Not letting my child ride/scooter without helmet, but I seem to be the only one AIBU?

[WearTheHelmet]

DD is 9, Year 5.

She likes to ride her bike or scooter but has recently refused if I make her wear her helmet. Like as in if I offer it she’ll say “Can I do it without my helmet?” and when I say no she says “Then I’m not going to be the only one doing it with one so no”.

I’ve noticed on the school run, Key Stage 1 and younger (so Years 2 and below) all wear helmets but once they get to year 3/Key Stage 2 they seem to stop, I haven’t seen anyone else in DDs year/class wearing one for years.

I always think it’s safer and part of the school run is along a fast B road where the cars ignore the 20 mile an hour zone around school times and drive down at 50+ (there have been a couple of fatal accidents along the road involving pedestrians, none involving children but still it’s a risk).

So AIBU? And if not how do I persuade DD it’s in her interests to use her helmet?

Non negotiable

no helmet-no bike/scooter/skiing/whatever

a TBI is life changing

Er, no, broken bones is really not the worst thing!

Do you know how life transforming a head injury can be? In an instant

Not taking your eyes off him just means that in a worst case scenario, you'd get to watch him die. Sorry to be blunt but "boys will be boys" is a trite load of shite which shouldn't adorn a t-shirt, never mind caption a poor parenting choice. People who wield it as an excuse to put their children at risk need to be educated.

Helmets save lives.

Six year old children can't make decisions about safety.

Pedestrians and car passengers are also at risk of head injuries - from motor vehicles

I was hit by a car at traffic lights 25 years ago- someone going too fast clipped my elbow. I flipped over my handle bars and landed on my head. My helmet was a right off and split in half.

It could've been my head that was a right off. My kids always wear a helmet for this reason.

I've always been blunt about the danger of not protecting the head and explained why.

@farmfoodsqueen no a broken bone isn’t the worst that could happen. A catastrophic head injury or death are the worst things that could happen. I have seen far far too many people - adults and children - with life changing injuries from a head injury and sadly several who did not survive.

I'm still surprised at how many people let their kids sit in the car without a car seat.

Mine are Yr2 (6) and I make them wear a helmet on bikes and scooters.

I tell them they can be the example to their classmates to be safe or be the example when it goes wrong.

@farmfoodsqueen helmets don't protect you from broken bones. I should know I broke my arm by crashing my bike aged 10 (wearing a helmet!). They protect you from broken SKULLs and brain injury.

Worst case scenario is a head injury.

Boys will be boys is a parenting choice, you're raising him that way.

Trouble with this is, you're not signalling the clear danger of cycling with a naked head. So he thinks it's fine.

As he grows older and starts to cycle on the road and in more dangerous locations, he won't have the habit of automatically putting his helmet on when he gets on his bike.

It's like seatbelts used to be a thing. Now they are automatic when you get in the car. You should be instilling this behaviour into him now.

Always a helmet.

My dad (nearly 60) was recently riding his bike and swerved to avoid two people and just completely lost control. His helmet was destroyed, he says he wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for his helmet. (This is the man who used to be very lax about helmets when we were younger!)

Absolutely.
We've stuck to that rule, dd now 11 and doesn't query it. I also wear a helmet when cycling too

The main reason it's dangerous to cycle without a helmet is danger from cars, so surely cars are the problem

No helmet - you walk. Goes for both bike and scooter. No argument.

My DS in year 4 is more than happy to wear a helmet. I've said he doesn't need one for scooting to school (just a short lane, no roads) but he always wears one on his bike or if scooting further or at the skate park, pump track etc. I've always insisted and the rest of us wear helmets as do his friends and the sensible adults he knows. He spots "youths" on bikes or electric scooters without helmets and makes a point of telling me!

I didn't make my son where a helmet for his scooter when he was 5. His front wheel hit a tiny bump in the pavement and he went over the handlebars and smashed his head on the ground. Thankfully he was okay but has a scar for life now. Helmets are absolutely non negotiable. I cried all the way to the hospital. It was entirely my fault and now my child is scarred for life.

'I'm watching them the whole time' is bullshit. I watched my child go head first over than handlebars into the pavement. Watching makes ZERO difference.

Nurse and paramedic in this house. DSS is year 6. No helmet no wheels. He never questions it.

I agree with you that motor vehicles are hugely dangerous to cyclists.

But I still make DC wear helmets on cycle paths as they can still fall off and hit their head without a car being involved.

I know what you mean OP, it’s the same at my DCs’ school. Mine have grown up wearing helmets to scoot and we have stuck to that despite DC1 (8) pointing out none of their friends do. Equally, most of DC1’s classmates are also out of high back boosters in cars despite being below the minimum legal height. They probably think I’m really neurotic!

Saz12, they can also trip over and hurt their heads as pedestrians

Helmets have also always been mandatory in this house, with both bikes and scooters. But we are very much in a minority here. Most around don’t wear any or if they do, it’s not fitted correctly and dangles behind their heads.

My DS are now in their teens and both automatically put a helmet on when going out on their bikes. They never really rebelled against it but I guess it helped that their friends never teased them about it either.

I

Always a helmet.

Don’t feed the troll. Seriously, no one can be that thick 🙄

Speed makes a massive difference to the force of impact.

@Primproperpenny , you’d be surprised…..