What is it with all the people who ride without helmets???!?

[Shine]

:shrug: Seriously, I just don't get it.

Today, I saw yet another young girl in her mid teens, riding her bike without a helmet. She also had her ears filled with earbuds, listening to tunes and not paying attention to the road or traffic AT ALL. What an idiot.

I see this sort of thing all the time around where I live. But, what really made her stand out a bit more was that her helmet was hanging off the handlebar!!! :wtf: She had the damn thing with her and just chose not to wear it...and this was on a very busy road with little shoulder. DUH!!!!!!

Last August my helmet saved my life in a fall. Life is just too fragile and things can change in a heartbeat.

Any other cyclists out there seeing this sort of thing more often? To me it definitely seems like the no-helmet thing is getting more prevalent. It's not just young kids doing it, either. I see adults riding all the time without helmets and it just mystifies me.

I guess the Darwinists would say: "Weed out the dumb ones." :evilgrin:

[Kolesar]

1. Depends on if the rider is OK with having to re-learn the alphabet

...to steal a line from the writers at Bicycling magazine.

[loveable liberal]

2. Organ donors.

[GoneOffShore]

3. I generally ride with a helmet

And, in fact I bought a new one on Thursday, because the pads on my 4 year old one had given way.

The new one is a Bell Triton and super adjustable, and lots of vents.

So, yesterday I set off on my morning ride up to the Philadelphia Art Museum, Kelly Drive and Schuykill Bank and home to Northern Liberties. I'm cruising at 25km/h up Kelly and I realize that I had FORGOTTEN TO PUT ON MY HELMET. It was back at the house.

Sometimes you just forget. Luckily, Mrs. GoS hadn't realized I'd left it at home.

Of course when we're in France, almost none of the cyclists wear helmets, But then they smoke cigarettes when they ride.

[bvar22]

4. I usually ride without a helmet....

During the Summer, I rarely wear a helmet.
I am 56 years old, have no dependents, and have a living will with a close friend.
I don't wear my helmet because I don't like them. My choice.
If I had a dependent child, I would INSIST that they wear a helmet.

95% of my riding (about 150 miles/week) are on dedicated bike paths and trails physically separated from automotive traffic (not bike lanes). I am lucky to live in a place that has hundreds of miles of dedicated bike paths.




I usually wear a bandanna as a headband, and frequently listen to Rock&Roll via earclip headphones.
If I take a spill and crack my head.....such is life. I don't wear a helmet in the bathtub either.

I frequently observe riders with helmets riding in traffic with absolutely no concern for the cars overtaking them. They seem oblivious, like having the "right of way" and a "helmet" is a magic cloak that protects them from drunk or stupid drivers. The 5% of the time that I use the streets, I turn off the music. I am hyper vigilant. I check traffic by sound and by turning my head every several seconds. I "see" every car that overtakes me. I tried a mirror, but found it to be unreliable.

If the traffic is light, I will frequently ride against the traffic on back streets or the burbs (hate the burbs). I like to be able to see the car that is going to hit me. When a car is coming, I will either switch sides, or take to the sidewalk. Riding against the traffic is also a good way to protect against car doors that suddenly open in front of me. (The people in a parked car can see you coming if you are riding on the "wrong" side".) In the 50's and 60's, riding "against the traffic" was the preferred method.


In Winter (Minneapolis) I ALWAYS wear a helmet. It helps keep my ears warm (holds my hat over my ears), and would give some head protection if the bike suddenly "spits out from under" on glaze ice (something I don't fear in the Summer). I change to studded tires when the daytime temps drop under 30 degrees.

I frequently run red lights and stop signs when no cars are coming. I know it gives all the rest of you a bad name, but I hate stopping when I'm "in the zone".....and, well, I'm a self centered asshole and an old rebel.


Some things I NEVER do because its just TOO dangerous:

*I NEVER ride without eye protection.

*I NEVER ride without gloves that have a leather palm. If I do have to "get off", my palms are going to hit first.

*I NEVER EVER ride after dark. Even with a ton of reflective tape and bike lights, it is much harder to see and avoid the "new" pothole, new crack or the brick or rock or branch that someone has thrown on the path, or the drain grate.

*I NEVER ride with "clip in" shoes or pedals. Great for racing, but much too dangerous.

*I NEVER ride on busy main streets or any highway ... WAY too dangerous.

[GoneOffShore]

5. An interesting take on the helmet issue

I'll second you on the eye protection and the gloves.

I hate helmets and avoid them when I can - especially when I'm on a dedicated bike trail. Unfortunately, I live in the city and have to ride in the street. And though I'm 58 and have a living will, I am married. But I ride like I'm invisible and that every car driver out there is trying to kill me.

And I do have to disagree about clipless pedals - They are the best thing for getting up hills and keeping your speed up. I've got mine tuned so that a 5 degree ankle twist gets me unclipped. Knock wood, I've only had three falls using them - and that was because I was riding with someone else and talking as we came up to a traffic light.

I've also found that if you're in traffic carrying a Kryptonite lock in your left hand has a remarkable effect on car drivers. They seem to see it as some sort of threat, though I don't know why.

[Ms. Toad]

6. Ditto on the clipless.

Aside from the learning period, during which they should never be used on the road (The precaution when you get your first pair is "WHEN you go down, and you will..."), I'm all in favor of clipless. I haven't fallen since the learning period, and in the one close call I had riding, in a fraction of a second my shoe was out of the pedal, I yelled loudly enough to stop the driver backing into me before he hit me, tangled pedals with the rider who had been riding 3' to my left (my pedal was vacant since I got my foot unclipped immediately), and still stayed upright.

My spouse, however, just got toe clips. I have been very insistent that she not wear them on the road (I'd prefer she remove them entirely). Toe clips tighten when you twist (as you almost always do when you go down) and you're likely to end up with a break - potentially a nasty spiral break.

[Kolesar]

7. I used to ride trails with a "boonie" sun hat

I did not like bicycle helmets until they started making "Roc-lock" suspension helmets. The best that old helmets could do to "fit" was to supply a small number of extra pads to cram into the voids between the helmet and my head. They were *still* a poor fit, and the helmets were hot and had no ventilation to speak of. With the Roc-lock, the helmet actually fits. I found that a suspended foam helmet actually keeps the intense sun off my head nicely.

I still wish the helmets had some sort of brim to keep the sun off my neck. Somebody needs to invent a "cyclist's pith helmet".

I also recommend these sweat bands/pads for the helmet that trail back then dip down near your temples. The perspiration collects near the temples. With these, I don't have salty perspiration running down into my eyes.

[Ms. Toad]

8. Just a couple of thoughts to throw into the mix

Helmets off road:

What the helmet primarily provides protection against is the head/pavement impact. If I'm going any significant speed, that's pretty much the same whether my head hits a paved road or a paved trail - and whether it is the result of vehicle interaction, pedestrian interaction, bicycle interaction, pothole in the road interaction, or just plain clutziness.

I ride bike patrol for our county's off-road paved/chip and seal trails. I carry a first aid kit, repair kit, radio, and am trained in first aid and CPR. To the extent time might make a difference in quality of life post (survivable) head injury you're actually safer on the road. There's not much I can do directly. I can summon help, but the prompt arrival of someone who can provide more capable direct assistance depends on my correct recollection of the last road I crossed, the availability of a key to unlock the stanchion which generally keeps cars off the the trails, and the ability of the ambulance to dodge pedestrian traffic, bicycle traffic, and in some instances horse traffic on a single narrow lane between the road and you.

Riding with/against traffic:

A head on impact is (roughly) the equivalent of running into a brick wall at the the combined speeds of the vehicles - for where I ride that would be about 63 mph (45 mph + 18 mph). A bumper to tail impact is (roughly) the equivalent of running into a brick wall at the difference between the speeds of the vehicles - again, for my riding, that would be about 27 mph (45 mph - 18 mph). I probably wouldn't survive the first, but there's a good chance my banged up body would live to ride again another day after the second. As far as car doors - unless I'm just creeping along, I always ride more than an open car door away from parked vehicles, (I also always ride at least 3 feet from the right side of the road (more if the road is bad) so I can safely dive to the side and stay upright to avoid aggressive/careless drivers.)

Ultimately, it is your choice but I wanted to provide some food for thought from my perspective riding trail patrol and from the training I received from experienced road riders when I started sharing the road with cars 20+ years ago. :hi:

[GoneOffShore]

9. Thanks for the physics lesson.

Riding against traffic scares the cr*p out of me. I avoid it as often as possible.

And your point about bike trails is well taken. Far less access if one falls.

[Ms. Toad]

10. Got me....

When I started road riding I did have extensive discussions with more experienced riders about riding with or against traffic - but what I remember much more vividly about speeds and impact is Project Physics from high school - shooting pucks across an air table at each other, snapping photos while a strobe light was flashing, and measuring distance (which translates into speed) both before and after impact.

[wtmusic]

11. To each his/her own, but...

your beliefs aren't backed up by any statistics. For example, riding on a paved bike path without a helmet is far more dangerous than riding with a helmet and clip-in pedals. You slip on some sand, hit your head on the pavement (not a car in sight) and you are SERIOUSLY injured.

Ditto for your tactic of riding against traffic, which is not only illegal but far, far more dangerous. As is the idea of "turning your head every several seconds" (which I find incredulous) and would leave you more vulnerable to hitting a car door or debris in the roadway.

So do what you want to do, but don't try to pass it off as being safe. It's not.

[elocs]

12. I am 54 and I never wear a helmet. (It's about choice, folks.)

Just like eating unhealthy food that might kill me is my choice too. When a choice is legal and only impacts the health of the chooser, then that is what this country is about. To what lengths will we go to potentially save people from themselves? Unlike many bike riders I see, I actually obey the traffic signs and I believe I am safer because of that than ones who wear helmets yet break traffic laws with impunity. Ultimately though, it is my choice.

My city is very safe for biking and here it is legal to ride on the sidewalks except in a small area in downtown. My motto is to avoid interaction with motor vehicles whenever possible. I ride a long wheel based recumbent with a 26" wheel in the back and a 20" wheel in the front. It is black and has the look of a motorcycle chopper. It is very comfortable and easy to ride and I get comments all the time from kids, teens, and adults who will call out, "cool bike". One time I passed a little boy about 4 on the bike trail and he simply said, "wow!", so that makes it fun.
My bike is so low to the ground that I really can stop on a dime by using the Fred Flintstone method--I can simply put my feet down.

The only mishap I have had in the 4 years I have owned it was this summer when I made the mistake of wearing long pants without using anything to tie back the pants leg. I was waiting at a stop sign and when I went to push down on my right pedal my pants caught on the derailleur guard. I was already lean a little to the right and I had that brief moment when all I could think was, "oh, crap" because I knew the only thing that could happen is that I would have to flop over. Fortunately, being on a recumbent, I was close to the ground and there was grass beside me.

I frequently ride at night and I have been told by cars that they can see my flashing rear read light from many blocks away. I like riding in my city at night because the streets are quiet and you can see and hear cars coming from blocks away. I have not found pot holes to be a problem, but then I ride the same routes. Just this evening after 10 I went for a bike ride of a few miles through a quiet neighborhood near me on a beautiful autumn evening. Right now my bike is parked in my kitchen because it is 7' long and I cannot fit it into my crowded shed.

[happyslug]

14. And setting a Good Example...

I am SURPRISED how much pre-teens look to Adults as role models. When I look back I do not remember trying to imitate my elders as much as I see pre-teens do, but my father mentioned it was the same for his generation (i.e. he was surprised how much pre-teens followed the exampled of Adults when he does not remember doing so).

This is probably the result of selective memory, as teenagers we want to be "ourselves" and we suppress what we did as pre-teens. For this reason as adults we remember our teens years more than our pre-teens years. The Scary part is how much pre-teen attitudes survive into the teen years. Thus the old saying, pre-teens follow adults and teens continue to do what they did as pre-teens while saying they are not.

Thus I wear a helmet. Yes, Teenagers are NOT going to Switch to wearing a helmet unless their friends do so, pre-teens are not going to wear a helmet unless adults are doing so, thus as an adult I should be a good example and wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet is the best way for me to get teenagers and pre-teens to wear a helmet. It is these age groups that need to wear a helmet more than any other group, they have the least experience riding a bike, are willing to take the most risks and generally have the worse bicycles. Thus every time I hear of a child being hurt by NOT wearing a helmet, I put one on my head to show kids wearing a helmet is OK, it is the adult thing to do.

[elocs]

15. Sorry, it's the parents' responsibility to see their children wear helmets

Where I live there is no helmet law for anybody. The age for drinking alcohol is 21, so if I am over 21 I do not feel obligated to set an example for children by not drinking. Although it is a stupid behavior, the same goes for smoking. The same goes for many other choices that are legal, but may not be the best choice for children. If you want to have every biker wear a helmet, then get a law passed that says they must wear one. Elanor Roosevelt once said that nobody can make you feel guilty without your consent. I don't give my consent. This is about choice and as long as not wearing a helmet is a legal option and choice, I choose not to wear one. I am a far greater example to children by their seeing me obey the traffic laws as I ride such as stopping at stop signs and stop lights and riding on the right side of the street.

[happyslug]

16. But it is easier for the parents...

To get their children to wear a helmet, if the Children see other people (especially adults) wear a helmet. Remember Hillary Clinton's book, "It takes a Village to raise a Child". Child rearing involves more then the parents, you are also part of that child rearing whether you want to be or not. I know most people would like to leave such things up to the parents and contrary to the right wing, parent only rearing of Children has NEVER been the rule among humans. Parents tend to have the final say and are the primary influence, but other adults the child interact with and see also are influencing that child. A child will ask why do they have to wear a helmet when no one else is wearing a helmet. The parents may wear a helmet, but then the child will see other adults not wearing a helmet and want to look more like these adults.

Sorry, it is Human nature to want to imitate others, and children want to imitate adults. If you want ot give up YOUR part in raising these children, I can not stop you, but I can point out, as Hillary Clinton did in her book, IT IS NOT ONLY THE PARENTS WHO ARE RAISING THE CHILDREN OF TODAY BUT ALL OF US.

[Stargazer09]

13. I never used to wear a helmet

But that was when I was a kid (almost 30 years ago) and they weren't widely used where I grew up.

Now, I feel just as naked without a helmet as I do without my vehicle seat belt. I won't ride without one. I know that it gives some people a sense of invulnerability, but for most of us, it's just comforting to know what our noggins will be a little more protected if something goes wrong.

My children are NEVER allowed to ride without their helmets. Ever.

I also use clipless pedals, but I don't clip in when I'm riding on the roadside. I use Shimano's dual-sided pedals--clipless on one side and flat on the other. For the type of riding I do (organized tours, paved bike trails), they are perfect. I enjoy the extra power on the hills, and I like being able to ride without clipping in if I'm with an inexperienced rider or dodging traffic.

Not only have I seen people riding against traffic (I remember my physics lessons, too), I've seen people riding at night, in dark clothes, down the middle of the street! The only times I've come close to running over a cyclist is when they are doing something so stupid.