Don't forget your helmet

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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As I mentioned in another reply wearing a cycle helmet is like insurance 99.9% of the time you don't need it but just occasionally you will be really glad that you do have it.
For me on the roads for over 70 years of cycling it's been 100% unnecessary. Since I no longer cycle that is permanent.

Your argument for compulsion is wholly unreasonable and undesirable for all the reasons given. It is also irrational when, as explained, there is no possibility of compulsion happening in the UK. Or even Europe.
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richtea99

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 8, 2020
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Grow up, How is that contributing to the discussion?
If you're aged 25-59 it's a valid point:
versus

If you're over 60, however, then you're more likely to be seriously injured or killed as a pedestrian.
Who's not to say a helmet may help?

Or maybe - just maybe - it's the those pesky cars (that most of us use) that are dangerous, to both pedestrians and cyclists, and that a helmet is just putting a sticking plaster on the real issue.
 
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StuartsProjects

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May 9, 2021
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Of course its a completly ridiculous suggestion, who in the right mind would suggest making helmet wearing for pedestrians compulsory ?

But even pushing a pram by the side of the road is not safe;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-57614332

So is it really such a daft suggestion, just think of the reduction in head injuries that would occur, with of course no downsides at all to the helmet wearing ?
 

sjpt

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Jun 8, 2018
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So is it really such a daft suggestion, just think of the reduction in head injuries that would occur, with of course no downsides at all to the helmet wearing ?
And (as I mentioned before), compulsory helmet wearing in a car would make a bigger difference then either cycle or pedestrian helmet wearing.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,735
30,309
Stuart was commenting on car occupants wearing helmets!

How can we argue against compulsion for cyclists? Easily, because it makes no sense to drastically cut the incidence of cycling, unless you are a driver who hates bicycles being on the roads.

And the government will never do it anyway so why do you continue to bang your head against this brick wall? It's a very long lost cause.
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sjpt

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And the government will never do it anyway so why do you continue to bang your head against this brick wall?
If you do intend to continue banging your head against this brick wall, don't forget to wear a helmet.
 

StuartsProjects

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 9, 2021
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Now you are all seeing sense so lets make it compulsory if it saves lives, How can you argue against it.
OK, so if wearing cycle hemets was made compulsory, and it reduced the number of people cycling to say 20% of the original number, it would in a very narrow sense save some lives.

But is such a drastic reduction in cycle use, overall, a good thing ?
 

richtea99

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May 8, 2020
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OK, so if wearing cycle hemets was made compulsory, and it reduced the number of people cycling to say 20% of the original number, it would in a very narrow sense save some lives.

But is such a drastic reduction in cycle use, overall, a good thing ?
Not a good thing overall, although that no doubt depends on which report you read, but here's one from 2010:

Snippet:
Data synthesis
We quantified the impact on all-cause mortality when 500,000 people would make a transition from car to bicycle for short trips on a daily basis in the Netherlands. We have expressed mortality impacts in life-years gained or lost, using life table calculations. For individuals who shift from car to bicycle, we estimated that beneficial effects of increased physical activity are substantially larger (3–14 months gained) than the potential mortality effect of increased inhaled air pollution doses (0.8–40 days lost) and the increase in traffic accidents (5–9 days lost). Societal benefits are even larger because of a modest reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents.

Conclusions
On average, the estimated health benefits of cycling were substantially larger than the risks relative to car driving for individuals shifting their mode of transport.

(Note that this is the non-helmet wearing Netherlands, and it's still advantageous to cycle with all that extra risk.)

Disclaimer: I haven't read it all the way through.
 
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soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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nearly hit one of them lil $hits on a scooter going under the subway tonight had to swerve to avoid impact as must of been going 20mph and i was around 25mph imo as a down hill bit b4 you go under the bridge it was fkn close lol.

he never had a crash helmet on but even if he did at those speeds against my cf splat hat would not have helped him much like a egg vs a sledgehammer.

but that is life and you get what you pay for you take the risk and pay the price if it hits the fan one way or the other.
 
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montwo

Pedelecer
Feb 11, 2019
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I don't believe you asked me a question. I do believe you have no point.
The question wasn't originally addressed to you, but you chimed in.
It was, as you well know, this:
'Do you wear a helmet when walking?
If not, why not?'
The point is that head injuries don't just happen on bicycles. If 'You never know' applies to riding a bike, why not to walking along the road, travelling in a car etc?
I've banged my head a few times in my 54 years. Never bicycle related so far.
You really didn't understand that?
 
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vidtek

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Mar 29, 2015
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I can't believe this ridiculous thread is still going.
Just leave these helmet zealots to themselves, don't reply to them it just encourages their crass stupidity.
 

Amoto65

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I can't believe this ridiculous thread is still going.
Just leave these helmet zealots to themselves, don't reply to them it just encourages their crass stupidity.
The crass stupidity is replying to something you tell other people not to.........
 
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