sil refuses to wear a cycle helmet and cycles to work through a city

[Margaretinbloom]

Sil does refuse to wear a cycle helmet and cycles though a busy city daily. He goes on about quoting some study where helmets are more dangerous as people take more risks bla bla that all sounds like a load of crap to me. He's a self righteous type.

Aibu that my dd should speak to him aa this is selfish and setting a bad example for the children?

His choice. But if you're going to say anything to your DD, let it be about life/critical injury insurance. Which would be just as relevant even if he did wear a helmet, cycling in a busy city is always going to carry a risk. A small risk, but that's why you can get insurance.

YABU.

And, heads up, you are THAT MiL.

His choice
but kerb stones are harder than heads

A chap I met was cycling slowly alongside a morning queue of stationary cars.
Somehow he fell over sideways.
He never woke up.
He left a 9 year old daughter.

I'm not that mil! I haven't said anything to them, I just worry.

I would feel very guilty if god forbit something happened, I know its not my life obviously but it would affect my life if something happened.

But where would you stop? Are you going to get your dd to intervene every time his risk assessment differs to yours?

If you must, raise the matter yourself.

A chap I met was cycling slowly alongside a morning queue of stationary cars.
Somehow he fell over sideways.
He never woke up.

A helmet may not have made any difference
They are not designed for that sort of impact.

I suspect that you want him to wear a helmet because it's socially acceptable to do so rather than for safety. If safety was your first priority then you and your family would wear helmets when driving and walking - as far more people receive head injuries doing these activities than when cycling.

itsallgoingtobefine
A helmet may not have made any difference. They are not designed for that sort of impact.
Don't be so daft.

If he'd been wearing a helmet his skull would not have cracked open on the kerb stone - because the polystyrene of the helmet would have absorbed the blow.

In Cologne or Amsterdam I rarely see people wearing bike helmets. Cycling is part of life, like walking.

What a stupid argument, my car has seat belts and airbags.

The majority of cyclist deaths in cities are from large vehicles turning left - like that tipper truck that crushed that poor woman at Victoria Station last week. Factors such as road design, vehicle design and road placement all contribute to your safety much more than a polystyrene hat does.

Saying that I cycle to work in a city and do wear a helmet, but I'm under no illusion that it'll do me any good if I get crushed under a bus or sideswiped by a van. I just know I'm quite clumsy and could slip over while stopped at traffic lights easily enough all by myself so hope it may help a little bit in that sort of situation.

TalkinPeace I can dust off anecdotes where cycle helmets have contributed towards making an injury worse as they increase the surface area of the head and so, for example, can contribute to rotational type injuries.

Point is, there is no conclusive evidence that wearing a helmet makes a cyclist any safer. Of course, in certain individual incidents it will. In many others, it won't, and as such the choice to wear a helmet has to be personal choice.

He may well be improving his health by cycling. He might be thinking the op could do with some exercise and cycle instead if walking.
Helmets even when they split open do not show that the skull would do the same thing
The science behind whether helmets actually help is mixed. Yabu

• instead of driving

The privilege of being an adult is that you get to make your own decisions.

However daft they may seem to others.

Some choose to smoke, some choose to climb mountains, some jump out of planes and some cycle through busy cities without a helmet.

I sympathise, I think you can see there in fact isn't an obvious answer. You also can't insure individuals you love against all risks, unfortunately life does come with risks and he's balancing the health benefits against the risk of serious accident. I sympathise but I do think this is a right v right dilemma.

Will you be getting your dd to speak to him about being selfish and setting a bad example over everything that might set a bad example?

Is he overweight? Does he smoke? Does he get the flu jab annually? Does he have gum disease? Does he drink alcohol? Does he have a healthy diet to nationally recommended standards? Does he do any dangerous hobbies?

Where will you stop? Will you be getting your dd to lecture other adults on their choices, or just him?

Is this more because you are personally unfamiliar with the concept of cycling to work and generally think it selfish and dangerous, and you want to control every aspect of the poor man's life?

And yes Kidlorneroll cycle helmets can cause concussive type injuries (if they aren't very closely fitted), don't stop serious head injuries and can cause whiplash or broken neck type injuries if the head snaps back. Probably still a good idea to wear one if you want to try and prevent specifically minor grazes, reduce minor concussions and so on, but don't think they are as protective or as well fitted as motorcycle and riding helmets, and even they don't magically encase cyclists in a little accident-free bubble.

Non cyclists who are totally ignorant of the helmet statistics are far keener on cyclists wearing helmets than informed cyclists are.

Yes. When I cycled regularly in the city I didn't wear a helmet. I did a lot of research and decided that for the type of cycling I did, a helmet would be more likely to result in me getting a serious injury than preventing it.

Now that I only cycle in the country, however, I wear a helmet as the type of cycling I do here means that a helmet is more likely to prevent serious injury.

If you don't actually know what you're talking about re helmets, I suggest you refrain from passing comment.

And for the anecdote-lovers, I can also cite numerous examples of where I have fallen off my bike whilst not wearing a helmet and was completely fine. Anecdotes prove nothing.

amongst the cycling community, this is one of the most contentious issues. Studies have shown that motorists pass wider if you're not wearing a helmet [study by Manchester Uni, IIRC].

So it isn't necessarilythe case that your sil is being a muppet about it. There are strong arguments on both sides. But it is his decision, so you should respect that. Of course, if you're in the habbit of telling him what he ought and ought not do, he may be doing it to annoy you? Probably not though.

I think it's nice that you're concerned about him. But he's grown up enough to make his own decisions, you just don't have to agree with them.

Fwiw I be thinking the same as you. I cycle and wear a helmet. It sure as hell won't stop me getting crushed by a bus or truck but it might just prevent a serious head injury should I slip and hit my head. This could happen as I have a silly habit of taking a particular corner to fast and have crashed into my fence a few times

I cycled in cities for years and years and, being somewhat distracted, fell off my bicycle ever which way countless times. There were no cycling helmets in those days.

What I can't stand is people riding horses without helmets as horse-riders consistently land on their heads.

It's his head..

Imo motorists should give cyclists a wide berth regardless of whether they're wearing a helmet or not. They are very vulnerable.

Coyoacan What I can't stand is people riding horses without helmets as horse-riders consistently land on their heads.

I consistently land on my bottom. There is no extra bottom padding available on the market, you have to grow your own. I consider this very unfair.

MrsItsNoworNotatAll - yes they should, but they often don't. The highway code even has a picture of how to pass a cyclist, but only about half of the traffic passing me passes as wide as they should. Buses and cars with trailers seem to be the worst.

M u s t r e s i s t r a n t . . . .