cplager

It's so nice to visit this thread since the many of the people here don't seem to live in the same universe...

sudo bike

Enjoy your stay.

mconlonx

If you are a member of AAA and oppose mandatory helmet laws, please write them and let them know that MHLs are bad, m'kay.

Bike Hermit

I just read "The Bike Helmet Paradox" article in The Atlantic. Do we ride more aggressively when we wear a helmet? Do cars pass us more closely? Do helmets make us look like part of a subculture and suggest that bicycling is more dangerous than it is- keeping more people from riding bikes? I will keep wearing mine!

DocsDad

I wear one. I do not ride more aggressively because of it and feel it makes no difference to the cars passing if I have one or not.

stayfed

When I lived in the Bay Area I never wore a helmet. Looking back I don't think it was a stupid thing but just a phase in my life. I now live in NYC and wear a helmet religiously. It's the wild wild west out here and theres just too many variables to look out for. In fact I just got a new helmet yesterday!

Brennan

There's an article on bicycle helmets in The Atlantic today:

The Bike Helmet Paradox
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...aradox/273555/

Wil Davis

Here we go again! As I've said (many, many times before), you only need wear a helmet if you have something worth protecting! (sort of Bloody Obvious if you really stop and think about it!)





- Wil

spivonious

This thread won't exist for long. I have not noticed any difference in car behavior based on my wearing a helmet.

Ozonation

YES. I've read about the "more aggressive" syndrome because one feels protected, but I strongly suspect that the incremental risk of riding more aggressively would be vastly, vastly outweighed by the seriousness of a head injury, which can occur regardless of whether you're riding aggressively or not (hello grumpy driver from behind who doesn't care... )

Monster Pete

Personally, no- at least not when riding on the road in good conditions. I will wear one when riding off road or in ice and snow, however.

My advice to anyone considering what safety gear to wear, including helmets as well as gloves etc, is to be aware of the level of risk as well as what any safety equipment can and can't do before making a decision. It seems a lot of people make extremely optimistic assumptions about what a bicycle helmet is capable of.

I am wholeheartedly against any law that makes safety equipment mandatory unless it can be demonstrated that it will reduce accidents and injury.

ottawa_adam

I can't say if helmet use causes me to ride more aggressively as I have been wearing one since I was a teenager.

acidfast7

Yes, I do. But it's quite uncommon where I ride.

My head was at least 100k.

KonAaron Snake 

I use a helmet...having a helmet on probably saved me from greater injury in two accidents. The first was when I was 12. I lost control and went into a telephone pole, headfirst. The helmet foam was compressed and I got up without a head injury. The second was when I was hit by a car last year and slid off of the hood. Again, compressed helmet foam, neck trauma, back trauma, shoulder pain...but my brains were still safely inside a whole skull.

It also makes a nice place to mount other things:

Ray R

I always wear a helmet when I ride. My brain is my second favorite organ.

Steely Dan

i always wear a helmet because, well, i don't even ever think about why, it's just something that i do, like taking a shower in the morning, or eating food, or putting on a jacket when it's cold. there's no conscious thought process as to "why am i doing this?", it just happens automatically.

henkie327

I've never worn helmets while biking but ever since I started commuting by bike in 2012, I started wearing helmets. In winter I even wear a ski helmet (not only for protection, but since it's padded and lined it also feels comfy and warm). In summer I have a special bike helmet. The added benefit is that my helmets allow me to mount very bright LED helmet lights for when I commute in the dark.

PennyTheDog

It seems to me that falling is painful enough (even with a helmet) that people wouldn't get extra careless. I wear a helmet, but in my whole life I don't think I've ever hit my head hard in a fall. So I'm not zealous about it.

I don't know about how drivers treat people with helmets, but I do notice drivers giving extra space when I'm pulling a child trailer.

JerrySTL

I've crashed 3 helmets over the years and only suffered one minor concussion in doing so. I'm sure that I'd been seriously injured in at least one of those crashes had I not worn the helmet.

manapua_man

I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

I dunno about the "wearing helmets makes people ride more aggressively" thing. Last time I checked, I wasn't fully armored, and getting hit or crashing still hurts regardless of if I'm wearing a helmet or not.

Lot's Knife

No, we do not.

Signed,
One Billion Chinese

I-Like-To-Bike

Have you ever read or heard someone state I wouldn't ride this or that road without a helmet, or ride on trails without a helmet, or ride anywhere without wearing a helmet?

What does that tell you?

It tells me that the person stating that the wearing of a helmet empowers them to ride on dangerous streets, dangerous trails or dangerous anywhere, believes in the helmet's capability to make their dangerous actions "safe."

IOW engaging in otherwise dangerous actions that would not be done except for the belief in the helmet's protective power.

agent pombero

safer.

manapua_man

That doesn't mean that it's actually making them ride more aggressively though. Nor does it mean that it means that it makes a given person believe that their actions are all that "safe" either.

It tells me that they'd rather have a helmet, and that's about it.

I usually wear a helmet when I ride. Do I honestly think it's gonna save me? Not really, since I'll probably get run over by a truck. Still nice to have something for when I slip and fall though.

agent pombero

wise choice, enjoyment of the first is dependent on the second