In 33 years, I've needed a car seatbelt once and never needed a bike helmet.

Yeah, and in 48 years I've never needed insurance.
Well, I have, but you might be able to understand my point.

and why don't taxi drivers wear seatbelts?

Always banging my helmeted head on the garage door, never done it when not wearing a helmet: garage doors are rubbish.

Also, the first big crash I had while wearing a helmet resulted in the peak of my helmet rotating down and pushing my glasses into the bridge of my nose, cue lots of blood and a visit to the race St Johns Ambulance folk. The scar will be there for life: glasses and helmet peaks are rubbish too.

Although it could be that my spatial awareness is rubbish, at a push.

and why don't taxi drivers wear seatbelts?

I think it's because it's assumed they'll always be jumping in and out to carry passenger's bags etc

This thread has scared me. I know what I'm wearing from now on…

Question for the TJ lobby….. How do you decide when you are going to stack? Personally I've been doing this stuff for years and still manage to do it from time to time without any sort of pre-planning. So how is it you know when to wear a lid or not?? Obviously I'm doing something wrong and would love to reach this zen like plateau of man/machine/trail oneness.

Oh dear – why oh why have so many folk totally missed what little point this thread has?

Bermbandit – its all about realistic assessment of relative risk. Some activities you are more likely to crash than others.

Concussion is a sign of rotational injury ( but not conclusive) Weight worsens whiplash type neck injuries.

I'd rather have a bit of whiplash than a big crack in my skull and my brains leaking out all over the place.

a big crack in my skull and my brains leaking out all over the place.

Which a cycle helmet will not prevent.

TandemJeremy – Member

Oh dear – why oh why have so many folk totally missed what little point this thread has?

So if Helmets don't reduce head injuries whats the point in anyone wearing them? F1 drivers, Motorcyclists, Millitary pilots list could go on….

Admirable – whats that wooshing noise?

Cycle helmets are very different from those you mention and simply are not able to absorb enough energy in high energy impacts to make a large difference to outcomes. A cycle helmet weighs 400 g a motorcycle helmet 1.5 kg

aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. TJ you tool.

How do you decide when you are going to stack? Personally I've been doing this stuff for years and still manage to do it from time to time without any sort of pre-planning. So how is it you know when to wear a lid or not?? Obviously I'm doing something wrong and would love to reach this zen like plateau of man/machine/trail oneness.

Riding 100 miles in one go, including red grade singletrack.
Group rides on black grade trails.
Solo rides, on- and off-road, into the middle of nowhere.
Riding MTB to work, mainly on bike paths.
Riding cargo bike to work, mainly on bike paths.

For some of these, I'd wear a helmet. For others, I might not.

When I ride my cargo bike to work, I'm not going that much faster than walking pace, on flatter paths than I'd be walking on and I'm away from traffic for the most part.

Berm bandit; relative risk. Statistically speaking you're more likely to slip in the shower or fall down the stairs, would you consider a stair helmet especially made for the purpose? No, of course not, and by the same token millions of folk around the world cycling to and from their destinations daily with the breeze playing teasingly through their hair, go untroubled by thoughts of Giro's latest offerings.

…simply are not able to absorb enough energy in high energy impacts to make a large difference to outcomes

OK so how does the human skull on its own compare?
Can it absorb say 50% of the energy that the bike helmet could?