Ian - yes people modify their behaviour in line with perceived risk - however you can still have very robust historical figures as this is what has actually happened. 130 odd cyclists killed in however many miles it was. Is robust as it is something that can be counted
TJ, read the book.
TandemJeremy - Member
shows that you do not understand risk assessemnt
......but I can spell it 😉
Assessing the risk is not the same as being able to predict when the situation will arise, which is what I was saying.
Then why don't you wear your helmet to get out of the shower, or cross the road? These carry risks that can be easily mitigated. It's as simple as that
I can't believe I'm having to spell this stuff out (actually yes I am, you are being deliberately obtuse to try and win an argument - well it's not going to work, I'm much more intelligent than that) but the choice of helmet or not (or any other safety equippment) is about risk versus inconvenience.
Wearing a helmet whilst cycling is not particularly inconvenient for me, wearing one around the house is.
As for statistics - I'm not a statistic. There are no stats for the risk of head injury for ME doing MY riding vs ME getting out of MY shower.
Do the stats of shower injuries state how many of the injured are weak old people and how many are fit young (ish) people?
I don't put my foot on the edge of the bath if I use the downstairs shower mind. Why? Risk of slipping.
As for body armour - I can break, smash and even lose limbs, and it'd still be nowhere near as bad as losing parts of my brain. It being the most precious thing, I'm more inclined to protect it. I'm considering some armour though for certain riding.
Wearing a helmet whilst cycling is not particularly inconvenient for me, wearing one around the house is.
Why? Do you find the helmet more comfortable when cycling, or is it less convenient to have one available for when you're going around the house (or crossing the road)?
"[i]I don't put my foot on the edge of the bath if I use the downstairs shower mind. Why? Risk of slipping.[/i]"
So you're saying that you prefer not to wear a helmet, but instead to moderate your behaviour in such a way as to not require a helmet in the first place.
You prefer not to mitigate the [i]consequences[/i] of a negative outcome but instead choose to actively reduce the [i]likelihood[/i] of a negative outcome.
Interesting 😉
Of course [i]"risk compensation"[/i] means that if molgrips did start wearing a helmet in the shower, he'd soon find himself balancing on the edge of the bath, with soapy feet, juggling bottles of shampoo and a hairdryer.
I once wore socks in the bath. Is that risky?
I correct children and their parents if they are fitted badly or on back to front. But I don't go around preaching either case.
Use of bicycle lights and vehicle Fog lights however...
GrahamS - MemberOf course "risk compensation" means that if molgrips did start wearing a helmet in the shower, he'd soon find himself balancing on the edge of the bath, with soapy feet, juggling bottles of shampoo and a hairdryer.
Tee hee
Ever seen a cyclist get taken out by a car?
Define "taken out". I've seen cyclists get bumped by cars, I know people who've been doored, I've been over the bonnet of one myself. I'm not sure what relevance my personal experiences have, though 🙂
If you get smashed by an artic, then sure. What if you get knocked off by a car doing 20mph? The physics suggests that you'll hit the ground hard and your head might well smack into the ground despite your best efforts. Hard, and fast.
Might. Might not. If it's a glancing blow I might bail and hit the ground running. Or I might roll over the bonnet/roof and land in a heap the other side. Or I might indeed pile headfirst into the Tarmac without managing to get my arms there first. If it's hard and fast enough it might envegetabilise me anyway. Who can say? I wear a helmet anyway, because like you say, they're not that inconvenient and they might possibly help. I wouldn't presume to tell everyone they must wear one, though. Although obviously I'm a raging hypocrite so my kids have to 😉
Although obviously I'm a raging hypocrite so my kids have to
I've got my son so brainwashed I had to work really hard to persuade him it was OK to ride home from school without a helmet today - he rode in this morning without one on and nobody noticed, including him (I realised when I got home, but then forgot to take it in later). I didn't like to use the fact I wasn't wearing one on the uni as an argument, as I reckoned that would get me into all sorts of issues later (though like everybody else he's not commented on the fact I'm not wearing one).
I only lid up when I'm going on my Sunday morning ride. I don't really use my bike at any other time. If I was commuting I'd wear it though. However for a Pootle in the park I wouldn't bother. Low speed and no rocks. Depends where you ride I guess, it's rocky oop norf!
well I didn't expect it to run to 4 pages but there is some very interesting stuff being posted.
My better half ordered me a new helmet last night for Christmas... still of the pisspot variety but this one has lots of lovely vents.
So its decided then... most people would just mind their own business.
All helmet posts must run to at least four pages. FACT.
At least this one was relatively civil. Well done all. 😀
