Or is teen ds re bike helmet?

[choosingchilli]

Ds (14) used to wear his helmet with no issues.

He hasn't ridden his bike in about 18 months purely because our rules are no helmet no bike.

He has a bike sitting in the garage, he wants to ride it to hang out with his friends in the local park but NONE of his friends wear a helmet and he freely admits he won't wear his because he will get "roasted" by his mates.

We're going round in circles, he knows the reason why helmets are important. I feel really strongly about this issue as I've seen brain injuries as a result of split second accidents and even though the roads around here are fairly quiet there is still always that risk.....

He's a good kid and he won't go out pretending to wear his helmet then take it off round the corner (which I half expected him to do).

I'm not usually particularly strict and even though I feel strongly about this I do understand peer pressure and I can see that the majority of teens around here don't wear helmets. AIBU in sticking to this rule?

@MyCatHogsTheBed MOTOR cycle helmet

I work in the medical publishing industry and I would love to read any evidence based research on how wearing an helmet does more harm than good

If you look at Ben Goldacre's editorial in the BMJ he examines the complexities of the arguments, as you would expect www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f3817.full?ijkey=I5vHBog6FhaaLzX&keytype=ref

You might also want to look at Ian Walker's work on risk taking and helmet use www.bath.ac.uk/case-studies/helmet-wearing-increases-risk-taking-and-sensation-seeking/

None of these things are black and white which is while you'll often find people don't argue against wearing cycle helmets but against making their use compulsory.

In Thailand there were plenty of families on scooters with no helmets, in flip flops with a toddler on the back. Doesn't mean I'm going to do it - either in Thailand or here. What people do in other countries, cultures and infrastructures do not make for compelling arguments.

Do people really not understand statistics?? Of course statistics are higher for car accidents - we make many more journeys by car than by bike, statistically! And we take what precautions are reasonable to ameliorate risk in cars. We wear seatbelts, we have airbags and roll cages. We don't have seatbelts and airbags on bikes, so we ameliorate risk by wearing protective clothing instead.

Yes, they do understand statistics. It's why people don't just look at the raw data and say "oh the greatest single cause of head injuries is travelling in cars therefore it's the most risky". The statistical analysis is based on mile travelled or time spent travelling. Per mile travelled it would appear that the risk of head injury may be slightly greater on bikes. Per time spent travelling the risk is higher by car. They're not looking purely at the number of head injuries but at a relative measure that allows comparison of the two.

As for the extra safety equipment in a car, that's because you need it. Doing 70mph on the motorway is vastly different to doing 12mph on a bike path. Roll cages, seat belts and air bags aren't aimed specifically at head injuries (although seat belts are to a degree). If you're worried about the risk of head injuries, it does make sense to wear a helmet when travelling in a car. But you don't.

Life is one big risk assessment and people shoukd be allowed to take their own risks without being lectured at. I do not insist on bike helmets because whilst yes it woukd be safer over all, statistically the chances of an accident in the first place are pretty low. I wouldn't choose to go skiing as I think hurtling down a mountain is really dangerous yet thousands of people choose to do that every year. Live and let live.

Now, if I were to bang my head against a wall really hard, would it be better if I was wearing a helmet or not wearing a helmet

It's better not to bang your head on the wall. PPE is the last form of defence, in terms of a hierarchy of hazard controls. It's why anyone interested in cycle safety concentrates on infrastructure rather than getting sidetracked into debates on helmets. In some 40 years of cycling hundreds of 1000s of miles roadcraft has kept me far, far safer than a helmet will, because it's stopped me getting into the banging my head scenario in the first place. And roadcraft does include making adjustments for the fuckwits I share the road with.

The two cartoons here illustrate the arguments very well bikehappycascadia.com/2015/12/08/beyond-the-helmet/

Sure, you can insist your child wears a helmet when they're cycling. It does help to be aware of the bigger picture though.

Life is one big risk assessment and people shoukd be allowed to take their own risks without being lectured at.

That's fair enough for an adult. Going back to the point of the OP, we are talking about a child. We are responsible for our children and they are not necessarily capable of making sound judgements so yes, it's our responsibility as parents to lecture them on the dangers and ultimately have the final say on what is an acceptable risk for them to take while we are responsible for them. When they are an adult and less susceptible to making decisions based on what a helmet will do to their hairstyles or what their friends will say, when they are better capable of critical thinking they can choose for themselves. Bowing to peer pressure, which is the child's argument in this instance, is not a compelling enough argument for the OP to allow him to take what she believes is an unacceptable risk.

People who don't wear helmets while skiing/snowboarding are equally silly in my opinion ;)

As you’re qualified to do your own risk assessments I assume you’re prepared to pay the total costs.

Don't worry about the helmet and let him go out and enjoy himself. It's highly unlikely to make any difference in a crash and may make things worse due to altered driver behaviour/increased risk taking/making the head more likely to get hit in the first place as head is now heavier and bigger.
It's strange thing to get hung up on out of all the possible risks in life.
Yes to wearing a helmet for stunts, mountain biking, road racing. Also for snowboarding, outdoor rock climbing, motorbiking. Not necessary for walking down the street, gentle cycling or sitting in the pub (all of have an equivalent risk of head injury)

@Belenus that pyramid is really interesting and I hadn't seen it before, thanks for sharing it! I agree with your point about safer working practices being more instrumental to safety than PPE. Where I think that argument falls down is two-fold. One, PPE is an easy, inexpensive and quick way of further reducing risk of the severity of an incident. Peer pressure aside, there's no good reason against wearing one. It seems to me to therefore be a no brainer addition to anybody's risk assessment and mitigation/prevention strategy. A car driver who knows the roads, is experienced, well rested and alert in a well maintained and modern car who uses sound defensive driving techniques is less likely to have a crash than their opposite - but they still put their seatbelt on (and I would hope would do so even if it wasn't the law).

Two, we weren't born experts. Children are still learning. It takes road miles while not an expert to develop experience and expertise. It might even take a few close shaves or incidents. While in progress towards good experience and knowledge and hefty respect for danger, I'd argue it's important to have PPE. I do also agree with you that PPE shouldn't be the start and end of road safety.

As you’re qualified to do your own risk assessments I assume you’re prepared to pay the total costs.

We all do our own risk assessments every day. Cross the road now, or wait? Overtake at this point or not? Eat a load of ice cream I know will contribute to weight gain and the associated health risks, or have that kale smoothie instead. Smoke, or not. Drink wine, or not. Take part in a sport that will keep me fit but could injure me, or not. We pay collectively through our taxation and the NHS, at least in the UK, at least for now. It's probably better not to go down the route of "you hit your head you pay for it". One could equally argue "you failed to provide safe cycling facilities, you pay for it".

That's fair enough for an adult. Going back to the point of the OP, we are talking about a child. We are responsible for our children and they are not necessarily capable of making sound judgements so yes, it's our responsibility as parents to lecture them on the dangers and ultimately have the final say on what is an acceptable risk for them to take while we are responsible for them. When they are an adult and less susceptible to making decisions based on what a helmet will do to their hairstyles or what their friends will say, when they are better capable of critical thinking they can choose for themselves. Bowing to peer pressure, which is the child's argument in this instance, is not a compelling enough argument for the OP to allow him to take what she believes is an unacceptable risk.

This is exactly the conversation I've had with ds- he was quite happy to wear the helmet before and understood the reasons behind it. When I asked him what has changed between then and now he admitted it's just because none of his friends wear them any more.

As the parent I feel qualified to do the risk assessment on behalf of my kids, so for 14 year olds I would not insist upon helmets

Did I just read that bike helmets aren't really a valid safety measure on here?

I think that has to be the most ridiculous statement made regarding a child's safety I have ever read 😂😂

Bike hits car. Bike skids along road with child's head dragging on the ground...

No helmet - results in fractured skull, skin peeled off face, brain collides against skull causing potential brain damage

Helmet - protects against fractured skull, lessens the risk of skin peeling off face and head, cushions impact of brain against skull meaning less chance of brain damage.

Yes, I can see how helmets are an optional safety feature

YANBU OP but I also accept that teenage kids have social anxieties and peer pressure to think of. I like the PP's idea of taking it off before they get to the park. Make sure he uses it if he's cycling on the road but around parks and stuff, I'd say there is less of a need to keep a helmet on.

Helmets are non-negotiable in our house. I am obviously not a cool parent.

So you’ve done a review of all the evidence based research on the Cochrane medical database have you before coming to a clearly informed decision.

Children are still learning. It takes road miles while not an expert to develop experience and expertise. It might even take a few close shaves or incidents. While in progress towards good experience and knowledge and hefty respect for danger, I'd argue it's important to have PPE. I do also agree with you that PPE shouldn't be the start and end of road safety.

I think that's a fair point. And as I said earlier, the problem the OP has is that her DS has come to this decision because of peer pressure, rather than because he understands risk assessment. As PP have said, it's not a good idea to teach him to bow down to peer pressure.

So you’ve done a review of all the evidence based research on the Cochrane medical database have you before coming to a clearly informed decision.

I've read Ben Goldacre's summary in the BMJ and I think he's better placed than I am to undertake that kind of review. I have researched some aspects of road safety because I ride, cycle and walk a lot. It pays to have a better understanding of the evidence in full than just adopt a "common sense" attitude. The trouble with common sense pronouncements is that often the best course of action runs counter to them.

People who don't wear helmets while skiing/snowboarding are equally silly

Much sillier - both activities are far more dangerous than cycling.

Is it not compulsory in the UK?

Helmets have been compulsory in my state (Australia) since I think, the late 80’s

Very rarely see anyone without one.

If ice is a regular occurance at your mother's place you might want to consider getting spikes you can put on your shoes. Not a helmet, no, but funny how preventative measures keep us safe isn't it

It isn't, she lives in Devon. It was very much a one-off and we didn't even know the step was icy until I slipped on it.

And your argument about Denmark and the Netherlands doesn't stack up because if I get squashed by a car a helmet will not help me. If I simply fall off my bike at low speed it might but that is just as likely to happen to me in DK or NL - and also just as likely to happen to me walking along if I trip over something like a wonky paving stone. And for the record, the only time I have seen a cyclist hit by a car was in....the Netherlands. Hit and run. Fortunately she was ok.

No they are not compulsory in the UK. They are compulsory for under 16 (14?) in Jersey though, not sure about the other Channel Islands.

They are often required for events but that is for insurance reasons.

This is quite a good article: www.cyclelawscotland.co.uk/article/cycle-helmets

Please do!
My ds crashed his bike one night at 17 ( no helmet) and he’s now scarred for life across his nose and this hands .
It was so deep they thought he’d need plastic surgery but thankfully it didn’t come to that .
The scar across his nose is still very obvious as is the marks on his hands . I dread to think how much worse it could’ve been

My Brother's life was saved by a helmet when he was 11. Knocked off his bike and his head bounced off a Kerb. He's now 38, a father and in great health thanks to that little yellow 'embarrassing' helmet