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

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  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I choose to wear one but I an yet to be convinced that it would make a difference in a high speed incident especially one involving an motor vehicle. .

    Of course it may not, there is a point where the impact is too great, regardless of safety devices. The same way seat belts save lives in many motor vehicle accidents, but not all. But I wear them for the times when it might save my life when not wearing one wouldn't have.
  • narak_lol
    narak_lol Posts: 855 Member
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    I always wear a helmet, so used to it that I feel weird if I don't have it on. There was a period that I often don't wear one because I was too naive and (overly) confident of my bike handling skill. Ever since a slow speed no idea what happened crash (luckily I was wearing one in that ride) and the back of my helmet broke in halves. That was enough of a lesson for me.
  • Casey45
    Casey45 Posts: 160 Member
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    go buy them. I wear one all the time.

    Even in the shower or while cooking dinner????? :)
  • JustANumber85
    JustANumber85 Posts: 644 Member
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    i do and my children do too. A silly looking helmet is cheaper than a hospital bill or funeral.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I cycle commute in busy traffic and always wear a helmet...I think it sends a positive message to drivers.

    When I'm driving and see a cyclist wearing a helmet and doing their best to be visible to me I think "...sensible guy..give him room".
    When I see a cyclist with no helmet, dark gear, jumping lights...I think "...idiot!".
    I like the way you think.
  • panicintheattic
    panicintheattic Posts: 102 Member
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    I cycle commute in busy traffic and always wear a helmet...I think it sends a positive message to drivers.

    When I'm driving and see a cyclist wearing a helmet and doing their best to be visible to me I think "...sensible guy..give him room".
    When I see a cyclist with no helmet, dark gear, jumping lights...I think "...idiot!".

    Definitely agree with this. I am even such a terrible person that when I see other cyclists blowing stop signs I think for a split second "I hope they almost get hit so they learn an f'ing lesson..." Cruelty on my part aside, they probably would just blame the driver and continue not to change.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Basic rule of thumb. It is better to wear a helmet and never need it than to not wear one and have someone say "if only she had worn a helmet."
    Helmet are very light and comfortable today.
    A schoolmate of my kids thought is was cool to skateboard without a helmet. He fell backwards and hit his head on the sidewalk. He died 3 days later in the hospital.
    On the plus side, his death save several lives because his parents donate his usable organs. But I'm sure his parents would rather have their son.
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
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    I wear one on a stationary bike
  • kiane50
    kiane50 Posts: 69 Member
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    I have a pretty pink breast cancer helmet. It would be stupid to survive breast cancer only to die of a brain injury.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    Our rule for our kids has always been "if it has wheels, you wear a helmet". We can't really enforce that if we don't wear them ourselves so yes, I always wear a helmet. We knew a man who was mountain biking and crashed hard. He was wearing a helmet but it was broken in several pieces and pretty much just shattered because he hit so hard. He still had some head injury but because of the helmet he survived. Without it his head would have looked pretty nasty and he wouldn't be here to tell about it. I know we feel dorky and sometimes they can be a pain but it's better than the alternative. Even on a nice smooth bike path you can still get seriously hurt if you bite it.
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 661 Member
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    I always wear mine.. holds my helmet cam!! :) Plus I got t-boned by a rolling caddy about 23 years ago. Thank God I had it on then,, powwwwww!!! lol... Please, everyone, always wear one....
  • FitXnX50
    FitXnX50 Posts: 122 Member
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    We bike usually on biking/walking trails that are relatively flat no cliffs, no traffic, barely any pedestrians etc. so no I don't. But if were to ever ride on a busy road, which I doubt I ever will (we are fortunate to have several biking/walking trails in the area) I would...but I guess I should but I probably won't ;)
    Glad to see most people are saying yes. My rare bike accidents were when least expected. I have no memory of about 40 minutes of Sept. 23, 2010. Coasting slowly to my car at the end of the ride, in a flat empty parking lot, alone, I guess my load shifted and I went over the handlebars. I woke up in the ER holding ice on my face. Apparently I spoke even before the ambulance knew my name, etc., but no memory of strangers who helped me. That was WITH helmet. You never know. And the helmet does most good at more moderate speeds.
  • Will606
    Will606 Posts: 55
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    I don't...although I should. In my case helmet, elbow pads, knee pads
    Shin protectors, GPS, 1st aid kid AND Life Alert ....lol. (I'm accident prone)
  • shrinkinginQualicum
    shrinkinginQualicum Posts: 131 Member
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    You don't have to be going fast to get into a situation where you fall off your bike. We weren't going fast whenI had another cyclist lose control beside me and hit my handlebars. My front wheel went sideways and the bike stopped dead. As I pitched forward onto my face all I was thinking was "thank God I'm wearing a helmet." My helmet hit first, then my chin. Without it, my forehead would have been the first part of me to hit the pavement. I shudder to think what would have happened to me.
    Anyone riding without a helmet is tempting fate. You never know when something will go wrong.
  • wendyapple
    wendyapple Posts: 323 Member
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    disclaimer - i have not read all 12 pages of replies.

    yes, i wear a helmet every.time.i.ride.

    about 3 years ago while riding 2 miles from home to work, i happened upon an invisible surface defect in the road due to some poorly completed construction which had occurred over the weekend prior. my front wheel stuck inside the ditch, which pitched me over my bars and the rear of the bike over me, and landed me on my head/neck/shoulder in the street ahead of where i'd been riding. an ambulance ride to the er, xrays, and some pain meds and i found out i had a 5th degree AC joint separation. basically the tendons and ligaments that hold the shoulder blade to the collar bone completely severed and i was left with an arm that was being held to my body by a rotator cuff, skin, and blood vessels. surgery grafted it all back together but it's never been the same.

    i wore a helmet that day. and i firmly believe had i not been wearing a helmet, i would've been concussed at the least, and brain damaged or dead at the worst. i was traveling no more than 7 mph.

    wear a helmet. even if you're going down your driveway or quiet street to the store or to the park. even if you're just on a bike path. even if you're just testing the bike out.

    wear a helmet.

    i don't like how major cities are promoting safe riding with their new bike lanes and bike share programs that don't supply helmets to detract from the fear factor of riding. no matter how safe a city is for riding, road conditions, pedestrians, motorists and other cyclists will always pose a risk to an individual on a bike. helmets are the easiest way to prevent some potentially fatal problems.
  • ashetoo
    ashetoo Posts: 2
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    Having had a couple of crashes with plenty of road rash, one of which resulted in damaged helmet, I wouldn't ride without one. I've known people to have crashes at 30 MPH on road bikes and survive with a helmet. I also knew a guy who had a low speed fall w/o a helmet and he's dead. 'Nuff said.
  • KC4800
    KC4800 Posts: 140 Member
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    This July I was roading it down a hill doing about 25 mph when a dog came out of nowhere and went right in front of my front wheel. I had no time to slow or react in any way.

    i remember hitting the dog, but I dont remember landing. When I awoke, my wife who was about 20 car lengths ahead of me at the time of impact, was pouring water on me. An ambulance was called, I was neck braced, strapped to the hard board and taken by ambulance to the ER.

    The worst injury sustained was a broken right clavical, which required a metal ORIF surgery to repair.

    I was wearing my helmet. No head or neck injuries, not so much as a scrape to the face. I had road rash on the right side, but that all healed up.

    I bought a new helmet. But Im keeping my old one that saved me.
  • TheGeordie
    TheGeordie Posts: 24
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    I've never used a bike helmet, even as a kid. Today while out riding bikes with my hubby and son, we came upon a lady who crashed her bike on the wooded bike trail we were on. Long story short, paramedics cared for her and rode her out of the woods on an ATV. She was then LIFE FLIGHTED to a hospital in Richmond. I've been praying for her ever since I came across her. So it got me to thinking. I bet she wasn't wearing a helmet and that's why she was having problems...I don't wear a helmet and now I'm thinking maybe we need to go and buy some.
    So my question to you is...When you ride a bike anywhere, (woods, roads, etc.) Do YOU wear a helmet? Why or why not?

    Yes I wear one all the time, I look stupid but my head is reasonably important to me! A bike helmet saved my friends dad while on a biking holiday and I have witnessed a couple of mates go over the handlebars in the woods on red trails and if you saw the state of their legs you would understand why they didnt want it to happen to their heads!
  • TheGeordie
    TheGeordie Posts: 24
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    Oh and when I was younger I split my head open 3 times just messing about on my feet, I really didnt enjoy the stitches or the amount of blood so if Im a liability on my feet Im damned sure Im wearing one on wheels when there are blind fools operating 2 ton vehicles around me!

    Wear a helmet, it may not be 100% safe or preventative but its a darn site better than your odds of survival without one!
  • gregsonevans
    gregsonevans Posts: 232 Member
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    I have to buy a new helmet tomorrow, hit a overhanging branch riding along the river today and damaged my helmet. It hurt like hell with my helmet on but I dread to think how bad it would have been without it

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