To think that ALL cyclists on a road should wear a helmet?!

[justneedsomesleep]

Is it illegal if they don't? I mean it's for their own safety. Was in the car this evening and old(ish) man on bike - about 60 was merrily cylcing along, not at a great speed either and was causing a huge back log of traffic. But the most alrming thing was that he wasn't wearing a helmet!?

Have visions of his head splitting open on the ground like a watermelon in the case of an accident.
He didn't seem to care at all - no concern for safety and as if he was out for a Sunday pm bike ride.....

Aaaargghh!

This drives me insane too-the amount of v small children on bike seats behind (sorry to say this but usually dad) with no helmet-what if a car clips the back wheel, or you clip the pavement trying to get out of the way of an idiot driver? (has happened to me a few times). Helmets for children should be compulsory, especially if cycling on roads. I saw someone die a few months ago because they jumped a red light on their bike and they weren't wearing a helmet-it is stupidity itself.

YANBU. I hate seeing anyone not having a helmet on when cycling. I can;t understand why anyone wouldn;t wear a helmet when riding on public roads - madness.

But then I have known of the outcomes of not wearing helmets before. Child at the school I worked at, a boy in my class, died when he came of his bike and hit his head - no helmet.

A teacher I know was told he only survived his bike accident because of the helmet he was wearing. The state of the helmet - he used to bring it in to school assembly once a year - was shocking. It took the full brunt of his fall.

It should be illegal not to wear a helmet whn cycling on public roads, esp for under 16s.

About 5 years ago i was cycling to work early in the morning. I went down a hill so was going quite fast. At the bottom of the hill my bike wheel hit a dodgy drain cover funny and i fell over the handle bars and was knocked unconcious.

Luckily my boyfriend at the time was with me, otherwise at that time of the morning it could have been a while before anyone came. I went to hospital and woke up just as i was being taken in.

I think had i been wearing a helmet, i wouldn't have been knocked unconcious so yes, i do think all cyclists should wear helmets.

totally mssparkle. As a cyclist myself, I know how much I rely on my ears

A friend of mine, after much research, decided it would be safer for him not to wear a helmet whilst cycling in city centre - see comments above re cars driving closer etc.

He was knocked off his bike by a lorry last year and died of head injuries.

DonDons - it was my mum who had said it didn't necessarily protect against impact from cars - but that she (fortunately) was strongly in favour of them - as am I.

Good to hear your dh has improved - espcially as mum seems to have been going backwards recently The combination of frotnal and temporal lobe damage really seems to have a vicious cycle of an effect: dad and she went on holiday recently to South Africa (to visit firends and family), coming not long after a trip to Australia (also to see family) and the whole change in envornamet and the tiredness really seems to have knocked her back

I think the answer is to have more separate cycle lanes. This would really help everyone.

The number of cyclists I see riding slowly, or even quickly, along a busy road, helmet or not, with a huge queue of traffic lined up behind them because nothing can pass - that is not really very environmentally sound!

I speak as a cyclist and motorist btw. Separate lanes, separate routes, they have done it far better in Holland. Or even Cambridge...

I don't wear one but I always make sure any child I am carrying on a bike does. Not least because I have been known to tip the bike over myself!!

However if ds is riding slowly on the pavement I don't enforce it.

sorry if I misunderstood prettybird. Yes the tiredness is an ongoing issue here too - hope your mum gets a little better soon.