Old 09-26-19, 01:55 PM
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livedarklions
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Originally Posted by Phil_gretz
Back on the original post, I'm reminded of several times in the last year when I wasn't paying close enough attention. Once, I nearly struck a jogger who was crossing the sidewalk against traffic at an intersection. I only looked to my left and nearly struck him as I started out.

The other time, I hit my head on an overhanging branch and swerved into a telephone pole that prevented me from falling into oncoming traffic. I certainly would have been killed.

Be safe, everyone.
It's really possible to be paying full attention to the road ahead of you and get hit by the overhanging branch. The only time I've ever very clearly been saved from serious injury by a helmet was when wearing one converted what would likely have been a stunning and gashing blow to the forehead into a glancing strike off the helmet. Trying to figure out after the fact what I had done wrong, I realized that there was probably no way I would have seen it without already knowing it was there. It was around the bend on the right side of the state road I was riding on, midway through a curve in a road with a speed limit high enough that there was no way I would consider taking the lane in that situation because cars whipping around that curve wouldn't see me until it was too late to slow or stop. From where it was relative to me on the bike seat, it was a bit above eye level, not somewhere someone usually scans for obstacles floating in space. Finally, behind it was a bunch of trees, so nothing about it made it stand out from the background.

I decided after that this was an underappreciated function of helmet wearing.
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