Helmet poll

Thebigbee
Thebigbee Posts: 570
edited October 2011 in Road beginners
Would love to get some proper data about the old chestnut of wearing a helmet so decided to start a poll.

Please let me know of any answers that should be included - and how to set up a proper poll!!
«13

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Pretty certain some proper organisations have done more in depth polls.

    Google for them ?
  • always.....don't care what arguments people try to come up with; Fall off bike and hit head....more likely to have less damage with a helmet on!
  • Seriously? Again?
  • ooermissus wrote:
    Seriously? Again?

    what do you mean again???

    It never ends :D

    be warned!
  • Scotxr
    Scotxr Posts: 172
    ooermissus wrote:
    Seriously? Again?


    What's the problem? If you think it's tedious and dont want to add constructive opinion then why reply?
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  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I used to consider riding without it on really hot days, but since I got a Giro Atmos it feels like my head's cooler with it on! I was out for two hours on saturday afternoon and the thermometer reckoned it was 28c!
  • It really is groundhog day on BR...round and round we go again!
    "That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer
  • Scotxr wrote:
    ooermissus wrote:
    Seriously? Again?


    What's the problem? If you think it's tedious and dont want to add constructive opinion then why reply?

    Because we dont live in Iran?
  • Thebigbee
    Thebigbee Posts: 570
    It really is groundhog day on BR...round and round we go again!

    Can you please point me in the direction of where the definitive poll is?

    Only reason I started this - lame poll -was because I am sick of hearing about it.

    I think it would be better to have a well designed poll, unlike this, as a sticky on the various threads just so no one asks "who does / doesn't wear a helmet?"

    Then people who really are interested in it could vote, see the results and get the info from that.

    The comprehensive poll available on Google of 4000 people has been conducted by the Advanced School of MOTORING unless I am mistaken.

    I don't ride a motorised bicycle so I couldn't care less about their results. What I am interested in is CYCLISTS views and opinions - if only to put this moot issue to bed once and for all.

    One potential problem about continually going on about it is that the government could hijack any results and enforce the wearing of a helmet - which I think is completely wrong.

    Personally I think the stats should be based on the TDF. A race which has been going since 1903 - nearly 100 years.

    How many deaths - 11

    Just over 1 death every 10 years - and how long were cyclists riding this tour without wearing helmets?

    Says it all really doesn't it?!!!
  • Thebigbee
    Thebigbee Posts: 570
    Tried to edit the 3rd poll option to

    Who cares?

    But can't delete or edit the frigin post!!
  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    Who gives a t*ss.
    Freedom of choice and leave it that way, i got a rollocking once for saying that it should be compulsory for children.
    I don't wear one but if you want to wear one you wear one and leave it at that.
    Aren't they useless over a certain MPH?,
    If a law came in, it'd stop the casual cyclistI and kill city centre cycle hire, one European nanny state had to reverse their compulsory helmet law because it decimated their greener than green city centre cycle scemes.
  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    If a helmet is 'useless' as some say, then why is it that when you test ride a bike from Evans they HAVE to offer you a loan helmet, and if you decline you have to sign a disclaimer?

    I know it's a personal choice but I always wear one on the basis that I don't need another concussion (could have serious implications with my driving license, and since I'm a bus driver this is pretty important document for me)or any more stitches to go with the two sets I already have. The stitches are cosmetic, but since I am bald they're a little unsightly and as my Mum puts it I "look like Phil Mitchell".
    The only disability in life is a poor attitude.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    In a normal, gentle collision, a helmet will stop a bruised/cut head.

    In a serious crash, it will almost certainly be the difference between life and death.

    I don't think a cyclist who had been killed ever had in the post-mortem 'he would have survived if it hadn't been for that pesky helmet'.

    I personally know one, and have read enough 1st hand reports on here to know that 'if I hadn't been wearing a helmet I would have certainly been killed'.

    An item like this where your own safety and potentially life is pretty much in your own hands, who wouldn't want to wear one?
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    The only thing I'm not sure of is what this poll will tell us and how useful it will be. The result will say some like

    "x% of BR Road forum contributors who were bothered to respond or noticed the thread, always or sometimes wear a lid"

    Hardly definitive. Even if it were, I'm still not sure what it tells us except the number of people that wear a lid.

    What we need to know is how many people have accidents and of what type and whether there's a statistical difference in injuries and seriousness between helmet wearers and non-helmet wearers. There's no such data collection.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    What we need to know is how many people have accidents and of what type and whether there's a statistical difference in injuries and seriousness between helmet wearers and non-helmet wearers. There's no such data collection.
    This.
    In the absence of hard data, this whole subject seems to attract people whose preferred helmet construction would appear to be tinfoil.
  • Thebigbee wrote:
    It really is groundhog day on BR...round and round we go again!

    Can you please point me in the direction of where the definitive poll is?

    Only reason I started this - lame poll -was because I am sick of hearing about it.

    I think it would be better to have a well designed poll, unlike this, as a sticky on the various threads just so no one asks "who does / doesn't wear a helmet?"

    Then people who really are interested in it could vote, see the results and get the info from that.

    The comprehensive poll available on Google of 4000 people has been conducted by the Advanced School of MOTORING unless I am mistaken.

    I don't ride a motorised bicycle so I couldn't care less about their results. What I am interested in is CYCLISTS views and opinions - if only to put this moot issue to bed once and for all.

    One potential problem about continually going on about it is that the government could hijack any results and enforce the wearing of a helmet - which I think is completely wrong.

    Personally I think the stats should be based on the TDF. A race which has been going since 1903 - nearly 100 years.

    How many deaths - 11

    Just over 1 death every 10 years - and how long were cyclists riding this tour without wearing helmets?

    Says it all really doesn't it?!!!

    A couple of observations :

    You really think this'll stop the constant stream of helmet threads? Why would you think that? It won't make a scrap of difference.

    It won't be a definitive poll any more than IAM or AA or any other one as you've limited it to one board on a big forum of a single site, it's not mandatory & if you're going to post hostile comments back at people that say 'ho hum here we go again, you've aluenated people immediately. Not to mention the lack of any context to usage.

    The TdF is a 3 week a year closed road event with barely ever the sort of accident or traffic that we encounter on the roads, such comparisons are absolutely meaningless. You could argue that riding with ipods is safe because they use race radios, or mudguards & ice tyres have no place in cycling as they aren't used in the TdF.
  • shouldbeinbed
    shouldbeinbed Posts: 2,660
    edited October 2011
    double post
  • JimboM
    JimboM Posts: 380
    I'm not fussed about another helmet thread, from the title I know what it's going to be about so I can choose to read it or not - simples!

    Personally I wear a helmet, main reason is that I've got an eight year old daughter and I make her wear hers so only fair that I wear mine too. Before she came along I never bothered but now I'm used to wearing it I can't see me stopping.
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  • Pseudonym
    Pseudonym Posts: 1,032
    Mouth wrote:
    If a helmet is 'useless' as some say, then why is it that when you test ride a bike from Evans they HAVE to offer you a loan helmet, and if you decline you have to sign a disclaimer?

    that's so you can't sue them for negligence when you crash your test bike and bang your head. Nothing to do with safety - everything to do with covering their arrse.
  • I didnt at first but when i started going more on the roads a few near misses with cars not going past me wide enough made me re-think,now id never go out without it.
  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    Pseudonym wrote:
    Mouth wrote:
    If a helmet is 'useless' as some say, then why is it that when you test ride a bike from Evans they HAVE to offer you a loan helmet, and if you decline you have to sign a disclaimer?

    that's so you can't sue them for negligence when you crash your test bike and bang your head. Nothing to do with safety - everything to do with covering their arrse.

    TBH I'm surprised that it isn't compulsory in this instance.
    The only disability in life is a poor attitude.
  • coriordan wrote:
    In a normal, gentle collision, a helmet will stop a bruised/cut head.

    In a serious crash, it will almost certainly be the difference between life and death.

    Didn't realise they were making them now with magic powers.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    ooermissus wrote:
    coriordan wrote:
    In a normal, gentle collision, a helmet will stop a bruised/cut head.

    In a serious crash, it will almost certainly be the difference between life and death.

    Didn't realise they were making them now with magic powers.

    I think you've misunderstood - he means the protection a lid offers could make the difference between life and death.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • jmillen
    jmillen Posts: 627
    Every single ride without fail
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  • Thebigbee
    Thebigbee Posts: 570
    Thebigbee wrote:
    It really is groundhog day on BR...round and round we go again!

    Can you please point me in the direction of where the definitive poll is?

    Only reason I started this - lame poll -was because I am sick of hearing about it.

    I think it would be better to have a well designed poll, unlike this, as a sticky on the various threads just so no one asks "who does / doesn't wear a helmet?"

    Then people who really are interested in it could vote, see the results and get the info from that.

    The comprehensive poll available on Google of 4000 people has been conducted by the Advanced School of MOTORING unless I am mistaken.

    I don't ride a motorised bicycle so I couldn't care less about their results. What I am interested in is CYCLISTS views and opinions - if only to put this moot issue to bed once and for all.

    One potential problem about continually going on about it is that the government could hijack any results and enforce the wearing of a helmet - which I think is completely wrong.

    Personally I think the stats should be based on the TDF. A race which has been going since 1903 - nearly 100 years.

    How many deaths - 11

    Just over 1 death every 10 years - and how long were cyclists riding this tour without wearing helmets?

    Says it all really doesn't it?!!!

    A couple of observations :

    You really think this'll stop the constant stream of helmet threads? Why would you think that? It won't make a scrap of difference.

    It won't be a definitive poll any more than IAM or AA or any other one as you've limited it to one board on a big forum of a single site, it's not mandatory & if you're going to post hostile comments back at people that say 'ho hum here we go again, you've aluenated people immediately. Not to mention the lack of any context to usage.

    The TdF is a 3 week a year closed road event with barely ever the sort of accident or traffic that we encounter on the roads, such comparisons are absolutely meaningless. You could argue that riding with ipods is safe because they use race radios, or mudguards & ice tyres have no place in cycling as they aren't used in the TdF.

    Firstly I don't think I have "aluneated" anyone.

    I have not mentioned Alun at all.

    If you have results from IAM - please post links - as I can't find the results. It's great that you have mentioned polls from MOTORISTS - can you please explain why their opinions are more important than CYCLISTS?

    Maybe, before getting on your angry high horse, you could actually read the post that I made fully. I actually made a request to scrap the post and for the mods to put in a comprehensive poll available on all forums.

    I guess that is because you just have massive blinkers on, set in your ways or alternatively are semi literate and just thick.

    Congratulations - I hope I haven't ALUEnated too many ALUNs - LOL
  • Tell you what ...

    Anyone who is in any doubt about how sensible it is to always wear a helmet.

    Lie down on the road and smack your head a couple of times off the road (or curb if you prefer) as hard as you can (at least as hard as it would be if you feel the height your head is at whe you sit on your bike at say 15mph) - with a helmet on and then do it again a few times without one.

    Let us know which you preffered once (if) you recover!
  • Thebigbee
    Thebigbee Posts: 570
    Tell you what ...

    Anyone who is in any doubt about how sensible it is to always wear a helmet.

    Lie down on the road and smack your head a couple of times off the road (or curb if you prefer) as hard as you can (at least as hard as it would be if you feel the height your head is at whe you sit on your bike at say 15mph) - with a helmet on and then do it again a few times without one.

    Let us know which you preffered once (if) you recover!

    Tell you what - instead of being a ridiculous hypochondriac why don't you point us in the direction of information that conclusively proves that helmets save lives?

    There are a lot of angry people like you that state the obvious. Unfortunately you all seem unable to present any evidence that wearing a helmet conclusively saves lives.

    I have presented the facts. In nearly 100 years of TDF racing. Which consists of hundreds of racers doing THOUSANDS of miles. The stats say that there has been just over 1 death every 10 YEARS!

    And for almost 90 of those 100 years no one, or very few, wore a helmet.

    What does that tell most sensible people?

    The majority of deaths in RTAs are not solely as a result of head injuries alone.

    Please present some evidence before spouting off.

    I have presented my evidence. Just over 1 death every 10 years in the toughest cycle race on the planet. When people are averaging over 25MPH over hundreds of miles.

    Common sense - something that is severely lacking in this cuontry!!
  • Neither angry nor spouting off - if I may I would reassure you it is perfeclty possible to have an opinion without being angry. Rather than promoting (or spouting) an opinion without evidence I was proposing an experiment that people could do to collect evidence on the merits and de-merits of wearing a helmet when cycling. Once we have feedback from the participant we shall have some evidence.

    As someone else has already pointed out mortality rates from a closed road, well marshalled (well as long as you avoid the camera cars!) proffessional race would not be generalisable to the environment and context that most people will be riding in who were interested in your Poll. Personally to reduce the facotrs to condier in this choice to death or not death is not helpful nor wise. If you undertake my experiment I am pretty sure most folk will find out that pain, non-fatal injury, blood loss etc are factors which one should also consider when deciding wether or not to wear a helmet.

    Yes I wear a helmet and while I do respect the rights of others to choose I don't want to live with the consequences of seeing or being involved in any way with their injuries if (perish the thought!) I was unlucky enough to be involved in a crash with them. When I say injuries here I do mean non fatal and fatal.
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Lie down on the road and smack your head a couple of times off the road (or curb if you prefer) as hard as you can (at least as hard as it would be if you feel the height your head is at whe you sit on your bike at say 15mph) - with a helmet on and then do it again a few times without one.
    I didn't fancy trying this, but as an equally representative test I stuck my head into the tigers' cage at Woburn last Sunday. I thought I ought to find out in case one of their tigers escapes (oooh and they have lions there too) and it jumps out of a hedge and tries to eat me on my way to work. It's never happened yet, but if it just makes me 1% safer I'll continue to carry my 12-bore with me just in case.

    Why should I go through some ridiculous - sorry redeculous - ritual of banging my head to see if it hurts? I know it will, but luckily the chance of it happening on the bike is pretty slim. I'll pass thanks.

    BTW it's kerb, not curb. Kerb your head, curb your enthusiasm. :)
  • Pru
    Pru Posts: 53
    I'd be more inclined to wear a helmet if they weren't so expensive. As it stands I struggled with affording £500 for my bike.