Taken from Behind

HJ1976

I have been know to wear a full Motorcycle helmet driving down the M1 in my mums MGB for 2 reasons:
1) we were on our way to the Nurbergring where we had to wear them and had no spare room n the car
2) have you see the stuff that gets kcked up by the lorres or drpped by the yobs?

I wear my helmet to be a good example to my daughter and to save what is left of my brain having had meningtus.

ash68

\nteresting reading the debate of for and against helmet use.I personally wear a helmet but agree that it should not be compulsory to do so.I also agree that there are times when car drivers give you less room because you are wearing a helmet.I know I have had lighter injuries in minor crashes through wearing one,but obviously a major impact will cause injury no matter what I wear.

Mikey Mouse

Is it because you are wearing a helmet that they give you less space or that generally they are morons?

BentMikey

One of the most telling points for me was the graph on the home page of cyclehelmets.org. More cyclists on the roads has a huge factor in. That's one reason why I'm chuffed each time something causes people to get out on their bikes, such as the tube strike, the Tour in London, etc.

ash68

Probably because I wear a helmet I get less room but yeh they are morons as well.Having said that not all drivers are bad and some are patient and considerate,just not many thats all. Agree the more bikes on the road the better. Pity it isn't part of the driving test to ride a push bike around busy streets for 20 or 30 hours to get experience before people get into their cars. They might have more understanding of cyclists views and problems if that was the case.

nicklouse

HJ1976 wrote:

I have been know to wear a full Motorcycle helmet driving down the M1 in my mums MGB for 2 reasons:

actually illegal. i have yet to work out the full reasons but i had a warning for wareing one. i think it has something to do with windscreens and wipers.

Fuzz Monkey Five

Reading that story makes me want to start wearing my helemt evry day now. I've been pretty lazy wearing it during the summer, on Monday its going straight on.

Garry71

Why don't many people wear helmets? It's because they make you look really crap.
Has anyone ever looked in the mirror with their helmet on and thought it made them look good? It must be possible for someone to design a helmet that people actually want to wear.
I use a Tony Hawks skateboard helmet, and it still looks crap, but at least it doesn't look like a turtle stuck on my head.
Wearing stupid looking helmets makes people feel self concious, which is the reason I don't use mine all the time.

Garry

Wynne G Oldman

Garry71 wrote:

Why don't many people wear helmets? It's because they make you look really crap.
Has anyone ever looked in the mirror with their helmet on and thought it made them look good? It must be possible for someone to design a helmet that people actually want to wear.
I use a Tony Hawks skateboard helmet, and it still looks crap, but at least it doesn't look like a turtle stuck on my head.
Wearing stupid looking helmets makes people feel self concious, which is the reason I don't use mine all the time.

Garry

I think you have a good point. I wear a helmet and a hi viz vest. As I was nearing home the other day, I rode past my 10 year old daughter and her friends. They all started pointing at me and laughing. I also heard the phrases "oh my god" and "how embarrassing" from one of my daughters friends. The joys of parenthood.

Mikey Mouse

Got to agree if you look too much like a nerd it creates an image.

Probably why a few cyclists would like to look cool in lycra instead of wearing safety clothing.

Wore my lycra this morning and it looked GREEEEAT!

cntl

>>Wearing stupid looking helmets makes people feel self concious, which is the reason I don't use mine all the time.

Abraham Maslow said that "Highly functioning people are independent of the good and bad opinions of others". They are not concerned with appearances. Besides, my Specialized helmet looks really cool, and even if it didn't I would still wear it without concerning myself with appearances.

Garry71

It isn't just what other people think, but if you yourself don't like something about your appearance you won't go out in the right frame of mind.
I shall try to function a bit better in future, though


Garry

Gambatte

First few times I wore a helmet it seemed strange to my own self image(?)

After that, I didn't even think about it. Putting it on's just something I do.

I've made the choice and I'm happy wearing it. Everyone else can do what they want.

jbindman

personally i do wear a helmet, and i have cracked a few in accidents and been pleased not to have cut my head. I don't find a helmet a great imposition and i'd have to buy one for racing anyway. my current one was paid for by someone who knocked me off anyway.

but as a proper scientist i have to agree with mikey that anecdotes do not make data- what about studies suggesting drivers drive more carelessly around people with protective gear?

also, heads are amazingly tough, much tougher than foam and plastic- a bang from a mirror hard enough to crack the helmet and knock you off would not necessarily have caused a serious head injury, particullarly considering the way the helmet projects- without one it might have hardly scratched you......

Monty Dog

BentMikey - as an inline speed skater I presume you do you not race on the principle that you have to wear a helmet and that to do so would be too risky?

BentMikey

Nah, I would probably race without a helmet if the rules didn't force me to wear one. I quite often skate for myself without a helmet. I do still fear that when racing with a helmet if I crash I'll get a more serious injury due to the helmet, such as neck damage like Ravenbait got in her cycling crash.

I don't think there's a huge difference in risk between wearing a helmet, and not wearing a helmet, if that's what you're getting at, though I suspect that on average wearing helmets brings a tiny increase in risk.

Skating is defo more risky than cycling, you wanna see all my roadrash scars? :P

secretsam

Get an ambulance chaser lawyer and go after him and his company, they will pay up eventually - probably out of court

Mate of mine did this, broke about 27 ribs after some d!ldo reversed into him out of their drive

The vehicle insurance pays up once you've had a bit of an argy bargy, you'll need to release medical notes etc though

Note: have done this twice for car crashes

Glad you're well, keep safe folks

andrewgturnbull

Hi BentMikey.

Can I ask, do you have kids - and if so would you make them wear a helmet when riding or skating?

The main reason I now where a helmet all the time (rather than just when racing) is to set an example to my kids.

Cheers, Andy

BentMikey

That's something I thought about for some time, and in the end I don't make miniMikey wear a helmet. Virtually no-one in the Netherlands does so why should I when I don't believe the helmet will do anything to help him, and I'm afraid of the potential for neck and rotational injuries.

Setting a good example is all well, but what if the example you're setting by wearing a helmet is actually a bad one?

For adults, I think the average risk for the individual is minimal either way, with a slight personal increase in risk brought about by wearing a helmet. For the general population, though, the weight of evidence is strongly that helmets have a negative overall impact through the perception of danger and the reduction in cycling as a result.