Thank god i wore my specialized helmet

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Comments

  • mikeq
    mikeq Posts: 141
    this is why you should wear a helmet

    http://www.youtube.com/user/EdinburghFi ... yeJU6U00wA
    Cycling from Glasgow to Paris to raise funds for Asthma UK

    www.velochallenge.org
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    mikeq wrote:
    this is why you should wear a helmet

    http://www.youtube.com/user/EdinburghFi ... yeJU6U00wA

    PMSL - don't suppose his nads were too great after than either....
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • mikeq
    mikeq Posts: 141
    classic isnt it, front wheel too LOL
    Cycling from Glasgow to Paris to raise funds for Asthma UK

    www.velochallenge.org
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    He must have felt a right berk!

    I nearly had a "moment" of my own last night though it would have been more dramatic. Heading down the last hill of my commute with a rare tailwind (from the east) and thought I'd have a go at breaking my terminal speed record of 44.3mph (the road twists and the slope is relatively short). Car coming the other way sees me and temporarily stops in a passing spot. He then obviously decides that there's the space for a car & a bike (ie car width plus a foot!) and sets off again. By this time I'm thoroughly committed (95kg of me plus another 15kg of bike, clothes & gear travelling at 35mph according to Garmin) - so I have to throw on all the anchors, trying to feather the rear brake from a 20m skid! Come to a halt at the side of the road a few feet before he arrives. Cheery wave and toot from Highland farmer-type as he passes by as I'm trying to let go of my Toupe saddle with my buttocks! Adrenaline is amazing stuff because, with less than half the slope left, I still hit 40mph from a standing start.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • yenrod
    yenrod Posts: 135
    Wen I was a kid I used to hit the ground so often I talked myself into getting used to it, usually in the time/space period when I was due to hit the ground HARD.

    But Now Im older wiser etc...and wear a helmet !!!

    So when I have and their aint been may of those occasions...the helmet/s - A Met Stradavarius & a Limar 104 the latter work even tho' its lighter a pair of bolox ! lol

    So, as much as Im not really bothered if helmets are compulsary etc.. the fact is its SIMPLY better to wear a helmet than not !
    [;)] 'tuono nel mio cuore...[:)]
  • TyeBag
    TyeBag Posts: 29
    thankfully ive never fallen off my bike

    ill wear my helmet on rides but not commuting to work as i only ride 1 mile roughly each way

    chances are im more likely to come off riding to work haha

    do you feel that a helmet should come with a bike much like a seat belt comes with a car,then its down to the rider to wear it much the same as a driver to wear a seat belt

    that way everything is being done to protect people from head injuries as much as possible
  • Poacher
    Poacher Posts: 165
    My right elbow's giving me gyp. Head's still OK though. :D
    Ceps, morelles, trompettes de mort. Breakfast of champignons.
  • tarquin_foxglove
    tarquin_foxglove Posts: 554
    If only this cyclist had been wearing a helmet he would be with us today... well according to the coroner at the inquest anyway.

    IMHO, that is the perfect argument against cyclists wearing helmets while riding on the road.

    [hyperbole]The idea that a piece of polystyrene and plastic will render the wearer immune to injury and not wearing one is negligent, gives credence to the notion that cycling is inherently dangerous.

    If everyone agrees that cycling is inherently dangerous then car drivers can't be held to a higher standard of responsibility if there is an accident and the cyclist (regardless of helmet usage) dies. "They knew the risk when they got on the bike, if they'd been in a car they would have been fine"

    Every time you cycle with a helmet on, you are enabling motorists to kill cyclists with impunity[/hyperbole]

    Also anyone that says:
    "I wear a helmet so that my family get 100% of the compensation ..." agrees with me.
    "I wear a helmet to protect me in the event of an accident" is suffering from false consciousness.
    "I bumped me noggin & ma helmet saved ma life" is a perfect example of someone suffering a rotational brain injury caused by a helmet in an accident.
    ;)
  • nadir
    nadir Posts: 115
    6 months ago i was in collision with another cyclist, and flew over the handlebars, did a sommersault and landed on my elbow then slid down the road on my arse, i swear i only survived because i WAS NOT WEARING a helmet, if i had been i would have broken my neck, instead all i ended up with was a few bruises and grazes
  • nadir
    nadir Posts: 115
    http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9242970. ... ly/?ref=mr

    i`ve heard it all now, wear a helmet, it will stop you from being hit 15 times with a hammer! still i guess it makes more sense than some of the other reasons i have heard touted for cycling helmets, my favourite being the study which showed it would prevent leg injuries. i would say dont wear cycling helmets coz they make you a target, drivers assume you are protected and that they can pass as fast and as close to you as they can get. the best study i ever read on the subject said the safest thing to wear when cycling was a blonde wig and a flowery dress, the motorists were measured giving them a very wide berth, put down to motorists assuming the cyclists didnt know what they were doing and might scratch their precious motors. but i guess thats a different subject
  • Kernowstu
    Kernowstu Posts: 2
    I was recently struck from behind by a motorist doing 70 mph, I was on a dual carriageway, it was early morning and dark but I was using two quality rear lights and plenty of hi vis reflective gear (pack cover etc) witness's stated they could see me at least half a mile ahead. There was no other traffic passing me at the time, so he had a whole extra lane to use if he'd bothered to try and avoid me, but no, full on Renault enema. By some miracle I was not killed, perhaps due to luck of the draw, shape of the car, lucky bounce & HELMET. The trusty giro was cracked right through the shell in six places, probably from where the back of my head hit the windscreen before I was launched (apparently) 20ft into the air and on the front and sides from where I hit the deck. I think I can safely assume I would not be alive without it, not in a way my wife would recognise at any rate. I still wouldnt say make it compulsory to wear them, but you'd be a damn fool not to.
    The worst bit? The bastard didn't even stop. My heartfelt thanks to the motorists who did, the paramedics and all the staff at The Royal Cornwall Hospital A&E & to The Devon & Cornwall police for catching the guy.
    12 points and a fine - that'll teach him.....
    Wear a helmet
  • tarquin_foxglove
    tarquin_foxglove Posts: 554
    Kernowstu wrote:
    I was recently struck from behind by a motorist doing 70 mph, I was on a dual carriageway, it was early morning and dark but I was using two quality rear lights and plenty of hi vis reflective gear (pack cover etc) witness's stated they could see me at least half a mile ahead. There was no other traffic passing me at the time, so he had a whole extra lane to use if he'd bothered to try and avoid me, but no, full on Renault enema. By some miracle I was not killed, perhaps due to luck of the draw, shape of the car, lucky bounce & HELMET. The trusty giro was cracked right through the shell in six places, probably from where the back of my head hit the windscreen before I was launched (apparently) 20ft into the air and on the front and sides from where I hit the deck. I think I can safely assume I would not be alive without it, not in a way my wife would recognise at any rate. I still wouldnt say make it compulsory to wear them, but you'd be a damn fool not to.
    The worst bit? The bastard didn't even stop. My heartfelt thanks to the motorists who did, the paramedics and all the staff at The Royal Cornwall Hospital A&E & to The Devon & Cornwall police for catching the guy.
    12 points and a fine - that'll teach him.....
    Wear a helmet

    Glad you are not dead, but really your story advocates avoiding dual carriageways, provision of separate cycle infrastructure & stricter penalties for dangerous drivers; not wearing a helmet and hoping to be as lucky as you.
  • Kernowstu
    Kernowstu Posts: 2
    True, but you can have all those things and it still only takes a moments inattention from a driver to negate the lot. A helmet might make the difference, so why take the risk? You might live to see that stiffer penalty imposed.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Whilst I've no doubt your helmet helped reduce the pain and may possibly have helped avoid a fatal head trauma the cracks are evidence of nothing. Cycling helmets are designed to break on impact, it's how they work. It's a bit like seeing a car that has been in a prang and is crumpled badly. It has done it's job but is not a sign of how serious the accident would have been.

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