Originally Posted by
wphamilton
But also
►As a newby I was right-hooked, over the bars, no helmet no head injury, so a helmet wouldn't have helped.
► A few months later I hit the ice in a gutter, no helmet, had a scalp cut. A helmet would definitely have helped.
► A few years later wearing a helmet, hit head on by a cyclist, went over the bars but the helmet never touched. So the helmet was no help.
► Hit a gutter road hazard at 25 mph, over the bars again, the helmet didn't impact but had some scratches this time. It might have helped.
So my personal anecdotal evidence is: No, Yes, No, and Maybe wear a helmet. And "stay away from gutters".
Well put.
And generalizing a bit...
One needs to know just two things to decide.
1. There are only two kinds of bikers: the ones who will fall and the ones who have fallen and will fall again.
2. When falling from a bike the chances of hitting your head are not negligible.
It's a simple guide to action from obvious cycling experience.
If you have reasons like vanity or a great sense of safety because you are special... Hey! Your head, your way.
What is unacceptable is to proselytize not using a helmet, as some do, even when contrary facts stare at them. Plain facts like the advisability of letting some cushioned shield take the brunt of hard blows to one's head, if at all possible.
I remember threads like this in MOTORcycle forums, same bunk. It seems that every passionate issue eventually gravitates toward opposite poles. If we put all members of a political party in a new state, in a while there would be two political parties, at least. It appears that no matter how ridiculous the extreme you are standing on may be, as long as you can throw spitballs at someone on the other side of some aisle. Curious species.
In fact, I hear medieval knights never settled the issue of whether helmets in battle increased survival, either.