmet. Fork blade collapsed as I accelerated away from a track stand at a red light.
But yeah, you're exactly correct. If a helmet saves a non-serious gash or scrape it is worth wearing it 'to me'. If it saves one from receiving coloring books for Christmas...it's most definitely worth wearing one.
Though riding a bike is great fun, there are assiciated risks. You could have an accident which you never anticipated so it's always good to mitigate the risks. Wearing a helmet is a must whenever you're riding and since injuries to the head can be complicated, it's always good to be on the safe side.
22 years ago, when we were expecting our daughter, my wife said, "Our child will need a dad, not a vegetable or a cadaver. Start wearing a real helmet."
She's in college now, and I wear a helmet. Curiously, the most damage my helmets have received has been from falling off the coat hook.
She's in college now, and I wear a helmet. Curiously, the most damage my helmets have received has been from falling off the coat hook.
I'm in New Zealand and cycling helmets are compulsory. I would wear one even if it wasn't.
I've had 2 accidents where wearing a helmet saved my head. The attached photo is where I landed face first after I crashed my mountain bike. The helmet prevented things from being a lot worse and alI I suffered was some grazing and cuts. The helmet was completely cracked all the way throguh in the front and had to be replaced. Another time I was standing beside my road bike and slipped over backwards and banged my head hard on the road. Just a couple of scratches to the helmet and no injuries to me.
I've had 2 accidents where wearing a helmet saved my head. The attached photo is where I landed face first after I crashed my mountain bike. The helmet prevented things from being a lot worse and alI I suffered was some grazing and cuts. The helmet was completely cracked all the way throguh in the front and had to be replaced. Another time I was standing beside my road bike and slipped over backwards and banged my head hard on the road. Just a couple of scratches to the helmet and no injuries to me.
Attachments
I've had two crashes which resulted in a broken helmet instead of a broken head, one of which involved a car. I've been on many rides where a crash has occurred and the rider has a broken helmet instead of a broken head.
This is a no-brainer to me. Helmet.
This is a no-brainer to me. Helmet.
Go easy on that line of argumentation.Gelsemium said:
Bicycle accidents resulting in serious head injuries are overall quite rare, and bicycle helmets are "only" designed to absorb a limited amount of impact energy.
Hence, claiming that "a helmet saved my life" has a sizeable assumption in it.
The relatively rare occurences, the dynamics and mechanics of a head injury due to a bicycle accident makes it quite hard to say with any precision how serious an injury you would have suffered without a helmet.
It's a "safer" and more true claim to simply state that "a helmet can limit your injuries".
Eventually that would mean that in some occasions helmets saves lives, but for an individual event, we don't know that.
That is why I don't use one haha, I've been riding for decades and never had an issue. I see it a little like the safety belt, when I was a kid we never used them and now we all use them. Ultimately they do save lives though, they have saved my kids lives in a car crash we had.dabac said:
Quote by Gelsemium:
"I've been riding for decades and never had an issue."
There are only two kinds of cyclists...
Don't get me wrong. I am all for freedom of choice and personal responsibility. Thank God I live in America and no government agency mandates that I wear a lid.
Yet.
"I've been riding for decades and never had an issue."
There are only two kinds of cyclists...
Don't get me wrong. I am all for freedom of choice and personal responsibility. Thank God I live in America and no government agency mandates that I wear a lid.
Yet.
lol I don't think I want to look like either of them personally. That brings up a lot of issues.
You should wear a helmet. Have there been times I have not worn a helmet? Yes. Did I live to regret it? No. Did I put myself at unnecessary risk? Yes.
You should wear a helmet. Have there been times I have not worn a helmet? Yes. Did I live to regret it? No. Did I put myself at unnecessary risk? Yes.
Similar threads
