Compulsory Cycle Helmet Wearing (O/T)

[tedebear]

you lot are all off your rockers - I've only got one head and I'd like to keep it that way.....

helmets are a must!!

the way Perseus rides around town its a wonder he hasn't been hit yet - actually maybe he has??

 

[Life After Bobby]

I have not found any evidence that the helmets are any better than bare bonces for bouncing off cars.

http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/cycle_helmets.pdf

Clearly the helmets have to be up to standard (which is a different argument), but evidence does suggest that wearing a helmet is beneficial

 

[fatboy]

wjhat about on a tandom bike

I'd rather someone headbutted me in the back with their head than with a cycle helmet.

 

[perseus]

Thanks. It is a tricky read.

http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/cycle_helmets.pdf

The anti-cycling helmet lobby and the pro-cycling helmet lobby have just selected the surveys that fit their arguments.

Some of the things that came to my attention were:

1) at least survey said that 40% of head impact impacts involved damage to the helmet, often at the periphery.

2) pedestrians when they were examined were at a ratio of 135 to 35 the cyclists being the lower total

3) there is hardly any evidence that the cycle helmets made the injuries worse, none realistically.

4) temple protection was mentioned in at least one survey and implied in others. I do not know if this is commonsense as my anatomy of the head and brain is not clear.

I expect lots of different conclusions could be reached.

e.g. it is recommended that pedestrians should be encouraged to wear enhanced protection helmets to include temple protection and cyclists could benefit as well.

 

[tedebear]

again you're all mad!! just because helmets dont look cool or you don't "think" that they actually work - then you won't wear one??

let me test your theories...... you accidently fall off your bike going over a pot hole on the beach front, I can't brake in time and cause a simple collision with my 1960's chromed bumper on my Cortina and your head...

anyone??

 

[Little Piggy]

again you're all mad!! just because helmets dont look cool or you don't "think" that they actually work - then you won't wear one??

let me test your theories...... you accidently fall off your bike going over a pot hole on the beach front, I can't brake in time and cause a simple collision with my 1960's chromed bumper on my Cortina and your head...

anyone??

Firstly, have you EVER seen a product you thought was crap so didn't buy it? Or did you buy it anyway? Same principle. Its not about not looking "daggy", its a serious point, if I don't think it works then what would make me want to get one? Aside from legislation, of course

As to the second point, why are you driving straight at me and not swerving? Now admittedly the lump on my head might be less pronounced if I wore a helmet. Not that it will be the major cause for concern considering I've just played chicken with A CORTINA with my HEAD and lost!!

 

[tedebear]

Firstly, have you EVER seen a product you thought was crap so didn't buy it? Or did you buy it anyway? Same principle. Its not about not looking "daggy", its a serious point, if I don't think it works then what would make me want to get one? Aside from legislation, of course

As to the second point, why are you driving straight at me and not swerving? Now admittedly the lump on my head might be less pronounced if I wore a helmet. Not that it will be the major cause for concern considering I've just played chicken with A CORTINA with my HEAD and lost!!

simple for me really - I don't play silly buggers with my head - if I rode a bike, I'd expect to fork out good money for a helmet with exceptional safety standards - the same way I will for my helmet in my race car...and the same way i would if I had kids and needed to buy a car seat....

and if you fell off directly in front of me - do you want to risk your head on how quickly I can swerve??

as I said I've only got one head and I intend to keep it.....

come to think of it maybe I should wear it on the way home from the pub.....

 

[perseus]

again you're all mad!! just because helmets dont look cool or you don't "think" that they actually work - then you won't wear one??

let me test your theories...... you accidently fall off your bike going over a pot hole on the beach front, I can't brake in time and cause a simple collision with my 1960's chromed bumper on my Cortina and your head...

anyone??

If the cyclist is going too fast for the conditions, a cricket helmet might make a bigger dent in the car. According to one report there would be a 40% chance of the cycle helmet hitting the car, but does not mean the face did not hit as well, and there may be bits of teeth in the bumper.

Potholes are a pain, especially in the rain when they can be hidden by a puddle or in traffic when you cannot avoid them.

I have wrecked two bikes hitting potholes but I was going slowly for the conditions. There is probably a case for racing cyclists wearing cycle helmets because they may be going so fast they completely invert and land on their bonce.

In a recent Court case (I took the photographs of the injuries to the bonce) the lack of a cycle helmet did not reduce the £four figure injury claim. Although the cyclist used his bonce as a brake, most of his injuries were to other parts of the body as it was a motorcycle that hit him a glancing blow when passing. Cycle helmets have not been proven to work.

I tend to think the brain injuries occur when a car hits the cyclist and then it will need more than a motor cycle helmet. This may not be the case with children but it will probably be in excess of 68%.

 

[perseus]

Forum on cycle helmets:

[http://forums.theargus.co.uk/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=66

(Amended URL)