Helmets and cycles

[Anon9898]

Is it wrong of me to think when somebody's on a bicycle they should wear a helmet. I have seen loads of children riding bikes and scooters without wearing one.

I know it's parents choice but I won't let my kids go on a bike or scooter with out one.

Am I being a reasonable to think that if a person not just a child an adult as well is going out on a bicycle they should be protected with a helmet

We've always been 50/50 about helmets. However, DH came off his bike a few years ago, going downhill he hit a patch of dust and back wheel flipped out, and his helmet definitely saved him from a very nasty head injury.

Since then he's always worn one, but I agree with many of the comments here about the downsides, and don't get upset about other people not wearing them.

If you cycle on a road or quickly then you need a helmet. I only trundle along on empty pavements so I don't wear one.

My teen does as he cycles on the road and with mates.

In case the cyclist should cause an accident? That's not normally how it works.

Cycle helmets are only rated safe up to 14 mph - as someone has pointed out, the Dutch don't wear them (and think we're nuts). You're more likely to get a serious head injury in your kitchen. I wear one on club rides, as they insist (rules), but not usually on solo rides.
Have fallen off 4 times in a lifetime of cycling, and never hit my head 👍🙂

Skiing really fast down a mountain doesn't seem very safe to me, and yet i'd never start a thread about it.

Well I’m pretty sure one friend and one family member would both be dead, if they hadn’t been wearing a helmet, so I know which side of the fence I’m on! As it is one of them has a permanent vision issue after the collision.

A cycle helmet is around 40mm thick, which means you are 40mm closer to an object you might collide with, without the helmet, you might have hit the object...

Just because a helmet is shattered, it doesn't mean "it saved my life" they are basically made of packing grade polystyrene, newer MIPS helmets are supposed to be better.

In pro cycling, helmet wear hasn't reduced head injuries at all and they crash alot.

However, i wear one because the aerodynamics are so good that the air flow through it cools the head better than without one, the safety aspect? nope.

@Alexandra2001well they both suffered severe head injuries, so the 40mm could well have made a difference. It might not have done, but it certainly won’t have done any harm. Neither of them were travelling at the speeds a pro cyclist achieves I’m guessing that also has an impact on severity of injury. But I work on the basis they don’t cause any additional harm and if they’re improving all the time then why not wear one.

WhenDD was 4, she hit a dodgy paving stone on her bike and was catapulted over the handlebars. Her head missed a garden wall by an inch. I honestly thought she was going to slam into it and was extremely grateful she had a helmet on!

a common misconception.
there is actually some evidence which suggests that wearing a helmet could in some cases contribute towards rotational spinal injuries. and also evidence that when someone is wearing a helmet, they are more likely to let their head hit the floor.
However in any incident involving a heavy vehicle (like a bus) vs a cyclist, the main cause of death is far more likely to be crushing/ internal bleeding than a head injury.

Also, drivers will tend to pass closer to a cyclist wearing a helmet than one without (was a proper study etc, you can probably Google it if you want to 😀🚴)

E bike, mountain biking, fast road cycling, learners, they are at higher risk and should wear helmets IME.

Normal pace cycling especially on cycle paths (like the Netherlands) I don’t think a cyclist is at any more risk of falling off and hitting their head than a pedestrian tripping over.

Everyday cycling on U.K. roads is a grey area as there are so many bad drivers and dangerous junctions. I still think adults should make their own choice. Non powered bikes aren’t a deadly risk, they are free, healthy and sustainable transport. People are put off by overstated risks.

I wear a helmet, so i agree with you, my contention is that it should be down to the individual, not mandated, which i believe in Australia, resulted in far less people cycling, so the law was withdrawn, it also can, much like seat belts, encourage risk taking.

The testing for helmets is not rigorous either, yes they may well help in low speed impacts not involving a vehicle but the real danger to cyclists comes from vehicles, the most common impact is a driver simply running over a cyclist from behind.... which is why a hi intensity rear light is a far more important safety feature & not wear dark clothing, which seems to be the fashion atm.

I actually came off my bike this week. My head hit the road and my helmet is really dented. I was so lucky - I’m bruised all over my right side, but it was my head that went down with a bang. I have a lump on the side of my head and had a headache but my helmet took the brunt of the impact. Yes if I had been hit by a car it may not have done anything, but I’m an experienced cyclist in a freak accident and proof they work.