September 17, 2004

So, we've dealt with the bike. What about a helmet? Personally, I say yes.

I was riding my bicycle home one night (I have a headlight and a flashing LED tail light) and I decided to take a short cut home across the car park of a supermarket. As I was coming up to an intersection in the carpark, I suddenly noticed a car approaching from my left, and I grabbed the brakes. The front wheel locked, the bike and I pivoted around the front axle, and I was pile driven into the asphalt. Head first. This smashed the helmet I was wearing, and as far as I'm concerned justifies owning and using a bike helmet. But what do the statistics say? According to this Canadian bicycle and pedestrian fatalities are pretty much in lockstep, with no effect on cyclist fatalities after compulsory helmet wearing was introduced. This uses Australian data to show that there is no discernible short term impact on death or injury with compulsory helmet wearing. So far, so ordinary. But the CDC thinks that helmets do help reduce injury rates. Here is a great big collection of links to statistics on cycling injuries, including two widely cited articles, this one and this newer one, where Helmets provide a 63%-88% reduction in the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury for all ages of bicyclists. Helmets provide equal levels of protection for crashes involving motor vehicles (69%) and crashes from all other causes (68%). Injuries to the upper and mid facial areas are reduced 65%. These two are peer reviewed, which makes a big difference in credibility, as far as I'm concerned. Choosing and fitting a helmet is important, but wear it properly, otherwise you are wasting your time. Also, get a headlight and a tail light, for rainy weather if nothing else. Modern high intensity lights are outstanding and like most things bike you can spend as much, or little, as you please and get something that will suit. Thank you for your time. *gets off soapbox*

posted by polychrome 20 years ago
  • yes, wear a helmet. better to look like a moron than to take a spill and literally be *rendered* a moron. your brain is you, yo.
  • Previously, I've never worn a helmet, but some of the things that I've seen on the London roads have done a good job of scaring me into reconsidering. I think those statistics might just have tipped the scales for me. For some reason, I never thought that helmets were much good for preventing anything other than cosmetic cuts and bruises, but those stats are pretty compelling. Some of those lights are awesome. If I wasn't going to get a bike before, I'd be thinking about it now, just to have something to stick some of those puppies on. That's how sad I am. Shiny things!
  • I bought one of these (now superseded) and had a blast with it. Riding at night on a quiet country road ROCKS. Glad to hear that you are thinking about getting a helmet; I haven't seen them for a while, but avoid cloth or bare helmets, go for ones with a thin hard outer shell. It seems that the soft helmets tend to "stick" if they hit the road, and can wrench your neck. You want something that will skid.
  • Always wear a helmet (self-link - my story of why I always wear a helmet.)
  • shawnj, how the heck do you fit a helmet over that hair!? hee hee.
  • Out of curiosity, what's the deal with rechargable lights? I've always had replacable battery ones before. Is there much chance of being stranded with a flat battery, with a rechargable? shawnj, you know who you remind me of?
  • Socks?
  • Nope. Who?
  • The correct response would have been: A girl you think you used to know? Not trying to say you're a girl or anything. Unless you are, which is cool. But if you're not, that's cool too. I'll get my coat.
  • Doh! I only recently started listening to the cure, actually. Haven't listened to that album yet. Been too busy repeating Bloodflowers, Disintegration, and The Head On The Door over and over again.
  • Re rechargeables - I've had my light noticeably dim, but it was still quite useable, on a couple of occasions. The company quoted runtime seemed to be optimistic by ~30 minutes.
  • The Head On The Door is the best!!!!
  • "My brain is my second most favorite organ" W. Allen
  • Anecodote, rather than data, but: a foreign competitor in a New Zealand international triatholon event got run over by a truck. The wheel went over his *head*. He's alive and doesn't have brain damage because he has one of those funky cycle helmets that's got a chin-piece, like a light-weight version of a mototcyclist's full-face helmet. Personally, I'm appalled at how little gear cyclists wear. I don't go out on a motorbike without a minimum of full-face helmet, gloves, armoured jacket, and heavy boots. If I'm planning on riding open road, armoured trousers go in the mix. Around town plenty of cyclists are hitting speeds comparable to me in the traffic, and in one spot in Wellington (a big downhill on the motorway), I've had cyclists wearing nothing but lycra outpace me, because I was holding to the 80 km/h speed limit. WTF do they think's going to happen if they take a spill?