probably been done before but....... helmets? yes or no?

[JeRkY]

Yes helmets!

Just had upwards of a dozen stitches in my face, and lost a couple of teeth. I dread to think what would of happened if I hadnt of had the helmet on!

 

[barry2017]

Was it a full face helmet?

 

[The Ken]

But have you noticed that everyone's evidence for wearing helmets is anecdotal?

There are people that say "I wrecked my helmet, but look, I was OK". How do you know? What about the people that died in accidents but were wearing helmets? Could the helmet have made things worse? Again, how do you know?

I know Enid wouldn't have been ok because it was rocks that split his helmet. In my opinion, rocks and heads generally mean fractured skulls or concussion especially at the speed involved, it doesn't mean he would have needed spoon fed or be dead but it would have meant we would have at least had to call for a medical team to check him over, and that would have buggered a great ride.

My body armour anecdote was almost 2 weeks ago and I still cannot walk normally. It was an anecdote based on not wearing any and why I should have in the situation I was in, if I was I would have been fine based on the injuries I got. it was a fall based on a simple mechanical failure that could not have been predicted, no one could have avoided going down in this case.

An old school buddy had an unlucky fall touring ireland, clipped a drain and head hit a kerb - 3 month coma and on going neurological issues 20 years later. He wasn't wearing a helmet, if he was there is a chance he could have broken his neck, but there is also a chance he would have got up and continued his tour.

Another school friend cycling in the countryside about 15 years ago got hit head on by a speeding car at a bend in the road, he had a helmet and died instantly. He would have died without one too - the car was going too fast on the wrongside of the road, he died from chest and head trauma.

I don't have any friends that died or were injured because they were wearing a helmet, I'm sure there will be a few out there. I reckon the helmet has saved far more lives than it has lost.

 

[gerryattrick]

Chris 667. Your answer is just like the smoker who says smoking is safe because he's done it for 25 years and hasn't had lung cancer.

By all means choose not to wear a helmet, that's your right, but don't use spurious arguments to justify not doing so.

 

[The Ken]

Gerry that was my point too but I'm a rambling old git that can't get to the point

 

[one-eyed_jim]

Chris 667. Your answer is just like the smoker who says smoking is safe because he's done it for 25 years and hasn't had lung cancer.

No it's not. There's a proven statistical link between smoking and mortality. The evidence that bicycle helmets can prevent anything more than superficial injuries is inconclusive at best, and according to some analyses, helmet use tends to lead to increased risk taking.

By all means choose not to wear a helmet, that's your right, but don't use spurious arguments to justify not doing so.

There are spurious arguments on both sides of the question.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

If the proportion of helmet wearers with "my helmet saved my life" stories were converted into fatalities among the bare-headed group, there'd be carnage among the general cycling population.

That there isn't tells you that helmet-wearers think helmets offer more protection than they actually do.

 

[tintin40]

http://www.balladins.de/uploads/pics/zw ... lenhut.jpg

yes please. They look better than real cycling hats which make you look like your a person who keeps head butting walls

 

[barry2017]

Chris 667. Your answer is just like the smoker who says smoking is safe because he's done it for 25 years and hasn't had lung cancer.

By all means choose not to wear a helmet, that's your right, but don't use spurious arguments to justify not doing so.

Actually, I do wear a helmet, most of the time. Depends what kind of riding I'm doing, but more often than not I do.

I was merely pointing out that a lot of pro-helmet arguments that you hear in places like this are a bit flawed. And that there are a lot of proper, scientific studies (where "I fell off, my helmet is broken, my head isn't, helmets are great" stories would not be of good enough quality) that suggest a helmet can make things worse in some situations.

Find out what you can, and make your own choice.

 

[gerryattrick]

This thread has certainly made me think so I've done a quick internet trawl through research into the effectiveness of bicycle helmets. As would be expected, it shows some inconsistency, with most, but not all, articles showing that helmets do limit the damage caused by head injuries, but by varying amounts. I couldn't find any evidence of significant/any increase in severity of injury directly as the result of wearing a helmet.

On the down side there is evidence of an overall increase in accidents in some research, perhaps as people feel able to take more risks because they wear helmets, and as off-road/downhill biking has grown in popularity, and also some studies in Australia showed that compulsory helmet wearing had led to a reduction in people cycling.

The problem with statistics is you can always find some to support your own argument, so you pay your money and you take your choice. Personally I'll continue wearing a helmet because there is strong evidence that the risk and severity of head damage is lessened when you do, and also I'm not so stupid as to start taking more risks because my helmet makes me indestructible.

They also help to hide the bald patch!!