Do you wear a brain bucket?

I would like to find out what percentage of CPF members wear helmets (or as my dad calls them, brain buckets) while riding a bicycle.

I wear mine, because I want to, and because it's the law here (for minors).

It's mandatory for all bicyclists in Nova Scotia.

I forgot to mention, all you people that vote no, feel free to voice why. I would like to hear your rationale for your choice.

I didn't vote because I don't like the "no" choice. Very presumptuous of you to label it like that. I've been riding bike for 25-30 years, but not as much lately. I've never owned or worn a bicycle helmet. I never intend to. I can see value in them for young riders who are likely to have a spill here and there, and I'll probably have my two young children wear them when they are old enough to ride, but I'll only require them to wear helmets until they learn good bike control (maybe 10-12 years old). After that it will be up to them.

Exactly what kind of injuries are bicycle helmets supposed to prevent? The ones I've seen offer little coverage, and what will they do to prevent injury if the rider is struck by a car at 60 mph? I'm all for wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle in traffic (I've had several friends and family members that have had motorcycle accidents), but a motorcycle helmet offers much greater coverage and protection than a bicycle helmet.

-Keith

I voted no, cause there is no such law in The Netherlands. Almost everybody ride bikes without helmets. With exception of some old people or kids. If I have to wear a helmet to ride a bike, I'd rather walk.

no i dont were one but odly enough i do where a bra when i ride

I used to be a very serious cyclist and I have ridden enough to know that any time you get on a bike you are risking a cracked skull no matter how skilled and careful you are. I wear one religiously.

It is the same as driving with a seatbelt on. Nobody gets in a car thinking that today they will have an accident, but when it eventually happens, it's nice to have put your seatbelt on.

And it is true that a bike helmet does not make you immortal, but studies show that they can prevent grevious head injury in some cases. I personally don't want to live out the rest of my life being spoon fed in a nursing home.

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Lurker said:
I used to be a very serious cyclist and I have ridden enough to know that any time you get on a bike you are risking a cracked skull no matter how skilled and careful you are. I wear one religiously.

It is the same as driving with a seatbelt on. Nobody gets in a car thinking that today they will have an accident, but when it eventually happens, it's nice to have put your seatbelt on.

And it is true that a bike helmet does not make you immortal, but studies show that they can prevent grevious head injury in some cases. I personally don't want to live out the rest of my life being spoon fed in a nursing home.

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I second that.

I am a serious cyclist (attending races and rides all over the US) and have seen many instances where a helmet has saved people from quite serious injuries. I have also seen where a helmet has mitigated what would be large injuries into smaller ones.

Example: me and this guy were riding down a jeep trail covered in rocks. He hits a rock the wrong way and goes down, HARD and FAST right onto his face on a rock. The front of the helmet protruded far enough that it hit the rock first and helped hold his face up off it. Be received only a busted lip whereas I am sure he would have had a completely torn up face (broken nose/etc) without this little bit of offset the helmet provided.

I have always been a pretty safety-conscious guy. I take measured risks, and protective gear is part of that. Now don't get the idea I am some safety prude either.

I have:
lost all the skin from my knee down to the cartliage
been hit by a car
broken my nose in a head on wreck with another cyclist
given that guy a concussion (helmet-preventable)
etc

Safety gear is usually a bother, I think we'll all agree on that one. You use it for the 1 time that it'll save your butt.

Example:
Weedeaters.... I have used them all my life. Dad used to turn me loose on the farm with one and a jug full of gas and tell me to clear all the fences... and there were MILES of fences. I never used to wear safety glasses. Even when weedeating around gravel/etc I knew that all I had to do was squint my eyes and turn my head a little to avoid the rocks. A few years ago (after I started wearing safety glasses on a whim) I was weedeating around the house and hit a rock or something that I did not see or expect. It flew right at my left eye and hit the goggles hard enough to knock me back a few steps. I then realized that even if I had been squinting, that rock would have destroyed my eye anyway. I thought... you know it took 20 years, but the law of averages finally caught up with me... I could have just lost my eye. Always wear glasses after that. You think I would have already learned my lesson years before when a drill bit shattered and LARGE pieces flew between my eye and my eyelid, cutting the surface of my eye. (talk about luck)

My wifes brother, who used to be a motorcycle racer, was out riding the other day and decided not to wear his leathers. Now he is missing half of his buttocks and his back has a severe case of roadburn. At least he was wearing his helmet, and it only ground a flat in the helmet instead of his head....

It's a matter of statistics, I think.
If you ride a bike one mile per day, in conditions where you aren't mingling with faster traffic, and moving at slower speeds, then your risk is pretty low. If I rode on the bike paths in the Netherlands, I wouldn't wear a helmet either.

In my case, I ride my bike over 8000 miles per year. Many of these miles are on the same roads with cars traveling 60mph, in most weather conditions, and in day or night. I've whacked my head on the ground due to slipping on ice, but that's been it. The helmet definitely helped!

Some of my friends haven't been as lucky as me. One had a dog jump in front of his bike, knocking him onto the pavement, causing him to be unconscious for 10 seconds or more (and this was *with* a helmet). His helmet was broken up, but he lived (the only injury was a few cracked ribs).

Another friend did a face-plant because the carbon forks broke off. He struck the top of his head, and crunched up the helmet severely. Again, the only injury was broken ribs.

I also saw a gal mis-judge her speed in a turn, resulting in bouncing her head off the ground. The helmet was trashed, and she hit hard enough to have some short-term memory loss, but she was okay.

I think people should make their own decisions, but they should also be fully informed of what the risks and hazards really are. When possible, learn from the painful and expensive mistakes of others. Wearing a helmet is much less of an inconvenience for me than significant brain injury (or even having a broken nose or losing a few teeth).

better safe than sorry...

Steve K.

Turbodog, you make a good point about taking measured risks and that safety equipment is part of the risk equation. It does not make you a sissy or less cool to wear a helmet. I honestly think that a lot of people are stuck in that kind of thinking even though when you say it out loud it sounds like something only a grade-schooler would say.

I have done a lot of things that friends and relatives think are just plain whacky, like rock climbing, hang gliding, white-water kayaking, caving, motorcycling, ice climbing and a dozen other similar things. I am not a risk-averse person, but I always used the appropriate safety equipment and always lived to take a risk on another day.

I think that people who participate in these kind of activities are more likely to use the mundane, everyday safety equipment like seatbelts, bike helmets and safety glasses because they are used to incorporating safety equipment into their activities. They have also experienced or at least seen the benefits of a little precaution. I know my brain bucket has saved the day on more than one occasion. So has my seatbelt, my belay line, etc. I have also had a few mishaps in my younger days without the proper safety equipment and I can tell you which I prefer.

While mountain biking, (make a long story short)I flipped over the handle bars landing on gravel head first. Luckily I had a helmet on. A few sharp stones lodged into the helmet! I went to the bike shop showing it off and wanting to buy a new helmet. Owner traded me as he wanted to hang the helmet on his wall. He now has a collection of damaged helmets on the wall with happy rider pictures beneath them.

I didn't vote because I don't own or use a bicycle.
And no, I don't use a helmet when I'm using my electric wheelchair. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Craig, when you mod that wheelchair with a Viper engine, you might want to rethink the helmet thing!

I was riding some single track a couple of years ago and came around a blind bend. I was moving pretty fast since I had ridden it many times. Just as I came out of the corner I noticed a small tree had fallen right at face level across the trail. I tried to duck under but didn't make it. I got down far enough so only the helmet caught the tree, but the impact still knocked me clear off the bike. The front of the helmet was crushed. If I didn't have a helmet that would have been my head. After a few minutes of taking it all in and steadying myself, the damage was limited to a bruised butt, skinned sholder and bruised ego. Since then I always wear a helmet anywhere I ride.

Subtract 1 from the total. I thought it was about motorcycles.

I rode every day for 17 years and wore a helmet every time I went out. Well, there was the time I was just testing the new muffler and only went to the end of the street, but that doesn't count.


During that 17 years I had several accidents, including one that broke my jaw. I don't think my helmets ever touched the ground in an accident.

Daniel

Actually I wear a skid lid. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nana.gif

Technologically it is amazing that such a flimsy piece of styrofoam that leaves such an apparent amount of skull exposed does such a good job of protecting the grey stuff underneath it. I did read somewhere that at least 85% of bike mishaps involve one's head impacting something it shouldn't and these lids are designed to reduce trauma when that happens.

Just remember that they need replacement frequently as the foam degrades due to age and handling when not on your noggin. The CPSC recommends every two to three years. Plus you just wouldn't look cool in last year's helmet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

i always wear mine.

make sure it is fitted properly, and not kicked back on your head. many newer helmets have supports that push the helmet forward a bit.

also, helmets have a shelf life, check with the manufacturer. the material degrades over time, decreasing the protection offered. heat, UV radiation and chemicals speed the degradation.

as a rule of thumb, most helmets should be replaced every 2 or 3 years. a good helmet only costs $20, and can save your life! look for a safety rating on the helmet--i think that most are rated (CPSI and Snell) to protect nicely.

lastly: i read recently studies showing that ventilated helmets actually keep a person's head cooler than without.

nice!

Bob

I'll Nth the "I've seen some nasty stuff avoided", and have worn one sice a local rider was killed in a sprint when a darned rabbit jumpped out in front of him, he went down, and was killed (Rabbit didn't fair too well either)

I haven't read all the posts so this might be a repeat.But I don't care how safe of a driver you are,it's the other person that you have NO control over.This didn't happen on a motorcycle but it's an example of "nothing I could do".In 1995 I was taking ny 2 kids,then 1 and 3,to my sister-in-law's house.Is I approached an intersection,I just saw the guy run past the stop sign before plowing into us.There was NOTHING I could have done to avoid it!So.if I ride a motorcycle,I'm wearing a helmet because of the "other guy". Oh,I once had a bodybuilding nutrition store and this guy comes in and his face was ALL CHEWED UP!So being who I am I asked what happened.Yep,he was in a motorcycle accident and didn't wear a helmet.Said he hit a sea wall downtown and spent 2-3 months in the hospital.Guess what he had in is hands while in my store.....a HELMET! Right now it might be your choice,but if you get injured so badly that you can't feed yourself or need help just to go to the bathroom,well that isn't much of a choice!