dhk said:Sorry, but these vaguely-worded generalizations sound totally ignorant to me. We all know that helmets provide a degree of protection against any head injury.
We assume that. I'm now not totally convinced that they do. Did you read the whole website, or just that page? It's very interesting, no matter the choice to wear a helmet or not.
The notion that I'm more likely to crash when wearing a helmet is ridiculous. I haven't ridden without a helmet in 30 years, and still am very aware of the possibility of crashing whenever the road is slick, sandy or rough, or when I'm bombing downhill at 50 mph and the warning sign has the upcoming turn marked at 25.
I believe what is being referred to is not the individual, but the group. For every safety aware individual like yourself, there's an individual who doesn't even consider safety. That individual, when wearing a helmet, is likely to "risk compensate".
Not sure what "extremely small" risk is, but head-injury is one of the primary causes of death in cycling accidents.
This data - from Sécurité Routière; CERTU (Centre d'études sur les réseaux, les transports, l'urbanisme et les consturctions publiques). March 2005. - suggests otherwise.
The health benefits of cycling are the same whether I'm wearing a helmet or not; just that going bare-headed increases the risk of something very unhealthy occurring.
The health benefits of cycling are the same whether a helmet is being worn or not. That is, if one is cycling. This is the concern for compulsory helmet legislation; it reduces the number of cyclists. Going bare-headed does not increase the risk of something unhealthy occurring. If one is in an accident, wearing a helmet may well counter some damage, but the issue is contentious enough not to be able to state it as fact.
Agree on the final summary: learning to ride well and avoiding crashes is the best defense. But again, what does that have to do with helmet use?
It implies that wearing a helmet does not necessarily make you safe. I see the information being there for us to make an informed choice to wear a helmet or not.
I have been fortunate never to have received a serious injury in 30 years of riding, but I understand that I can be in an accident on my next ride, either due to a mistake on my part, or caused by another rider or driver. Anyone who thinks they are too good or too experienced a rider to ever crash is really fooling themselves.
Totally. Awareness is the bedrock of safety.