Bike Helmets

[andrewl]

To be honest it should be compulsory by law. Including quad bikes too. God knows i've done some stupid things on a quad with no helmet.

Helmets have been compulsory here where I am for over 20 years and while there was some initial resistance from some riders, these days its very socially unacceptable to ride without a helmet in the same way driving in a car without a seat belt is.

 

[Akula]

Where i am any riding which involves bike paths (LOL) or road really needs a helmet, the traffic here is pretty dangerous, I need good brakes to aovid idiots pulling out on me all the time.

What i find quite humorous are some of the local guys, riding around on the roads with helmets slung of their bars, cos they wont need the helmet until they get to the offroad stuff, I find the opposite to be true.

As for the it makes my head hot stuff, if the weather here is less than 30Degrees, it means its raining and i don't like being out in that anyway (a couple of people are killed here every year due to lightening strikes).

 

[TheBowelsOfLove]

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/

Have a read.

 

[technodup]

To be honest it should be compulsory by law. Including quad bikes too. God knows i've done some stupid things on a quad with no helmet.

these days its very socially unacceptable to ride without a helmet in the same way driving in a car without a seat belt is.

It's socially unacceptable not to wear a seatbelt? Really?

I don't drive much but when I do I only wear a belt if I'm drunk. Wouldn't want stopped y'see?

 

[tintin40]

It's socially unacceptable not to wear a seatbelt? Really?

I didn't know that either?

Loads of people drive and talk on their mobiles which is far worse :evil:

 

[ellist]

I agree about the phones. Distractions such as phones, messing with stereos, eating, kids or animals in the car, make accidents a lot more likely whereas not wearing a seatbelt just means if you do crash you will be catapulted through the windscreen. At worst just a mess on someone elses car. With all these things as long as you never need them they are totally unnecessary but I would argue seatbelts are pretty established as reducing road injuries compared to bike helmets.
I'm also a bit concious of the fact that if i come off my bike at 30 mph in shorts and t shirt i'm going to lose a lot of skin. Better not come off then really.
So far apart from a gash to the head from a low branch and my pride on many occasions i've been lucky. Even the time my bike dropped hitting ice whilst turning right in front of a car, I missed the car, and saved the bike and me, if my jacket was a bit shagged.

I think if you don't ride like a nob or if you are going to dress accordingly

 

[FSR-Si]

I have a helmet but cant wear it because it makes my headphones dig into my head which hurts

 

[Nigel777]

its actually illegal not to wear a seatbelt in a car by the way and even if its a passenger the driver gets prosecuted if caught.

pet hate for me is that you can smoke while driving but not eat or drink.

the way i think about helmets is that my son depends on me, so anything that protects my head protects him.

 

[Nigel777]

that reminds me. i saw a car abandoned following a crash a while back.
it was a head on crash in a 30 zone (they were on wrong side of the road on a corner due to parked cars).

the driver and passenger obviously weren't wearing seatbelts and there were two head shaped imprints in the windscreen (glass cracked), smattered with blood.

the moral...even low speed impacts can cause nasty injuries.

if they had just had their seatbelts on they probably would have walked away instead of a nice trip to the hospital.

isnt a helmet the same kind of thing

 

[Rumble]

I wouldn't ride around the corner without a helmet. I've always worn one but particularly after a big crash a few years ago. An A&E doctor told me that without my full-face on i'd have had a shattered jaw and if i'd not had a helmet at all i'd be dead, no question.