Poll: Do you wear a helmet when riding

[Alaskan]

The reason I wear a helmet has nothing to do with the awareness or courtesy of drivers around here. Nor is the amount or quality of bicycle infrastructure a factor either.

It's real simple. I am moving at 15-25 mph over pavement, gravel, terrain with rocks, boulders, etc. I have fallen off my bike. I will do so in the future. Bones heal, muscles mend, brain cells are lost forever.

 

[mrgold35]

I always wear a helmet when I ride along with eye protection, gloves, and elbow/knee pads. I had a low speed wipe out and the road rash on my knee and elbow took over a month to heal. I couldn't imagine the damage if I had the same wipe out at 20 mph on my work commute. I also singletrack ride on my fat tire bike and had another wipeout on a muddy trail. Ended up on my backside and my head bounced off the ground almost hitting exposed rocks. My helmet gave me a nice story to tell later and saved me from a concussion at best and being knocked out at worst.

 

[Bob H]

If we adopted the common-sense policies of the Netherlands and Denmark, not only would cycling be a lot safer, but a lot more people would rides bikes for daily transportation. Most of us live in towns or areas that make cycling so aversive, only the enthusiasts ride much.

Under those conditions, you bet I wear a helmet. It's in hi-viz yellow, too, so they might see me coming.

You make a very important point Bruce, that I try to use in all my discussions with people about cycling. The better the infrastructure, the more people cycle and leave cars at home. This makes it a little better for people in cars as well. However, many people are so car oriented and have had it their own way for so long, they think everything is an attack on their very way of life. The biggest group thinking this way is, of course, the older Dinosaurs (by the way, I'm 67 and inhabit this group). Many of my friends think that cities were designed for cars and nothing should ever change. After arguing with them for a while, not only do I want to put on a helmet, but I'm thinking of trying to find a Kevlar suit!!!!!!

 

[Asher]

Helmets, in some studies created a false sense of safety and helmeted riders had more “events”.
I can’t ever remember a helmet in Amsterdam. That said, every scooter or motorcycle forum I’ve been on bans helmet discussions. It’s never to long before friendly adults descend into nasty judgmental comments. From both sides of the issue. Hoping we are different....

My 2 cents... I cannot remember, ever, seeing a helmeted rider in the highest per capital bike riders in the world. (Anecdotal not confirmed)View attachment 21030View attachment 21030

In my experience,

You beat me to it, Bob. All very well said.

I recently read a comment somewhere -- might have been NYBikeSnob's blog -- that our approach to bike safety is as though we said "There's a problem with shootings in your town? Then wear a bullet-proof vest."

If we adopted the common-sense policies of the Netherlands and Denmark, not only would cycling be a lot safer, but a lot more people would rides bikes for daily transportation. Most of us live in towns or areas that make cycling so aversive, only the enthusiasts ride much.

Under those conditions, you bet I wear a helmet. It's in hi-viz yellow, too, so they might see me coming.

I see three positions on helmets typically:

Haters: people who don't wear helmets because they dislike them or don't think they're effective.

Tolerators: people who think helmets may have benefit, but that there should be no requirement to wear one.

Mandaters: they want to require everyone to wear a helmet. Some of these are people who bike, some are concerned with public health and point to hospitalized crash victims. And some are just bitter drivers angry that they see a bike anywhere on the road, and may even imply that people without helmets deserve to get maimed or slaughtered by car drivers. The bitter drivers of course would be happy to see all bikes off the roads (and not in lanes of their own either), but until then, dunce caps will do.

I'm firmly in the tolerator crowd. Most people are in the first two crowds, as can be witnessed by going to any beach and seeing all the naked pates.

I try to understand each position, but I've never seen a good holistic argument in favor of mandates, that confront, let alone resolve, the reality that people bike less if they have to wear a helmet. That means less physical activity which extends lifespans, and less public support for safe biking infrastructure, which means further danger and death. Among the bike advocates I've met, I can't say I've met many who support helmet requirements, especially those under 50, and those who bike for more than recreation.

For now, a requirement is sensible for class 3 ebikes, especially given how new they are and how they will be used frequently in mixed traffic, because they can keep up.

http://road.cc/content/news/111258-chris-boardman-helmets-not-even-top-10-things-keep-cycling-safe

 

[harryS]

Had my first fall off an ebike this year. Bike path had mud from creek overflow. I thought it was dry, but only on surface. Splat and slid on my butt as the front wheel slid out. Only one other fall as an adult in 40 years of bike riding. Many crashes as a kid.

I always wear a helmet. Orders from my wife.

 

[AlanDB]

My state doesn't even require helmets for motorcycles. The local bike trails post on their rules that a helmet should be worn. I guess it is a recommendation more than a requirement, because there is no enforcement. I wear a helmet when I ride, but my son who I normally ride with does not. Lets be honest ... helmets look stupid and are not comfortable, especially in hot/humid conditions. But at my age, I figure it is just a matter of time until I have a fall, so I will gladly look stupid and tolerate the discomfort to improve my chances.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

It seems the data is irrefutable that requiring people to wear helmets, or even shaming them into it, reduces the number of bikes on the road. This is too bad. For the many people who would ride 1-2 mile trips at a very moderate 9-12 mph pace, it's a real disservice to discourage them from just getting on a bike and riding. And that makes things worse for the enthusiasts among us, who would ride if they required goggles and pads too. Because the more bicyclists there are, especially of the "average citizen" mold, the more likely that there would be the political will to improve the cycling infrastructure.

 

[Amish David]

I do as well,but it is also a state law to were one here if it is a ebike. And although one of the few places that will allow a 750w motor and speed of 30mph I generally cruse at 15mph.

 

[Kurt in CT]

Well written article on the subject. The part that hit home for me was the "accidents can happen even close to home". The article has affected me...
Buckle Up a Helmet to Save a Life
https://nyti.ms/2h0Ci5X

 

[MDEZZ]

Always wear a helmet- even if the law doesn't mandate so. Cmon is this really not common sense?

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Always wear a helmet- even if the law doesn't mandate so. Cmon is this really not common sense?

I do wear a helmet all the time. It's hi-viz yellow and if nothing else, forms part of my "be really visible to cage drivers" system.

There are rational arguments against helmet use, however. This is just one article among many but hits most of the points very well.

I'm always impressed, when seeing photos or videos of cyclists in the Netherlands, that no one is wearing a helmet. Or Lycra. This is a real bike culture: so well integrated that you can just get on your bike and ride.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

There are rational arguments against helmet use, however. This is just one article among many but hits most of the points very well.

... call me a skeptic. I agree if the average riding speed is lower there is less risk of injury without a helmet, and I one hundred percent agree that there is much more to making cyclists safe than headwear. But beyond that I think that referenced article goes into the weeds pretty quickly.

The studies they quote in that article look (to me) to be horribly flawed. They don't take into account regional differences (my guess is how motorists interact with cyclists is far different in the Netherlands, the UK, Alabama, and Oregon -- more different than the differences described in the study done in one location). Another study only sampled 35 cyclists and I found it highly subjective to the point of uselessness.

And we're talking e-bikes here. Your risk of serious injury goes up dramatically with your velocity. A tumble that would result in some road rash at 15kph might imply a visit to the ER at 30kph and stick you in the ICU at 45kph.

For me, I wear a helmet. If I am aggressively riding singletrack I add goggles, knee pads, boots, elbow pads, gauntlets, gloves, and a cup. That way all of my important and favorite body parts are at least somewhat protected when I go flying over the handlebars into blackberry bushes or a boulder garden at 35kph.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

... call me a skeptic. I agree if the average riding speed is lower there is less risk of injury without a helmet, and I one hundred percent agree that there is much more to making cyclists safe than headwear. But beyond that I think that referenced article goes into the weeds pretty quickly.

The studies they quote in that article look (to me) to be horribly flawed. They don't take into account regional differences (my guess is how motorists interact with cyclists is far different in the Netherlands, the UK, Alabama, and Oregon -- more different than the differences described in the study done in one location). Another study only sampled 35 cyclists and I found it highly subjective to the point of uselessness.

And we're talking e-bikes here. Your risk of serious injury goes up dramatically with your velocity. A tumble that would result in some road rash at 15kph might imply a visit to the ER at 30kph and stick you in the ICU at 45kph.

For me, I wear a helmet. If I am aggressively riding singletrack I add goggles, knee pads, boots, elbow pads, gauntlets, gloves, and a cup. That way all of my important and favorite body parts are at least somewhat protected when I go flying over the handlebars into blackberry bushes or a boulder garden at 35kph.

I don't think you read the article very carefully. The main thrust is not that helmets aren't necessary, but that they represent a failure of society to provide proper infrastructure for cyclists.

Also, most serious accidents involve motorized vehicles. 88.4% of cyclist fatalities were caused by head-on collisions with motor vehicles. No helmet stands a chance. (2015 statistics, seems to be the most recent available on the NHTSA website.)

Do you know how helmets are tested? Does this really make them seem terribly effective?

I do wear a helmet, as I'm willing to accept any additional protection I can reasonably use. But I'm not very confident that they are all that much help.

And that being said, the helmet debate has raged on forever, wherever cyclists meet, and has never been resolved, so Peace Out.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I'm sorry, Bruce. I guess I wasn't being very clear.

I agree with you that simply wearing a helmet is insufficient for making cycling adequately safe. And that there is much more to cycling safety than wearing a styrofoam hat. So I think we are in violent agreement.

From the same web site where you got the helmet testing procedure (which I agree is lame) there is this page of statistics. Scroll down to the bottom and look at the table labeled "Bicyclist Deaths by Helmet Use".

If you look at that table the data from 1994 to 2009 it is remarkably consistent that well north of 80-odd percent of cyclists who died in a given year were not wearing helmets. For some reason for 2010 and later the number of cyclist deaths where wearing a helmet was unknown became much higher but even then over half of the cyclists who died were known to not be wearing a helmet at the time. Since this table is looking at a large number of cycling deaths over a 20-year period I would give it a lot of weight and it argues to me that you are much more likely (probably around four or five times as likely) to have a fatal accident if you are not wearing a helmet.

Again, my brain is one of my favorite organs and so I do what I can to keep it safe.