...to not make my 5 and 3 year old wear a cycle helmet?

[blindasabatenburg]

Am I failing to protect them sufficiently? Nobody wore helmets when we were kids and I don't recall anyonr suffering a serious head injury, though we all came off from time to time.

They could just as easily fall from a climbing frame at the park, but nobody would insist on a helmet for the park!!!

I did NOT say they weren't concerned just that they were trying to look after the safety of people. Yes it costs them to look after obese people but TBH they can't win can they!!

I think you are rude and nasty TBH and many people of this thread have commented on your quite frankly ridiculous comments. It is not I feel so cross about someone on a thread but I am today!

If your actually happy with taking that risk with your childrens lives (REALLY?!) then I guess no one can make you.

As my helmet saved my life when I was 7 I am so very grateful my mother valued my life enough to put up with the minor effort to put a helmet on me.

YABU

Its a miracle I remember to put my trousers some days.

as someone who used to do parachute jumping I can safely say that the idea of wearing parachutes on commercial flights as safety measures are not feasible.

unless you have tried this sport (or at least researched it) yourself Patpig you will have little idea what it involves.

but I'm sure you have an answer or a link or some statistics that you are right and know better. have it your way.

I'd rather purchase a good bike helmet and hope for the best, then end up having to organize a funeral.
call me crazy

moomins or use grammar properly!

it's put my trousers ON, dear
< pats moomins' head patronisingly>

I have done parachute jumping thank you. But that wasn't the point - cycle helmets send the message that it's unsafe to cycle. It isn't.

BTW, how do you know what a 'good bike helmet' is?

I did NOT say they weren't concerned just that they were trying to look after the safety of people. Yes it costs them to look after obese people but TBH they can't win can they!!

What do you mean they can't win? When you are a government in charge of millions of people, you make cost/benefit analyses all the time. For example, you would say 'this law would save 10 lives per year from head trauma but result in 1000 additional deaths from increased obesity'. (both made up numbers)

It's not that hard to balance these things out, and conclude that potential laws are good/bad. For example, governments could make the decision that all old cars must be replaced because they don't meet modern pedestrian safety standards.

They haven't done this, because there are also good reasons not to force the scrapping of old cars.

There are lots of safety-related laws that we could introduce, but don't.

Bike helmets are already a compromise, really if you were serious about protecting your children they'd wear a motorbike helmet which offer far more protection.

I don't think this btw, but it illustrates that reducing risk isn't a straightforward exercise with no downsides. It's always a balance and I think in this thread many have been pointing out that there is very poor scientific evidence of just how effective cycle helmets are which makes it difficult to choose your own level of risk.

Its a miracle I remember to put my trousers some days.

Years ago no-one wore a cricket helmet - it wasn't done. Now everyone does.

Years ago no-one wore a helmet in professional cycling - it wasn't courageous. Now everyone does.

Years ago there was an outcry when wearing car seat belts was made compulsory - an infringement of civil liberies. Now everyone does

Years ago there was an outcry when wearing motor cycle helmets was made compulsory - an infringement of civil liberies. Now everyone does.

In every case there were selective "statistics" trotted out in defence of the undefenceable. In every case lives have been saved.

OP. If your kids are cycling on the road, please ensure that they wear a helmet.

Oops I said it again. Moomins is writing a very boring press release so ought to be concentrating.

It back to the old ridiculous saying of didn't do us any harm when we were kids The list is endless.... Drinking and smoking whilst pregnant, not wearing seatbelts, not putting kids in car seats, not wearing sun lotion ......and now wearing a cycle helmet

Oops cross post Dreaming!

I do know someone who had a parachute fail and survived a jump (paratrooper). Not that this fact is relevant but interesting.

well sid MrsWolowitz

sid? said!

Mm. i understand but I do push for helmets.

Having been knocked of my bike once, I can confirm from personal experience that the head is indeed in for a mighty crash as one of the heaviest bits of the human body.

My neck muscles were useless at keeping my head from hitting the ground. It all happened so fast anyway. Gravity does its stuff. You d not have time to smooth the fall.

My helmet was great a preventing it heavy damage. I was dizzy for a while but fine. It would have been a very different story otherwise.

So for me, helmets at good.

oh Patpig I was so sure you'd say that you had done parachute jumping.
did you actually wear a parachute or just argued your way out of it based on the fact that some people have survived total or parial chute failures, which just proves that you don't really need to wear one....

Helmets are good.

*or partial, even
come on moomins , pat my head!

I even used in the wrong place!

patpig
^It was reported in the New Zealand Medical Journal (NZ also has a helmet law), that cycle injury rates increased as a result of the law, and cycling fell by a half. journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/abstract.php?id=5046^

More crap statistics.

We can all find scientific or pseudo scientific articles to prove points on the Internet. Here is a much more credible looking one which states mandatory helmet use HAS reduced serious head injuries to cyclists in New Zealand

Pat pat pat (gently in case of no helmet)

moomins

I'm wrapped in bubble wrap don'tcha know?

see you elsewhere, better get on

Years ago no-one wore a helmet in professional cycling - it wasn't courageous. Now everyone does.

It was nothing to do with being courageous, that's a really ridiculous statement, people didn't wear them because they were uncomfortable. Everyone does now because they will not let you compete without wearing one.

It's interesting to note however that professional cycling deaths have massively increased since they were made mandatory. The past 10 years (since UCI mandated helmets) have been the most deadly for pro cyclists in 100 years.