Do bike helmet laws really save people?

[DR ◣◢]

Laws don't save lives. Helmets do!

[Capricorn]

cars get airbags these days. Cycling safety hasn't advanced. It's not just a perception issue anymore. welcome to the 20th century.

 

Given my numerous headbangers, it's become pretty obvious to me why I should wear a lid: while it hasn't saved me from concussions, which unfortunately, have lead to somewhat permanent memory issues, they have saved me from worse. Leaking a few memories is way better than leaking vital fluids and grey matter all over the place. Law or not, i'd wear it.

 

That said, i see a law for wearing bicycles as encapsulating that reality of mine, and applying the logic on behalf of the public. It becomes a cost benefit analysis for the city when considering its populace: how much does a helmet cost versus the cost of recovery from a cycling related injury.

 

On the extreme end, there's total loss as a commute incident involving a bicycle any other means of commute heavier than it, can and often does relate in a fatality. So the argument against helmet then is: why wear it when its pointless? Logical.

 

however, its the spread of fatal incidents within the all cycling related incidents that would be of greater use in law for helmets, as I imagine fatalies would be considered outliers therefore there is benefit for the majority if there is a law for it, especially in a country where provision for those commuting by bicycle is near-zero.

Edited June 5, 2013 by Capricorn

[Blu82]

Looking at your helmet cracked in two after a fall is a sobering experience indeed.

[Sani]

I also feel a bit safer with a helmet on the nut ! seen helmet split in two after a crash

[Paul Ruinaard]

Read the article in the latest Bicycling magazine in USA. Answer is in there in detail. The laws are outdated and super complex t change. So they save your pip from major damage but your brains end up as mush and concussion, memory loss etc ensue, cause your brain collided with the inside of your skull. SO your pip is okay but your brain is swollen and torn. That is why the POC helmets use a cage that isolates the internals and externals of the helmet - much like a construction hard hat. I am now looking for a POC helmet.....

[ibruegge]

my brain is easily as small and wrinkled as a noodle and hence the terminology. I seriously hope your... does not look like a noodle, at least for your better half's sake

 

Have you seen what types of noodles there are...?

[V12man]

Wearing no helmet makes sense when commuting in a commuter friendly cities e.g. Amsterdam. And I think this kind of riding is what much of the no helmet debate is actually focussing on.

 

There is no chance I'd ride my local trail without covering on my pip.

 

P.S. I read somewhere that the percentage of injuries in car accidents being head injuries is only slightly lower than that measured in cycling injuries. Why no helmets for cars? It's all about perceived risk ;-)

 

What are you? an IDIOT?

 

Wearing a helmet ALWAYS makes sense when riding a bike - it may not save your life always, but it sure might save the quality of life you have - or enough of it to make you grateful you wore it - with or without a law forcing you to wear it.

 

And in a car wearing a helmet when restrained has potential neck injury consequences because you are restrained by a seatbelt - passenger cars are different to race car restraints, and in a race car, HANS devices are the next best thing to mandatory in most series if they are not mandatory - because of the neck injury risk.

[Newboy]

I read a very interesting article the other day about cycling helmets, which I can not find now. In essence it said that helmets are designed, and the testing regulations are designed, to create a helmet that is very good for high impact. They are actually very poor at protecting you at lower impacts, resulting in a lot of cases of concussion. This is mostly because at lower impact they just pass the shock through to your skull.

 

That said I will never ride without a helmet.

 

[SyncSA]

 

And in a car wearing a helmet when restrained has potential neck injury consequences because you are restrained by a seatbelt - passenger cars are different to race car restraints, and in a race car, HANS devices are the next best thing to mandatory in most series if they are not mandatory - because of the neck injury risk.

 

I actually think that the introduction of seatbelts removed the incentive to drive safe and slow, thus leading to more auto accidents and kinda defeating the purpose of the safety feature.

 

Regardless of that I wear a seatbelt and will not go anywhere without wearing my helmet when cycling.

[Agteros]

Laws do not save people. Irrespective of the nature of the law

Laws don't save lives. Helmets do!

everybody misses the point.

focus people! (not you S.I.R Maxxis) the question is about laws, not helmets!

[DR ◣◢]

everybody misses the point.

focus people! (not you S.I.R Maxxis) the question is about laws, not helmets!

 

Exactly. You can impose as many laws as you want. It won't help jack if people don't have common sense. You can ride along at 5km/h and fall cracking open your skull letting all the popcorn out. Use your heads to think and not to fall on.

[T-Bob]

If we're going to stick strictly with the thread title (a rarity in general!).

 

So, if laws mean more people are wearing helmets and helmets save more people. Ergo the fact that more people are wearing helmets more people are being saved... because of the laws that are making them wear them.

 

Right back to the noodle discussion.

[SyncSA]

Answer to OP's question: No, but it might make people more aware of the dangers.

 

It removes the incentive to be more cautious on the road/track and actually makes people think they have protection now so lets do crazy stuff. From a probability point of view, I think there would be more accidents as people take more chances.

 

Helmets save lives, no question about it. Common sense needs to prevail. Then again common sense ain't so common.

[Kranky]

What are you? an IDIOT?

 

You must consider that the cycling culture, bikes, distances, speeds, and infrastructure in Europe is very different to that in SA. This is were I do not feel that wearing helmet is necessary or practical. In SA, I commute almost everyday and never leave without my lid.

 

http://bicycledutch.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/amsterdam.jpg

 

Some cities are even avoiding mandatory helmet laws to encourage commuting: http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

 

And this is an interesting finding. Cycling the leading sport for head injuries in America: http://well.blogs.ny...-head-injuries/. I like to see the stats per participate instead of just total of injuries.

Edited June 5, 2013 by Nick.

[V12man]

You must consider that the cycling culture, bikes, distances, speeds, and infrastructure in Europe is very different to that in SA. This is were I do not feel that wearing helmet is necessary or practical. In SA, I commute almost everyday and never leave without my lid.

 

http://bicycledutch.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/amsterdam.jpg

 

Some cities are even avoiding mandatory helmet laws to encourage commuting: http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

 

And this is an interesting finding. Cycling the leading sport for head injuries in America: http://well.blogs.ny...-head-injuries/. I like to see the stats per participate instead of just total of injuries.

 

You go ahead and believe whatever you like (statistically lawn bowls is the most dangerous sport in terms of fatalities per hour of participation) - just follow the law and wear your helmet - and stay the f... out of my emergency room if you don't wear it - 2 of those directives are for your own good - the other is because I don't have patience with idiots today.

[Kranky]

You go ahead and believe whatever you like (statistically lawn bowls is the most dangerous sport in terms of fatalities per hour of participation) - just follow the law and wear your helmet - and stay the f... out of my emergency room if you don't wear it - 2 of those directives are for your own good - the other is because I don't have patience with idiots today.

 

I am genuinely interested in the topic of helmet use and was hoping for some constructive debate.

 

For those interested, helmet laws around the world, from Wikipedia:

Edited June 5, 2013 by Nick.