Why I don't wear a helmet when biking

One day in my undergrad anatomy class, our professor walked into the classroom casually tossing his cell phone in the air and catching it. As he walked from the back of class up to the stage repeatedly tossing the thing higher and higher, you could tell that everyone was watching him kind of nervously and thinking "dude, be careful with that thing." When he got up to the front of the class, he turned around and said "the circuits in this phone have about the same amount of protective covering as your brain. You all think I'm an idiot for being so careless with it, but most of us think nothing of getting on a bike without a helmet. If I drop this and it breaks, I can get a new one."

I thought that was a pretty good was of making the point (though perhaps a slight exaggeration). Years later, I continue to get a laugh out of the fact that people worry more about their gadgets than their own bodies. When your friend slips and falls, everyone laughs. When your friend drops his cell phone, everyone says "oh my God, is it okay!?"

How many states have mandatory helmet laws for adults?

I am seriously asking

don't know the answer wrote:

How many states have mandatory helmet laws for adults?

I am seriously asking

No states do, but some cities do. Local governments in Alabama, North Carolina, and Washington have passed laws. There are probably some more as well.

These guys think you're a pu$$y...http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/11750138/Pictures-of-the-day-20-July-2015.html?frame=3381069

exthrower wrote:

I grew up during a time when we all rode bikes everyday and no one wore a helmet. Never knew or heard of anyone who had a head injury...It's the 'pussification" of America.

I pretty much agree with the article.

My subconscious rule seems to be if I put on biking specific clothes I will also put on my helmet. In college I rode a couple miles across town all the time without a helmet. Same thing today for casual riding. If my wife and I are just cruising a couple miles on side streets to the store or a coffee shop I don't bother. A serious road ride I of course will. I do however wear it when commuting because I do get up to 30 or 40 mph in some spots.

For me it's not an issue of getting hit by a car, because if that happens a helmet is likely only going prevent a very small amount of the potential injury. I'm mostly worried about going down on fast descents and in groups where not having a helmet could turn a headache and some road rash into a hospital stay or worse. Thus riding around traffic vs on bike paths is all the same to me regarding helmets. The main thing I consider is speed and potential for a crash not involving a car.

Her conclusion that casual riding = no helmet is very similar to daily driving without a helmet or sophisticated racing belts.

exthrower wrote:

Just admit you're a vagina. Have you ever been in a fight?

Its your. You're welcome. See what I did their?

exthrower wrote:

Just admit you're a vagina. Have you ever been in a fight?

Are you as stupid as you appear to be with your posts? Or is this just some kind of act?

It's very important to have full equipment if you ride a motorcycle that has more than 125 cubic meters. The helmet saves the life of a motorcyclist in 63% of cases. Even in the most serious accident, a person can survive thanks to a helmet, bots, and a turtle. The equipment supports your body when you fall and softens the impact. When I took my son's baby bike from the site https://ladi6.com/kids-electric-motorcycles/ I was given FULL equipment for an electric motorcycle as a gift. I think this is an indicator that even at a low speed, a person can suffer from a fall from a motorcycle.

because when you are on a bike (most of us anyway) you are directly in the roadway and traveling in the same direction as cars so you can't see them. I was hit by a car while running and was almost killed. I've also hit a telephone pole head on while wearing a helmet. It would have ended differently had I not been wearing one

Bad Wigins wrote:

something like 700 people a year are killed on bicycles in the US. Compared to somewhere in the ballpark of 30,000 in automobiles.

I wonder how many auto fatalities could be prevented if the passengers wore helmets? Seriously. Even with airbags and seat belts I bet a lot of car passengers get wanged in the head. More than 700 even.

About 20 years ago, the TV show 60 Minutes did a piece on a person’s chance of dying from a wide list of events. It’s point was to show how some things that are on the higher end of likely to happen don’t cause much worry, but things that many people would rarely encounter cause great concern.

The risk of getting killed by lightning is 3000 times greater than getting killed in a terrorist attack. Guess which one causes the most anguish.

bradwagon wrote:

My subconscious rule seems to be if I put on biking specific clothes I will also put on my helmet. In college I rode a couple miles across town all the time without a helmet. Same thing today for casual riding. If my wife and I are just cruising a couple miles on side streets to the store or a coffee shop I don't bother. A serious road ride I of course will. I do however wear it when commuting because I do get up to 30 or 40 mph in some spots.

I'm exactly the same. My commutes are in cycling clothes and I wear a helmet (and have had two bad crashes and broken two helmets during commutes). 30-75 minute trip.

But riding to the store is not in cycling clothes and I don't. 2-3 minute trip.

Riding around the neighborhood with my kids is also without a helmet for me, but helmets for them. My 3 year old crashes all the time.

Vacationed in Europe a few years ago. The trip was in the Netherlands. The vacation was a 7 day scheduled tour on our bikes. Each day, our guide would ride 25-35 miles, in jeans and no helmet. No one wears a helmet in Europe. In fact, they often said that they could spot an American because we wore bike shorts and a helmet.

A side note; just another reason they don't have as many fat people as we do. Everyone rides a bike. Everyone. Especially around Amsterdam.

I'll also add that I now where gloves every time I kit up, too, for much the same reason as the helmet.

While I've broken helmets in rides, there has also been significant damage to my hands when I don't wear gloves versus wearing gloves. So now the gloves go on when the helmet goes on, not because they'll save my life, but because, like the helmet, they'll hopefully prevent lacerations and road rash more than without.

Testing

How do you people come across 4 year old threads?

Replace helmet with mask.

If it’s my time to go it’s my time to go.

and why don't you run in the opposite direction of the traffic/cars?

I run in the opposite direction of the traffic/cars most of the time: as it allows me to be directly in contact with the drivers and see if they change speed or move to the other side of the road.

I've been doing a city commute for 2 years and today's the day I finally start riding with a helmet. Thanks for sharing this.