BT Forum

Really? the SNELL (and most other) helmet standard is based on a freefall of a 5kg "head" from 2 meters (head height) starting at 0 mph. Was that what your accident was like?

I am arguing against the idea proposed early in this thread that helmets are the bottom line in bicycle safety. It has become ridiculous that people draw this line at helmets and say if you are on this side you are sensible and safe, and on this side you are a risk taking idiot. Bicycling isn't that dangerous, and helmets don't do that much to make it safer. And compared to all of the other factors affecting cyclist safety, helmets are far from the biggest or most important factor. I think most would agree that handling skills, situational awareness are more important for your safety than a bicycle helmet. But you can't go to a store and buy those things or look at another rider and make a snap judgement about whether they have them. A mirror and visivest would probably provide more protection against bad drivers than a helmet. Cycling infrastructure and government policy probably could save more lives than helmets. But helmets are symbolic, and grant you access to the "safety conscious" club.

Sorry...for the nitpicker...

I do everything in my power to keep myself safe WHILE DOING THE ACTIVITY I WISH TO DO.

In this case, WHEN RIDING MY BIKE OUTDOORS I do EVERYTHING I can do to be a safe cyclist...wear a helmet, wear bright colors, etc. etc.  I already mentioned them.  In this case my caveat of doing everything I can do to be a safe cyclist is contingent upon the argument that I will ride outside.

That is a completely separate issue from never leaving your house out of fear.

So my example stands...you wouldn't drive your car without an operative seatbelt.  You wouldn't say, "Well, I just won't ever drive/ride in a car so I don't get in a car accident."  No, you'll do everything in your power while driving the car to be safe.  Same thing you should do on a bike...yeah, will you never get in a bike accident if you never ride outside?  True.  But, with the going in argument that bikes need to be ridden outside, do everything in your power to assure your safety....wear a functioning helmet, ride on appropriate roads, etc. etc.

To the posters who said helmets are not the be all and end all of bike safety...yes, you're right.  Just because you are wearing a helmet doesn't mean you are bullet proof.  Just like wearing a seatbelt in your car doesn't guarantee you'll survive an accident.  But just like seatbelts in cars, they've proven that more often than not the helmet improves your chances of survival greatly.

Not sure how many of you know my good friend Julia (juliapurr on BT).  She and my friend Richard (Dick Dime on BT) were hit by a car while riding their bikes.  They both survived but probably would not have if they hadn't been wearing helmets.  Richard's helmet-covered head hit the windshield of the car directly...his helmet shattered into a BUNCH of pieces.  Julia also hit her head.  Both suffered traumatic brain injuries and will never be fully the same as they were before the accident.  But they are alive.  Guaranteed they would not have been if they hadn't been wearing properly fit and secured helmets.

You can watch a video on Julia's story HERE.

Idiots can ride around without helmets or with helmets that aren't functioning properly all they want.  I call that Darwinism.  As for me and anyone I can influence, they will wear helmets.  I won't go on a group ride with anyone not wearing a helmet on a bike.  I won't even acknowledge their presence if I pass a cyclist not wearing a helmet.  They don't even get a wave of hello.

You chose a ride - in a car that could crash just as easily as your bike could - from a stranger, somewhere in the middle of Texas, over a few miles on your bike with a malfunctioning strap on your helmet (but still WITH a helmet).  I'm not sure if you're qualified to pass out the Darwin awards.

I'm sure getting in a car with a complete stranger in the middle of no where is totally safe...just don't ride with that loose strap!!!

I see what your saying. We essentially agree in that people make decisions based on their comfort and risks involved. As your comfort level is at one place mine is at another.

As far as the strap not securing your helmet to your head I'm not sure what your saying. My helmet fits snug, but if I start a tumbling I positive it wouldn't say on without the chin strap in place. Maybe I'm just a pansie and don't tighten it enough!!!

I've read every posting here and I don't recall see anyone saying that someone who doesn't wear a helmet is an idiot, you seem to have inferred that. What most are saying, including myself, is that helmets are a very important part of riding their bikes and that we would not risk riding without it or without it properly secured. Simple. You can try to make it a "us" against "them" argument, but it is just not that. I agree with you that rider education and safe decision making is a big part of safe riding and does make a big difference. So is wearing a helmet and you cannot get around that. No amount of goverment policy will protect me and that's not coming from a conservative stand-point, that's a whole different subject altogether!! Helmets are far from symbolic and I challenge you to say something like that to a family who has lost a child or a significant other from a traumatic brain injury during from a bike crash. There are actual studies that show how much a helmet decreases the chance of serious injury or death, don't have any to post here.

PS: That line about losing a child due to a bike wreck not anecdotal. I just was speaking with a coworker who ran a call on a 10 y/o who was struck by a car while riding his bike in his neighborhood. He was not helmeted and he died the next day while in the ICU.

What a newb! ^^

jldicarlo wouldn't even wave hello to this guy!!

Bunsbert Montcroff - 2012-07-10 6:08 PM

They went five pages of posts on this picture over on ST!!! We're 5 deep on our own chin strap question here, TMLgirl your in great company!!!

He'd probably be going so fast I wouldn't even be able to notice.

I will not ride anywhere without a bike helmet, so if my helmet strap had broken, I would have DQ'd myself and walked back to T2, even though it was a race. 

I've had two bad accidents over my decades of riding, during which I completely trashed both helmets.  I honestly don't think I'd be alive today if I hadn't been wearing them.  In the second accident in LA (a dog ran out between two parked cars and I swerved trying to avoid it), I honestly cannot remember a single moment of hitting the ground (at about 20 mph), which is probably a blessing.  I came around to find the dog licking my face, my helmet completely split into two, and my bike seat/seat post/right brake/chain/derailleur/handlebars completely broken.  I had a messed up elbow, a badly cut up right hand (even though I was wearing gloves), and "the worst case of road rash I've ever seen!" (two doctors opinions).  However, my head survived intact thanks to my helmet (boths Bell by the way!).

So I can understand why the marshall was hard on you, as they are looking out for everyones safety, yours included.

Is it your first reaction to cover your head when you're about to crash?  I've never seen anyone do that before.

Well I don't know about you but no its not that I let go and cover my head, but the general riding position puts your hands below your head and the first reaction for me if Im going to crash usually involves putting my hands out in front of me to brace my fall including keeping my head from smacking the ground. (The same goes for riding a motorcycle. I dropped my motorcycle going about 30mph, I went down fast and it all happened very very quick, but I was still able to get my hands down to brace myself before anything else hit the ground. After me and the bike stopped sliding there was not even a scratch on my helmet.) I grew up playing hockey and rollerblading EVERY spare second I had for years, which included a lot of falls, and I NEVER hit my head, and have never once felt the need to wear one. Now that said I would not discourage anyone from wearing one or look down on people who do. I know rollerblading and roller hockey is much different then trucking along at 20+ mph with no helmet, and to all of you who have had a helmet on when needed that prevented a major injury I am truly glad to hear that it did it's job and glad that you had one on.

Now as I have been reading some people will DQ themselves some wont and hope for the best. To each their own. The one I really have a problem understanding is the people that will DQ themselves the GET OFF THE BIKE AND WALK....WHY!!!! Why not just call it a DQ and ride (at a more reasonable pace) back to Transition? As it has been mentioned before I fully understand the safety aspect of wearing a helmet, I get it, but if the strap on your helmet brakes it's not like you WILL CERTAINLY DIE if you continue to ride your bike as it seems some people are making it out to be. If a strap brakes or even if one of my brake cable breaks you better believe I am going to ride back to transition. Doesn't mean I have to still be pushing 20+ mph to get there. I would be going much slower and conrolled. Slow and in control on a bike is still much faster then walking.

I've been watching the Tour de France alot this year, and after all the crashes they show the riders with ripped up shorts and jerseys, bloody knees, elbows, and arms. I am yet to see any scraped up helmets and I think it's safe to say that they are moving quite a bit faster then most of us normaly go. I would even venture to say that if wearing a helmet was optional in the Tour I believe you would be surprised on how few helmets you would actually see. 

To go even further, so you DQ and get off the bike. Now you have 2 choices, walk the 2-4-5 miles in your bike shoes (ruining cleats and possibly compromising the soles of your bike shoes) or walking that distance barefoot. (risking injury from stepping on something that you didnt see while trying to walk your bike back, and in the OP's case walking a PERFECTLY GOOD bike) So the way I see it, why risk cutting my feet or ruining a $150 set of bike shoes over a $3 clip?

To add some food for thought, If you are driving down the road in your car and one of your blinkers goes out, or hell one of your headlights goes out do you instantly pull the car over and start walking? I know I wouldn't.  Or how about this, If it is thunderstorming outside and your car is parked in the street infront of your house and you had to go to work, would you walk out in the storm to get to your car? or would you be late to work cuz you don't want to take that infintely minute chance that you might get struck by lightning?

All this to make the point of DQ or not DQ whatever, but there is no reason to walk your bike in this kind of situation.

While I am 100% in favor of wearing a helmet, and I do so every time i get on the bike. However I have zero illusions on what it does. A helmet is much more effective at protecting you when you fall off of a bike at low speeds. A car hitting you from behind going 35+ mph? helmet just holds your skull fragments together.

Its been said before, the difference between a motorcyclist wearing a helmet or not is the difference between open and closed casket funeral if/when they wreck seriously.