The great helmet debate

Hi guys,

I’ve never really cared much for giving the world my 2p worth of ill informed opinion/real world experience, but as I’m immobile for a while with a fractured clavicle, getting quite into 1 handed typing and have recently written my first ever starter threads I feel its time to wade in!

The point of this thread? Oh yes. Judging by the state of my left ear and the condition of my helmet I can honestly say that my skull would be in a right state had I not been wearing a helmet when being mown down and smacking onto tarmac the other day.

I shall be purchasing another and am of the opinion that anyone who goes without (esp. on road) could do well to review their contingency planning.

I thank you for your time.

Tea?

Sorry about the injuries, hope you heal.

I shall be purchasing another and am of the opinion that anyone who goes without (esp. on road) could do well to review their contingency planning.

good for you /thread

I have just bought a Casco E.Motion helmet for my ride to work now (previously unhelmeted) after breaking my clavicle and hitting my head 🙂

5 months with no riding, just to cheer you up 🙂

Tea?

What biscuits have you got?

Met Parachute FTW.

Tea?

Yes please, no suger, little bit of milk’ ta
Is it too early to start killing kittens? Or can I pop a cap in it’s ass

Chocolate hob-nobs for me, but I guess I’ll have to watch what I cram down my throoat now I’m a couch potato.

You can never be too safe.

I had a big off without a lid on about 15 years ago and ended up in a bit of a mess. I always wear one now.

you really need the straps fastened will noone think about the children 😆

I agree re use and the reason

Will no one think about the bunny?!

Help yourself.

You wait until the rotational forces kick in – It may well spin your head right off

anyone who goes without (esp. on road) could do well to review their contingency planning.

Reviewed contigency planning still not bothering with one for the road, no biscuits in the house so going for a curry and cobra (or three), carry on.

Just over half an hour in and the usual suspects are yet to declare war? Maybe spring has tempered there angst and sanctimony 😉

I always wear one now.

Even in the bath?

I stumped my toe while wearing a helmet…it didn’t protect me one bit.

GrahamS – Member

I always wear one now.

Even in the bath?

That is some serious contingency planning.
Altough you could easily slip.

McHamish – Member
I stumped my toe while wearing a helmet…it didn’t protect me one bit.

Imagine what could have happened if you weren’t wearing it!

*Sighs*

*refers OP to previous threads on this ad nauseaum”

I always wear one now!

Most people die in bed.

I wear my helmet to bed.

I am immortal

That’s my reasoning and I’m not dead yet

We’re not all blessed with fabulous thick and protective hair 😉

to the OP go out do the same again without a helmet and come back with some photos, then we might be able to have a reasonable discussion.

Sorry but i fell off my bike and the helmet helped is crap unless you can actually show evidence that the helmet helped.

I came off my road bike on monday. I ended up in taking an ambulance to hospital strapped to a back board. I scuffed my helmet as i tumbled along the road after i went over the bars (chain slipped). It saved my skull some damage, but it also provided a rather comfy support for my head as i lay on the road not moving for fear of damaging my spine. I imagine i’d have been really uncomfortable without it on.

Sorry but i fell off my bike and the helmet helped is crap unless you can actually show evidence that the helmet helped.

If I don’t provide photos it probly didn’t even happen – much like the holocaust?

Wish I was capable of drawing a conclusion from my experience 🙁

You can draw a conclusion from your experience, but without evidence of the result without wearing a helmet you have no way of KNOWING!!!!! what good the helmet did. It may of helped but then again it may not really have made any difference, you can’t know for certain.

The standards to which cycle helmets are made aren’t really very high and i think alot of people give them more credit than they deserve.

Counter argument, would you have been in the position you placed yourself in if you had not been wearing a helmet? I wouldn’t ride off-road without a helmet, so wearing a helmet makes a crash more likely.

They are excellent for keeping unruly hair in place.

I never ride offroad without a helmet. All the worst injuries/crashes I’ve had have been on the road though, including being hit by cars 3 or 4 times. But I often ride on the road without a helmet. Am I due a Darwin Award soon then?

Ok , So hypothetical arguement .

I am going to drop a paving slab onto your head from 1 meter away .

The paving slab will hit your head at 15mph .

Would you like a helmet to wear ?

singletrackmind – i’d rather be someplace else ie active safety – avoid the accident

given the fact I have this knowledge, I will pre-emptive strike you with a judo-kick to the stomach, the paving slab will fall onto your foot sir! rendering you incapable of throwing more paving slabs at 15mph from 1 meter distance.

Biscuits? Next time it could be a child’s face!!

Does anyone really give a toss if other bikers wear them?

I choose to wear one if I’m on a proper ride, but don’t bother if I’m going to the shops, or park with dog/daughter.

If I came across someone who I had to help with a head injury, who hadn’t been wearing one, I wouldn’t inflict any judgemental malice towards him/her.

Personal choice, innit?

Teej – wearing one in bed must play havoc with your neck muscles.

Ah I’ll always wear a lid, I’ll take my chance it will do me good it more circumstances than it will hurt me. Mate stacked it Sunday cracked lid just a bump to show for it so I’ll gamble it’s a good thing.

I know a chap who won’t wear a seat belt, as a teenager he rolled a car and was thrown out the open window the car ended up on fire, he was knocked out. By his reasoning if he’d have been belted into the car he’d have burned alive and died so won’t wear one. Even though this was a freak accident he still won’t wear one….. If you look into something enough you can show it’s right or wrong much like the whole lid thing.

Jaffa cake please!

Incase anyone still is unaware of the various issues this is a reasonable and moderate position – the CTC position on helmets and comulsion.
http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4688

Note:-

Several recent reports (including four papers in peer-reviewed medical journals) have found no link between changes in helmet wearing rates and cyclists’ safety – and there are even cases where safety seems to have worsened as helmet-wearing increased.

Follow the links for the various sources of data

Safer to ride carefully without a helmet than recklessly with a helmet 😉

So apart from TeeJ’s freakonomics stance, are there any papers that do a study of the severity of head injuries when the victims are/aren’t wearing helmets?

EDIT: This is an innocent question; I haven’t assumed any results.

Did you know that if you leave a pub drunk, you’re more likely to be killed if you walk home than if you drive home? That’s TeeJonomics for you.

DD follow the links on the CTC page and you will find some

– there are two main sources of data on frequency of head injuries. Studies of admissions to hospital looking at cyclists with head injuries and helmet wearing – these tend to show a reduction in head injuries with helmet wearing in the order of 50 %. Badly flawed in that there is no allowance made for the missing people – Ie those who don’t get head injuries. Therefore you don’t know if helmet wearers are more likely to have accidents. Also no allowance for helmets making injuries worse which can happen ( one study shows 30% of all head injuries are caused by helmets!!)

The other type of study is whole population studies looking at head injury rates as helmet wearing rates alters. These show no reduction in head injuries as helmet wearing rates increase.

Again flawed as there is no great agreement on what constitutes a head injury and it could be the same amount of injuries but the severity is lower. However fatalities do not decrease either.

Teh main thing I have learnt from looking at a lot of studies on this and reading the original papers as well as the various commentaries is that he quality of the research is rubbish, many researchers seem to have the conclusion in mind before the study and find the data to fit, huge assumptions are made.

We need better quality research and more of it.

what worries me is people NOT taking their helmets off when the ride has ended, and you’re chatting in the pub. Bloke did this this weekend. What’s he expecting, some mad bar brawl with chairs over the head or sommat? Next time I’m seriously taking the piss 😀