AIBU re cycle helmet use in children cycling to school

[cyclehelmetuse]

AIBU to think if secondary schools are able to enforce an exact length of regulation school skirt, the length of ties and inspect the contents of pencil cases they should be able to enforce the bringing of a cycle helmet when parking a bike on school premises?

Not one child wears a cycle helmet at our secondary school. Apparently it is totally uncool and children are bullied if seen with one. Even cycling with one hanging their handle bars is now unacceptable and is never seen.

I believe schools have a responsibility to enforce the bringing of a helmet as some of these children are only 11 years old and it is totally unacceptable that they are too scared of the older children to protect themselves.

The point is, wearing a helmet does not make you safer.

My DH, who cycles thousands of miles a year, has come of his bike at speed several times over the years, as have various friends.

DH would have died at least twice without his helmet. Another time he would have been seriously injured.

You cannot participate in any U.K. cycling event without wearing a helmet. They aren’t insisting on them as a fashion statement.

When helmets first started to be worn by recreational skiers all these arguments were trotted out. Now it’s more usual to see skiers with them than without them but there were many years of people arguing that they didn’t make you safer. I started wearing one when I started off -piste and tree skiing then just wore one all the time. I also always wear s bike helmet for cycling. Why wouldn’t you protect your head from the possibility of a high speed impact?

Nonagrey my ex was competing in TT before helmets were compulsory & he survived horrific injuries including brain haemorrhage - you can’t categorically state that your dh wouldn’t have survived, as you don’t know

Not alot of skiing commuters in this country

you can’t categorically state that your dh wouldn’t have survived, as you don’t know

That’s kind of a weird statement to make Ivy.

I’ve been in a car crash where I’m pretty sure the seat belt saved my life - are you going to tell me “well Nona you might actually have just been terribly injured rather than dead”?

I’m working from what the consultants told me at the time.

His helmets both times were completely destroyed, personally I’m terribly glad that wasn’t his lovely head.

The point is the majority of deaths or serious injury are caused by cars, and helmets would be no help whatsoever.

We need to focus on cars and how they treat cyclists far more than enforcing helmets.

My dh cycles a lot, he commutes. He wears a helmet, but he is most at risk from cars overtaking with no distance, lorries etc.

Nonagrey it’s no more strange than your statement that he would have died - my ex had a fractured scull, 54 stitches in his head The consultant couldn’t remark on his helmet as he didn’t have one.

I hope your ex has fully recovered now Ivy.

How many children/adults die of head injuries in car crashes every year? Do you enforce wearing helmets on car journeys? Why not? I have been cycling nearly 60 years. I wear a helmet when going on organised rides, because it is required. Otherwise I don't, and never have. Your child should not be cycling to school unless they can ride a bike safely in traffic, helmet or not. A helmet is not going to save their life if squashed by a bus, is it?

That's why I don't wear a helmet. I don't cycle on roads or go at speed. I'm on and off and doing errands.
I have one in case we cover a route that takes in a small stretch of road but otherwise I don't wear it.

Nonagrey, thanks 🙏 he did & promptly took up rugby as he did want to play with cars. It was an pretty horrific road traffic accident- driver drove into the back of him & he went over the car and 55ft down the road. His TT bike was smashed up.
His body took a battering and he had skin grafts on parts.

He cycles now but I have no idea whether he wears a helmet or not, back then it wasn’t often helmets were worn, but they were starting to be - this was early 90s

It really is just a cultural thing. I grew up in Australia where cycling helmets are compulsory I find it baffling and weird that people start talking about “personal freedoms”. Ditto the idea that motorists are less careful when cyclists have helmets on - really??!

Evidence showed that cycling rates fell 30-40% in Perth after helmets were made compulsory.

Bath University research showed that cyclists wearing helmets suffered more close passes by car drivers than those without.

having seen the scrapes on DH's helmet when he came off his bike I am bloody glad he wore it, and it's 'no helmet no bike' in our house. A car wasn't involved.

A colleague who cycles to work told me yesterday that there are now so many bikes on the road (central London) that he sees far more bike-on-bike collisions that ones involving cars. So I think the comments about helmets not saving lives in the instance of car crashes are not thinking about the whole picture.

Hopefully the school is also enforcing parents driving behaviour - ideally banning them from driving within 2 miles of the school, or as a minimum preventing pavement parking, speeding, close passing cyclists, letting the engine idle etc. These actions are far more dangerous to children than not wearing a helmet.
Why do people focus on pointless helmets instead of reducing car use, which is the real cause of road deaths?

Rivertam, bike on bike crashes a helmet is really going to help protect you and really useful. Same with a solo incident and falling off your bike a helmet is going to be added protection. It’s where they work best

For those bringing up seatbelts:

When seatbelts were made compulsory for front seat passengers and drivers, deaths of these two groups reduced - but deaths of back seat passengers and pedestrians went up.

Later when seatbelts were made compulsory for all car occupants, deaths for back seat passengers went down, but pedestrian death rates increased again.

Personally I am not in favour of seatbelts. I think the risk ought to be borne by the person who chooses to use a car, and not by the innocent pedestrian who has no say in the matter (as well as having to put up with all the noise, pollution, congestion, blocked pavements, etc etc). I honestly believe that pedestrian, cyclist and car driver deaths would reduce massively if we got rid of seatbelts and installed a big spike in the middle of the steering wheel.

Yes. Cyclists don't simply have accidents involving cars. DH came off his bike because of a pothole!

As an ex horse rider I am surprised that cyclists responses to their helmets not being safe enough isn't make better helmets but just to say oh don't bother with them.
I am in the US at present where almost no one wears helmets or hats or anything for bikes, motorbikes or horse riding. I think they are are being really stupid and I see no signs that cyclists are involved in fewer crashes with cars as a result.

@Zampa in addition to cyclists bring required to wear helmets, in NSW at least, we have a road rule which requires there to be a meter between a cyclist and a passing car on a road of 60km/hr or less and 1.5m on a road of 60km/hr or more.

I never expected such polar extreme views. It really divides opinion!! The only kids from our local secondary that I have personally seen coming off their bikes were pulling wheelies whilst riding on the pavement or doing something equally silly but luckily no cars involved.

@PurpleMoodyRazu The UK Highway Code dictates similar but unfortunately, most drivers don't give cyclists enough room on the roads.

DS's school have only just made wearing cycle helmets compulsory this year - if kids want to cycle in, they have to wear a helmet.

A boy I was at school with was riding a bike and had an accident when he was 12 (as was I). No helmets in those days - he badly injured his head, sustained brain damage and was never the same again. Beforehand he was a bright intelligent athletic boy that loved life and getting involved with everything - afterwards he had the mental age and abilities of a toddler.

If he had had a cycle helmet, there is a very good chance that he would not have been anywhere near as badly injured as was.

The thought of that happening to my dc (and other dc) is terrible - it's just not worth the risk. So glad that it is now compulsory at dc's school.

Zampa 45 police force are now operating close pass, a bit like speed traps the police go out with a cyclist, wearing hi viz and cameras. If the police cyclists is passed rather than overtaken correctly then the driver is pulled in by another officer further along the road.

The driver is questioned and educated if it the first time but points and fine can be given. Some drivers ask “what cyclists?” Are then shown the film

So do be careful around any cyclist as they could be filming & if you pass close or endanger the cyclist they can upload the film to operation snap which is a police portal. Or the cyclist might be police anyway

It's pretty clear that helmets prevent some serious injuries.
Mandatory helmet use in cars would prevent more injuries because there are far more people travelling far more in cars. I've seen some of the injuries that drivers cause to other drivers with everyday crappy driving, and it's sickening stuff that has left people with young families unable to earn a living.
If we had to wear helmets in our cars, we'd have a lot less trouble convincing young cyclists to wear them. But it's a ludicrous suggestion. That kind of inconvencience and indignity is for children and cranks and poor people who use bicycles as transport.

We went to a campsite in france in the summer and all of the kids rode around on bikes the whole time (on the roads). Apart from one single other child, ours were the only ones to wear helmets. They didn’t care one bit about looking different as it was a deal breaker- no helmet, no bike (they were 8 and 10 at the time). I’ve not really noticed if kids wear them to school here or not but will certainly look now!