BIKE HELMETS.....Do YOU wear one??

suelegal

Didn't wear one on my Harley when I lived in a state w/o a helmet law. Moved to a state w/ a helmet law so had no choice. I got a "BC Beanie". For me it gave me a real false sense of security. I was much more aware of every little thing around me w/o the helmet - I felt SO much more vulnerable - and let's face it, awareness and DEFENSE is your only defense when you're on a bike!!! There are no "fender benders" on a bike! So I prefer no helmet.

If I don't wear one on a Harley, I surely am not going to wear one on a bicycle. (And for the same reasons.)

And since I'm a responsible citizen I have very clearly spelled out "living will"/advanced directive/dnr papers filed with my attorney. I'm vegan but I don't want to be a vegetable! :noway:

BTW, I was in a motorcycle accident (passenger, mind you! I never had any type of accident once I got my own bike.) where we took a curve too fast and went flying off the road at about 55 mph. The bike hit a boulder and I was literally catapulted off of it. The way I landed, had I been wearing a full helmet, my neck would have been snapped. As it was, I walked away with some ribs torn from the sternum and whiplash. So that's my anecdotal evidence AGAINST helmets. And just because it MUST be said: if you don't wear proper clothing and boots, why bother with the helmet?! Ever see these fools wearing shorts and flip flops with a big ol' full face helmet on? WTF?!

Couldn't have said it any better. I wear a beanie too because NJ requires a helmet. The 1 accident I was in was also as a passenger, at about 35 mph, avoiding a large rock in the middle of a curve. My head didn't hit the ground, and I broke my collar bone. I would never try to tell anyone not to wear a helmet if they want, but I believe they do give people a false sense of security.

blueberry67

We wear our helmets without fail. I don't feel it at all and i'd rather be safe than sorry. stay safe !

amyoliver85

curvykim78: I don't know where you live, but some states require helmet use by law (see: http://www.helmets.org/mandator.htm). In my work, I see stats on bicycle helmet use all the time and in the majority of cases, medical evidence proves that a bike helmet could have saved a person's life. I also had a friend die when I was 14 because he was not wearing a bike helmet and he got hit by a car--splattered his brains (literally) all over the street in front of me. Other than that, I also personally choose to wear a helmet (despite the fact that Utah has no law...which is dumb because we have one of the highest bicycle accident brain injury rates in the country) because I believe in doing everything I can to keep myself safe. If a helmet even provided me only 10% extra protection...even only 1%...I would wear one. Because that's a slightly greater chance that I could survive a crash.

I should also mention that I was riding our parkway a few months ago and hit a patch of grit sand that caused my bicycle to go out from beneath me on a sharp curve. I hit the pavement and slammed my head against it and then kept sliding into the river. I had a severe concussion but was conscious and able to get myself out of the water. The hospital told me later that had I not been wearing a helmet I would likely have been knocked out and then drowned in the river. I am so glad that I was wearing a helmet and didn't become a statistic.

GlitterMamma11

My Husband, Kids and I ALWAYS wear a helmet. They really do save lives. It drives me nuts when I see people riding their bikes with a helmet hanging on their handle bars. It's not going to do much good there! :huh:

PayneAS

I sure do. I'd be a hypocrite if I forced my child to wear a helmet and I didn't.

Exactly. I want to be a good example for my 5 yo so I certainly wear mine. Even if I didn't have a child it'd be a good idea.

reddi2roll

Helmet. Yes. I always wear mine even though it messes up my hair etc. I am a nurse and have seen too many people with head injuries who will never be the same to take a chance. You should look for the book "Over My Head". See: Over My Head - Welcome to Claudia Osborn's site
www.claudiaosborn.com/Book.html
Over My Head is the powerful story of a warrior, battling her disability and motivated by a profound desire to ... Physicians who read this book will develop a supreme appreciation for the long and difficult journey patients ... If it's morning, get up.

The book is written by a physician who was out riding her bike and was hit by a car. Not wearing her helmet. Had a big head injury. Not able to practice medicine anymore. Requires a caregiver to assist her with memory things etc. Gives lectures about how she has learned to cope and live within her limitations.

Even my brother, who rode his bike from Arizona to Alaska and back down the California coast was riding his bike the other day, hit a parking bumper and fell, cracked his helmet and suffered various bruises etc but HE CRACKED THE HELMET...could have been his skull.

emdf7a

Simple answer...Hell Yes I do. I never ride without one.

neurochamp

Might not make much difference at 60 mph on a motorcycle but it certainly could at casual cycling speeds.

Please also wear one on a motorcycle. My first husband was killed when he hit a truck that pulled out across 4 lanes of traffic when he was going about ~50mph. His autopsy showed absolutely no head trauma because of the helmet. He died of a chest injury.

I'm sorry for your loss. my ex boyfriend almost died because an SUV turned in front of him while he was riding his motorcycle. He had no head injuries because he was wearing his helmet, but we weren't sure if he was going to live because his lungs collapsed and the rest of his organs suffered a lot of damage as well. He most definitely wouldve died if he hadn't been wearing his helmet. He was also only 2 miles from his house, just going 30mph.

Moral of the story.....wear a helmet all the time, every time.

^This

You don't have to be going fast - and you don't have to fall very far or hit something very hard - to cause a serious brain injury. You don't even have to be on a motorcycle. I do not ride my bicycle without a helmet, and I do not ride with people who refuse to wear helmets. Like somebody else said, you cannot control bike malfunctions, debris in the road, animals, traffic, etc., so why not just invest in a helmet that could potentially save your life? (And seriously, the "but helmets look stupid" argument is pretty lame when you're talking about the risk of traumatic brain injury or death.)



As far as "wear a freaking helmet when you ride a motorcycle" arguments go... The younger brother of one of my close friends was in a low-speed motorcycle crash in a parking lot two years ago. He hit a small pothole that he didn't see and lost control of the bike.

He had a helmet, but he wasn't wearing it because he wasn't riding in traffic and was only driving slowly.

He died almost instantly (he was only 24).

midschool22

Yes. No exceptions.

worthyofchange

Always.

jrbb03092

My husband and my daughter definitely wear helmets when biking and I used to...

As the result of a massive concussion suffered while ice skating (I wore a helmet when playing hockey but not when leisure skating because we grew up doing it that way), I am no longer allowed to play any sports or do anything where I could have another severe brain injury.

I lost my balance, fell backwards, bounced the back of my head off the ice (as in smack with the first hit, up and then smack again). I had a huge hematoma on the back of my head, massive headaches, weeks of not being able to sleep, spent months on painkillers, feeling dizzy all the time, etc. It took me a good year to feel anywhere near back to normal. And to this day, I have occasional sharp stabbing (like someone has plunged a knife into the back of my head) pains, cannot lie down on my back without tilting my head and cannot stand to have anyone touch the back of my head (even a simple haircut leaves me with several days of pain).

A few days after that happened to me, Liam Neeson's wife, Natasha Richardson, died after falling on a bunny slope while skiing and hitting her head in much the same way.

My plea to everyone... wear a helmet. Make your kids wear a helmet and wear one too. It's not going to stop the egg from being scrambled, as my neurologist said, but it'll stop it from cracking.

Packerfan23

Yes, absolutely! At first it was because I was making my kids wear one, but now it is as second nature as buckling my seat beat and I would feel like I was missing something if I did not wear it. I figure for the amount of $$ they are, it is cheap insurance! It sure beats a ambulance or helicopter ride to the hospital! :happy:

banks89202

Harley Davidson (yes)
Normal Bicycle (No) lol

rocksred

Yes, I wear a helmet. It only takes once and it could be life altering. My mom tried out my bike several years ago at our church parking lot. I told her to wear my helmet. She said she didn't need to, she would only be on it for a couple of minutes. Well, she decided to take it up the slight hill and ride it down it. Unfortunately she didn't remember to check which brake was which. It was horrifying to watch as she started down the hill and then hit the wrong brake and catapult herself over the handle bars. I had to take her to the hospital and she ended up needing a couple of laser eye surgeries. She if very lucky she didn't lose her eye site. It only takes that split second for something to go wrong. It is so worth it to have a least a little protection.

cmcollins001

Motorcycle = No
Bicycle = No (not that I ride one often enough to count)
Stationary Bike = No, but I probably should

kateblue72

Yes I do .... now. Never wore one as a child, nore when my kids were small..... not sure how I managed to set a good example there, fortunately they never asked - LOL?? It is the law in our province, and I grew up on country roads, so never really thought they were necessary, and seemed restrictive. However, now I ride everywhere, in and out of the trafic and woods. Seems like a good idea to protect a very important part of my body ... now older and wiser? Even managed to get my husband ( who's 8 years older than me), to be a convert... and he was one of those kids that got away with everything, and lived to talk about it!

kiittenforever

Yes.. Recently bought one

jenjersnapco

Yes, I wear a helmet always as does everyone in my family. My husband's life was saved by a bike helmet. He broke his jaw and a few ribs but is still here to tell the tale.

hawkeyegal1995

Never ride without one. Been over the handlebars once after a kiddo ran in front of me on the road. I'm also a social worker for persons with traumatic brain injuries so I see the impact every day. Tell others that they are working at being my consumers by not wearing one.

simplydelish2

Helmets save lives! I wear one always - bicycle, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile....whatever I ride. I've even been known to wear my ATV helmet when I ride my bicycle if I've misplaced by bike helmet.

Better to crack a helmet - and I've seen them cracked all the way through - than crack your head.

No excuses - wear a helmet!