Wear a helmet already
Comments(6) One of the disconnects within the biking community that I simply don’t understand is this:
Why do so many cyclists, who routinely tell others (esp. SUV drivers) how to live their lives, bristle with indignation when they are told to do a simple thing that makes biking safer–i.e., to wear a helmet?
It would take a few hands to count the number of times I have been flamed or nastygrammed by someone not-so-gently reminding me that only kids under 16 are required to wear a helmet in Mass,, that doing so is a personal choice, don’t-tread-on-me and so on.
In the same vein, MassBike posted as one of the profiles in its “I’m a ___, and I Ride” a photo of a student riding without a helmet. When I complained about their choice of photo/profile, let’s just say my comments were not received warmly. The reaction is particularly ironic given that the student cyclist killed in a collision with an MBTA bus last week was not wearing a helmet.
I can’t understand why MassBike and other cycling organizations do not advocate for more stringent bike-helmet laws (while at the same time advocating for a “vulnerable road users bill”). I can’t understand why cyclists won’t put on helmets. Sure, it makes your hair look wavy. Sure, it’s bulky (though the Dahon Pango folding helmet will cut that problem in half). Sure, it’s a little hotter in the summer. Sure, it adds some number of ounces for the weight weenies out there.
But it’s frankly stupid to ride without a helmet, at least right now in the Boston area. Maybe we’ll be like the Netherlands someday and there’ll be enough of a critical mass of bikers that it’s suddenly super-safe. But it certainly isn’t that way on Huntington Ave or in most of the area, and we shouldn’t act as if that nirvana is just a little ways away.
Wear a helmet already.
“given that the student cyclist killed in a collision with an MBTA bus last week was not wearing a helmet.”
Helmets don’t prevent collisions. A helmet would not have made any difference in protecting him when getting hit by a bus. Saying “he was not wearing a helmet” is as relevant as saying “he was not wearing a seat belt” when talking about someone who was shot in their car while waiting at a light.
If you’ve been flamed for suggesting someone wear a helmet, why keep doing it? One thing is telling an adult that it is illegal for their 8 year old not to have a helmet – you’re protecting a vulnerable user who can’t make their own safety decisions. Another is interfering with someone’s personal business.
And yes, I am also against mandatory seat belt laws for those over 18. It is not the governments job to protect me from myself, nor is it yours.
I believe that my bright clothing and extra bright lights do a much better job at protecting me than a helmet ever would.
sigh… yet another example
J – I hope we never have to read a similar article… But riding without a helmet is moronic. The human body is designed to go only as fast as it can propel itself on it’s own. The bike gives us the mechanical efficiency to go much faster… Which can lead to a very fast decelleration which the brain CANNOT safely handle.
Helmets save lives, no question!
J’s argument is so far off base, suggesting that someone who fell under a bus and who’s head got crushed might have been safer had they worn a helmet is not even close to the comparison given of seatbelts and gunshots. In some cases, sure you can still die on a bike when wearing a helmet – it can’t stop you from getting in accidents, but I’m not sure anyone is suggesting that the helmet stops the accident. It does, however, protect you once you end up in the unfortunate situation.
well here are some facts: http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality_facts_2008/bicycles.html
“The most serious injuries among a majority of those killed are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. Helmet use has been estimated to reduce head injury risk by 85 percent. Ninety-one percent of bicyclists killed in 2008 reportedly weren’t wearing helmets.”
Thank you for posting this. I personally know two people whose lives were saved by helmets. It is a fact that helmets save lives. Bike advocacy groups should be promoting helmet use.
As a bike super hero I give out stickers to kids who are wearing helmets with the hope that they will continue the practice when they become teens and adults.