My helmet (probably) saved my life today

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My helmet (probably) saved my life today

248 posts & 91 voices | Started 2 years ago by Kit | Latest reply from nonk

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helmet wearing

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Northwind - Member

Glad you're OK Kit, sounds like a nasty one... Not been a good couple of weeks for Edinburgh riders and helmets I think!

Shame that these threads can't help but become clashes of faith... Both sides know perfectly well there's both logic, medical and scientific evidence to support both arguments, yet selectively pick and choose what they want to bring to the table and dismiss everything else, or choose to exagerrate the effect of one type of injury and ignore others to support the anti-argument, or similiarly ignore those injuries as they don't fit the pro helmet argument. It's not discussion, it's dogma. No point in even getting into these conversations really...

Kit wrote: "Not that I needed convincing, but every medic I saw tonight (quite a few!) assured me I'd likely be dead if I hadn't worn my helmet."

That's exactly what they said to me when I had my big road crash. I didn't know a helmet could offer such protection from a shelf 2 miles away

But, I could crash the same crash tomorrow and be killed.

I'll not get into the discussion, I just cannot be bothered again but here's the one thing that I hate:

"NOBODY CAN PROVE THAT HELMETS SAVE LIVES"

Of course they can't. How could they? The nature of these injuries is that no such proof is possible. But this is totally different from proving that helmets don't save lives.

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Global warming? Its a fact that all the heat from debates on intent fora the world over has increased the temperature by 2 zillion degrees.

Sorry for hijacking your thread BTW

Posted 2 years ago #
stevenmenmuir - Member

I was once hit side on by a car in Edinburgh when I used to commute. I mounted the bonnet bounced of the windscreen and ended up twenty metres away, next to the kerb. I considered myself extremely lucky not to have hit my head as I had chosen not to wear my helmet that day. I would never chose not to wear a helmet again as i feel that I've had my lucky escape. There can't be many routes through Edinburgh where there isn't the chance, no matter how small, of some kind of incident. I'm just not going to take the chance again. I don't want see compulsory helmet wearing. But I think if you are on your bike there is always a chance and I don't want my kids asking why I didnt't wear helmet.

Posted 2 years ago #
martinxyz - Member

oh no,westkipper.. if you search back months ago you will find that i might have mentioned getting onto the hoods more than early enough,thought about braking for a moment as i watched the car creep out of the junction, THEN start to brake.. pity i ended up skidding and snaking for quite some distance before hitting it. Theres no tread or contact patch big enough on a road bike to help you stop when these things happen.

bit like covering the brakes in a car.. was told not to do it during my lessons.

Posted 2 years ago #
martinxyz - Member

Thanks TJ, i put a £20 bet on with someone that you wouldnt agree!

Posted 2 years ago #
stevenmenmuir - Member

Glad you are ok Kit, nearly forgot to say.

Posted 2 years ago #
Ti29er - Member

I believe the Australian, NZ, Canadian and other Governments came to the completely opposite decision to TJ & his doctor.

For those old enough to recall, we had this same debate 20 years ago. Smoking? It's not been proved that it's at all harmful.

http://www.brake.org.uk/facts/why-cycle-helmets-save-lives

YOu could go like this for the next 20 years.

What I do know is that the top of my head would be a quite different, scarred, battered place than it is now, safely tucked away under my lid as it is.

Posted 2 years ago #
west kipper - Member

The Australian, NZ and Canadian governments have subsequently seen head injuries reduce by less than the real( about 30% ) decrease in cycling.
Its a well remarked upon phenomenon, and consistant across all countries that introduce compulsion.
Whereas, those that have very low rates of helmet wearing are the safest.
Weird, eh?

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Just incase west kipper is not clear #enough - in NZ after helmet compulsion the rate of head injury per mile cycled increased

Posted 2 years ago #
simonralli2 - Member

Kit - sorry - a bit late to this thread - can't have been fun and glad you lived to tell the tale.

Posted 2 years ago #
WTF - Member

I have had an accident whilst riding my bike with no helmet.
I lost consciousness for over an hour after hitting side of my head off of kerb.
I also crashed whilst wearing helmet and put rather large dent in said helmet and broke two ribs as well.
I know what I will be wearing next time I ride a bike and I really dont care about statistics etc. tbh.

Posted 2 years ago #
radoggair - Member

Just incase west kipper is not clear #enough - in NZ after helmet compulsion the rate of head injury per mile cycled increased

Another pathetic line. Things reduce or increase for reasons

For instance, DH and/or freeride really wasn't heard of 15 years ago ( especilly not to nowadays standard). When a sport potentially this dangerous becomes the norm for alot of bikers then of course accidents will increase compared to trails you used to ride (old skool days). During my early racing days, training and fun rides contained danger far less than what is available today.

The sad fact is that West kipper and TJ have arguments against something which has been proven ( not by guys in white coats in labs or non riding stats people who never ride bikes) by ACTUAL riders on this forum to have saved them from potentially far worse injuries than they did or would of received if they had not wore a helmet. This therefore should be your real scientific studies boys

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Raddogair. 'go and read the EVIDENCE the NZ stuff is about road cycling. Of course there must be a reason but no one is sure what it is.

Anecdotes prove nothing as you simply do not know what would have happened without the person wearing the helmet. They might have been injured. They might not have hit their head at all it might have made no difference.

If you want to critique this stuff thats perfectly reasonable and there is plenty to critique - however you need to read it first

Posted 2 years ago #
AnalogueAndy - Member

Blimey is this still going?

I don't dispute the obvious, if overstated benefits of wearing a lid. I too have had a helmet save me from a skull fracture, I always wear mine and insist the kids do.

..but I'm very much against compulsion and all those who have called TJ (or anyone else) a knob for not wearing one is.. a knob. If they passed a Law making wearing one compulsory I too would ride around with mine dangling from my bars.

My nasty bang on the head was caused in similar circumstanes by someone pulling out on me in a car. They could see me, they just weren't looking.

If the BMA is serious about preventing cyclists head injuries it should be trying to reduce the number of collisions - most obviously by calling for improved driver training, testing and licensing, stiffer penalaties etc.

Make helmets compulsory and all you do is re-inforce the myth that cyclists are a danger to themselves, drive cyclists off the road and remove all the health benefits of cycling.. which the BMA are too well aware of.

Oh and get well soon kit

Posted 2 years ago #
Kit - Member

Thanks for all the positive comments guys.

Now, can we put this one to bed?! Night night zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted 2 years ago #
me1onhead - Member

Currently my favourite quote on any STW thread is from DANO:
"Lots of motorcyclists suffer from broken necks"
PMSL!!!!

Posted 2 years ago #
miketually - Member

Can't be bothered reading all that, but I see lots of people mentioning racing, DHing, MTBing, skateparks, etc. I'd wear a helmet for those.

I don't wear a helmet for my commute, which is a sedate affair on quiet roads riding a big heavy stable bike in normal clothes.

As a sensible person above said, the risk in any activity is on a spectrum, from lying flat on the floor of a padded room to taking a dive off a tower block onto concrete.

I wouldn't wear a helmet when walking to work, so why would I when cycling relatively slowly on a very similar route?

Posted 2 years ago #
kennyp - Member

I'm a bit late to all this but is the argument about a) is it a sensible idea to wear a helmet most of the time? or b) should wearing a helmet be made compulsory?

Personally I'd go for a) yes and b) no.

Posted 2 years ago #
radoggair - Member

I don't wear a helmet for my commute, which is a sedate affair on quiet roads riding a big heavy stable bike in normal clothes.

Remember though miketually that this thread is all about Kit being knocked off his bike on his commute whilst on the road. Just because its a quiet well known piece of road for you, it doesn't mean the same about the drivers who potentially could knock you off

Posted 2 years ago #
Kramer - Member

The sad fact is that West kipper and TJ have arguments against something which has been proven ( not by guys in white coats in labs or non riding stats people who never ride bikes) by ACTUAL riders on this forum to have saved them from potentially far worse injuries than they did or would of received if they had not wore a helmet. This therefore should be your real scientific studies boys

This is just wrong. Sorry.

Posted 2 years ago #
miketually - Member

Remember though miketually that this thread is all about Kit being knocked off his bike on his commute whilst on the road. Just because its a quiet well known piece of road for you, it doesn't mean the same about the drivers who potentially could knock you off

It started off as that, then became "OMG you'll die if you so much as swing a leg over a bike without wearing a helmet!!!".

Posted 2 years ago #
kennyp - Member

As an aside, all the races and events that I know of, be it a Merida, Sleepless, Mayhem, etc etc all insist that you wear a helmet.

I suspect that's as much to do with the litigious times we live in as anything else.

Posted 2 years ago #
brack - Member

The paramedics love all this safety kit as it just makes their job easier...scooping you off the floor!!

And a darn site less messy!!

Like motorcyclists - I advocate full leathers for all cyclists.... there couldn't be a better body bag than that!

Posted 2 years ago #
timc - Member

I always wear a helmet when Mountain Biking but never do when on a local loop of tow paths & Canal paths!

Never really thought about it, but reading this is making me think again!

Quite embarrsed to admit how stupid I have been, no longer!

Posted 2 years ago #
crazy-legs - Member

Is this STILL going?!
Can guarantee TJ turning up on every one of these threads... You can prove pretty much anything with statistics and to show the point there's endless info here (from America) on injuries and helmet stats:

http://www.bhsi.org/stats.htm

Particular reference to the following:
Non-helmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders.
A very high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet, estimated at anywhere from 45 to 88 per cent.
Ninety-five percent of bicyclists killed in 2006 reportedly weren't wearing helmets
Helmets may reduce the risk of death:-
almost three-quarters of fatal crashes (74%) involved a head injury.
nearly all bicyclists who died (97%) were not wearing a helmet.
helmet use among those bicyclists with serious injuries was low (13%), but it was even lower among bicyclists killed (3%).

Everyone has some sort of anecdote about how their helmet may have saved them, about how it may have made it more serious (TJ's favourite rotational injury), you can selectively choose research from anywhere you like to show what you want.
Proof of that can be found in this very funny clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yhN1IDLQjo

Good to hear you're OK Kit, get back on the bike soon.

Posted 2 years ago #
crazy-legs - Member

200!

sorry...

Posted 2 years ago #
Edukator - Member

Of course the OP would never have had the accident if he hadn't been wearing a helmet. The time to put it on and the extra wind resistance meant that instead of passing safely in front of the car before it pulled out the OP was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

How many of you helmet gauleiters wears a hi-viz every time you get on a bike on the road. Far more likely to save your skull.

No need to link Godwin's law, I'm aware of it.

Posted 2 years ago #
west kipper - Member

This thread keeps going because the helmet evangelists keep going on about their 'beliefs' and us Dawkins types keep pointing to the (lack of)evidence.

Posted 2 years ago #
Ti29er - Member

Not Hi Viz, but festooned with lights front & rear for when I'm on the public highway.
Jacket, and shoes have reflective strips in-built.

I rode for 22 minutes this afternoon from Watford to Harrow and it still scares me how drivers simply don't seem to notice bikes. I was not a happy biker at all, but I would not be happy to have ridden my road route without a helmet - that'd just be plain dim - there's way too much street furniture / clutter to hit, let alone the cars trying to turn out or across my path.

Anyhow, back 20 years, and the argument was similar: the smokers all told us "it's not been proved that smoking's bad for you" We had no sympathy then and we have no sympathy now.

Posted 2 years ago #
nonk - Member

@kipper.nope you just made it bigger.

Posted 2 years ago #
Edukator - Member

No dimmer than leaving the hi-viz off in daylight where your reflective strip and lights don't make a jot of difference. Your clothing was black I bet, possibly grey looking at this year's Assos collection.

Posted 2 years ago #
Goz - Member

To me helmets are like car insurance, you dont know when you might need it, but you'll be glad you had it.
Im an oldish git,I choose to wear a helmet, some peeps dont, their choice....

Posted 2 years ago #
radoggair - Member

Kramer - Member

The sad fact is that West kipper and TJ have arguments against something which has been proven ( not by guys in white coats in labs or non riding stats people who never ride bikes) by ACTUAL riders on this forum to have saved them from potentially far worse injuries than they did or would of received if they had not wore a helmet. This therefore should be your real scientific studies boys

This is just wrong. Sorry.

If you read this thread you'll find that it is indeed right. Good to hear your sorry though!!

Posted 2 years ago #
jim29 - Member

non-helmet wearers clearly have very thick skulls anyhow, so no need to worry. not to mention the earth is flat, so there is nothing for them to hit that thick skull on

Posted 2 years ago #
radoggair - Member

No dimmer than leaving the hi-viz off in daylight where your reflective strip and lights don't make a jot of difference. Your clothing was black I bet, possibly grey looking at this year's Assos collection.

Thats like saying people cant drive black cars because there less colour visible than bright yellow!!

Posted 2 years ago #