[road]

Every time helmets get mentioned a crowd of people come out frothing at the mouth to declare that they’re a big boy who doesn’t want to wear a helmet. Why is it such a touchy subject?

Topic

[BBB]

“Why do people care so much
“Why do people care so much about other people wearing helmets?””
You got it the wrong way round.

[andy753]

Well, this is an interesting

Well, this is an interesting one. I remember being very against helmets as a teenager and thought that they were very uncool. UNTIL I got knocked off my bike on the South Circular in London in about 1990. I then wore a helmet every day after that… remember those helmets with fabric covers over the top? LOL I think this perception often stems back to our childhood.

[perce]

My dad used to call me the

My dad used to call me the wild man of Borneo. I don’t think he meant it as a compliment.

[chrisonabike]

Ha!  That’s where you’re

Ha!  That’s where you’re falling into cheap stereotypes!  I may own a recumbent but I don’t possess any SPD sandals *, nor would I wear them with socks if I had them.

If I did have a beard though it would probably be more “Open University lecturer” than “wild man of rock“.

* Foot retention is a good idea on a recumbent, more for extra relaxation than in fear of “foot suck“.

[brooksby]

hirsute wrote:

brooksby wrote:

ChuckSneed wrote:

Sorry I’m somewhat new to the comments and forum. Can someone explain to me who they are and what they’ve done wrong? I can see a lot of angry comments but I don’t have a context.

But any child knows this.

You’ve made my day brooksby !

[Backladder]

ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:

ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:

Backladder wrote:

 

Wearing or not wearing a helmet only changes the risk to yourself, if close passing only risked the driver then you might have a point.

If you want to differentiate between should statements in the highway code and say that some are more important than others, or that some apply but others don’t, that’s entirely up to you. I am saying I refuse to do that.

No, I reserve the right to take risks with my own safety that I am comfortable with, I do not claim the right to take risks with other people’s safety as I do not know what they are comfortable with. Suggesting I should wear a helmet every time I ride is a bit too nanny state for me.

[ShutTheFrontDawes]

ChrisB200SX wrote:

ChrisB200SX wrote:

ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:

Daveyraveygravey wrote:

Also, if I have to wear a seatbelt, you should have to wear a helmet

 

Except you are statistically more likely to bang your head behind the steering wheel of your car than on your pushbike…so you should wear a seatbelt AND helmet when driving…

I don’t think that’s true. Statistics have been posted on this thread already that show that cycling has a much higher rate of head injury per distance travelled than a car.[/quote]Injuries per distance travelled is meaningless metric (especially comparing motorvehicles to bicycles), people don’t lives their lives by distance, except Dominic Turetto.

[/quote]

I don’t have the numbers and frankly can’t be bothered to look them up for the benefit of someone on the internet who made a claim without backing it up.

The figures quoted for car travel were so much lower that I would expect that even working by per time or even per trip, you’d still end up quids-in so to speak.

But like I said, I can’t be bothered to check. Wycombe wheeler shared the study I think. Go look if you care enough.

PS turns out I can be bothered. By time, figures wereUsing time as the denominator, rates were “0.16 (0.14–0.19) [cycling] ,0.10 (0.10–0.11) [walking] and 0.03 (0.028–0.032) [driving] respectively in men and 0.10 (0.07–0.14), 0.04 (0.037–0.045), and 0.01 (0.012–0.016) respectively in women, per million hours travelled.”

So yeah, way safer to drive from a head injury perspective.

It’s almost like the more protection you have, the safer you are. Funny that.

[Hirsute]

No telly, cycles, bet you
No telly, cycles, bet you have a beard too !

[perce]

Well there’s a programme

Well there’s a programme about Burt Bacharach and Hal David on so I’ll probably watch that. Roland Kirk (not Ronald) did a great version of the hit song “Alfie” years ago. I’ve been to the dentist today for a check up, such a relief when they say everything is ok, been dreading going fow weeks. Apparently George Formby was Britain’s highest paid entertainer for five years. Who would have thought that? You wouldn’t like my brother.

[Judge dreadful]

Personally, I don’t care what

Personally, I don’t care what anyone else does or doesn’t do, regarding helmet use. I use a helmet, because I found out ( the hard way ) what happens if you get brought down at a speed exceeding walking pace, with , and then without a decent lid  ( long story ). It’s personal choice, until the law is changed ( I can’t see that happening ).

[chrisonabike]

People don’t seem to talk

People don’t seem to talk about what’s on the telly tonight any more.  I miss that.  I don’t own a telly though so I can’t get that going again.  Unless I was like your brother.  Then maybe I could say that I’d been watching Big Brother with Cilla Black, Ivor Cutler, Dame Edna Everage and Lloyd Grossman and my ears were squirming with aural pleasure.

[perce]

Cilla Black is on tv tonight

Cilla Black is on tv tonight on channel 5. Should be a lorra lorra laughs chuck.

[Anonymous]

I have a feeling it causes
I have a feeling it causes you pain to not get the last word in, especially when you’re accused of being frothy mouthed over helmets. Feel free to prove me wrong by not replying, if you can take the pain of it…

[ChrisB200SX]

ChuckSneed wrote:

ChuckSneed wrote:

This kind of furious response what I was referring to

LOL. This incorrect comment perfectly proves my point.

[ChrisB200SX]

ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:

ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:

Daveyraveygravey wrote:

Also, if I have to wear a seatbelt, you should have to wear a helmet

 

Except you are statistically more likely to bang your head behind the steering wheel of your car than on your pushbike…so you should wear a seatbelt AND helmet when driving…

[/quote] I don’t think that’s true. Statistics have been posted on this thread already that show that cycling has a much higher rate of head injury per distance travelled than a car.[/quote]Injuries per distance travelled is meaningless metric (especially comparing motorvehicles to bicycles), people don’t lives their lives by distance, except Dominic Turetto.

[Author]

Replies