Wearing helmets while cycling?

Quint

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Thread like this come up ever so often in AH, motor and C&T and I never fail to be amazed at the amount of people who somehow think cycling around Dublin is dangerous.

I've been cycling around South Dublin for years and years and have never had one incident. I do stupid things, run lights and generally weave in adn out of traffic and have never even once felt it to be any more dangerous than cycling on the footpath.

Too many people have become afraid of cycling because of the namby pambies in the safety brigade spouting on about how you're going to die by even looking at a bike :mad:

Yeah, I've been cycling for 6 months now and it's no where near as dangerous as people make out. I was ****ting myself the first day out after reading posts here. I thought cars actually tried to knock cyclists down. But no, it's as safe as walking across the city as a pedestrian. Cars drivers are actually quite considerate towards cyclists from my experience. I think the people that use danger as an excuse not to cycle are just looking for reasons to not cycle.

Cookie_Monster

Kipperhell wrote: »

Never had a single incident? WOW!
I have had car doors opened on me well over 10 times in the space of about 18 months. Never fell off or was hit but nearly is enough. That is not to mention a car speeding on a road that narrows along the route such as the North Circular Road. Trees buckle the road and also restrict the option of hoping on to the path.

To not consider a 1 ton of metal moving at 30-40 miles an hour going by as more dangerous than flesh and bone moving at 2 miles an hour is just a bit silly if you ask me. :rolleyes:

Well I've had a car hit my back wheel once but i was stopped and she was doing about 2kph so I didn't count it.

Cookie_Monster

Quint wrote: »

I think the people that use danger as an excuse not to cycle are just looking for reasons to not cycle.

+1

dearg lady

Nope, been cycling pretty much daily for around a year and a half. I wore a helmet initially cos I bought into the scaremongering then did some research and realised it's pretty pointless! Cycling isn't nearly as dangerous as it's made out to be.
This website has some interesting articles on the subject...
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2008/03/bicycle-helmet-articles-cykelhjelm.html

Their sister site is all about stylish cycling, it's brilliant, yes cycling is practical, but there's no reason not to look good too

Jumpy

dearg lady wrote: »

Nope, been cycling pretty much daily for around a year and a half. I wore a helmet initially cos I bought into the scaremongering then did some research and realised it's pretty pointless! Cycling isn't nearly as dangerous as it's made out to be.

Might want to tell that to all the missing skin on my right side. Also the big chunks taken out of my helmet from skidding across the road on it.
If I wasnt wearing it I would have easily peeled back my hair and skin to my skull.

dearg lady

Jumpy wrote: »

Might want to tell that to all the missing skin on my right side. Also the big chunks taken out of my helmet from skidding across the road on it.
If I wasnt wearing it I would have easily peeled back my hair and skin to my skull.

I never said accidents don't happen, but they can happen doin anything, cycling is not as dangerous as it is made out to be. Helmets are useful in some very limited circumstances, it's a matter of weighing up how likely it is that it will happen. For me, the choice is easy.

General Zod

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

citation needed

actually we need to educate motorists more because in most cases (the mostly motorist) courts have found the motorist at fault

Argh, I was reading it on the rather biased against helmet law site cyclehelmets.org

It was a study of child admissions to hospital after bike crashes, and said that 85% of the (non fatal) injuries were mitigated by the use of helmets.

I'll retract the claim until I can find the study.

Helmets aren't meant to protect you against high impact, they are meant to protect you in low speed impacts, which the majority of bike accidents are.

Personally, I'm against helmet laws due to the fall off in people who will cycle, but I'm pro helmet use as I see it as a good safety option.

dearg lady

General Zod wrote: »

Personally, I'm against helmet laws due to the fall off in people who will cycle, but I'm pro helmet use as I see it as a good safety option.

A fair point, if a person wants to wear a helmet I'm def not gonna hassle them about it, but I want to be able to make my own choices too

Jonathan

When I am going out for a 20-40k road cycle I do.

When I am cycling to the village or a friends house I don't.

General Zod

dearg lady wrote: »

A fair point, if a person wants to wear a helmet I'm def not gonna hassle them about it, but I want to be able to make my own choices too

you may be worried about looking good while cycling, I'm more worried about looking still looking good and not be missing chunks out of my head afterwards if I crashed

dearg lady

General Zod wrote: »

you may be worried about looking good while cycling, I'm more worried about looking still looking good and not be missing chunks out of my head afterwards if I crashed

It's not all about that! As I said above, initially I did wear a helmet so wasn't concerned with how it looked on me. However having researched it, I don't see sufficient benefits to wearing a helmet.

Naikon

Used to as a kid. Don't cycle much anymore, but I never wear a helmet
now when cycling. Bike lock is more important imo.

Capt'n Midnight

Naikon wrote: »

Used to as a kid. Don't cycle much anymore, but I never wear a helmet
now when cycling. Bike lock is more important imo.

if only you could combine then , a bicycle lock you wear on your head, a helmet that could lock your bike

FridaysWell

I've been cycling around Dublin south for 5 years, the only incident I have ever had was when I wore a helmet! I don't wear ir anymore, its a nuisance. Cyling is not dangerous at all, you just gotta be quick and a little considerate to cars. They should be considerate back. Oh and its the best way to get around the city. I'd rather rely on myself then the crappy bus. . .

Quint

Jumpy wrote: »

Might want to tell that to all the missing skin on my right side. Also the big chunks taken out of my helmet from skidding across the road on it.
If I wasnt wearing it I would have easily peeled back my hair and skin to my skull.

Another helmet wearer crashes!
My mate was a cycle courier. He didn't wear a helmet for years. Then he finally got one, and 2 days later a van hit him.
This thread proves it: wearing a helmet makes you crash

LD 50

I never wear a helmet when I'm cycling. Haven't worn one since I was about 10. And I cycle with my MP3 player on, usually in traffic, sometimes with no hands on the handlebars because I'm texting.:D Never had a serious accident. Just a couple of falls that would have happened anyways.

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

citation needed

actually we need to educate motorists more because in most cases (the mostly motorist) courts have found the motorist at fault

The main problem I find is that car drivers don't give cyclists the proper space, time, or patience on the road. I can count about half a dozen times where I was almost in an accident that would have been the drivers fault. Usually because they don't consider us proper road users, like a car or a 40 ft artic truck would be, and try to overtake at stupid spots or shoot out ahead of us at junctions. They expect us to stop for them even if we have right of way. When I did my theory test for the car, I was surprised at the lack of cyclist/mororbike questions. e.g. You are at a junction on a minor road. There is a cyclist coming towards you on the main road you want to turn onto.
Do you a/ wait till the cyclist has passed, then pull out.
b/ pull out in front. He'll stop.
c/Beep your horn to warn him, then pull out.
d/........

OK, not all drivers are like this I know. Just the ignorant and bad ones.

SeekUp

About a month ago, I started cycling to work. After a couple of days of being hesitant, I'd say that confidence goes a long way on the road, especially in terms of safety (although sometimes people are overly confident on their bike, which is a whole 'nother story).

That being said, I always wear a helmet, probably always will. I wore one when I was a kid, I wear one now. It's not a nuisance, it doesn't inconvenience me, I could care less about how I look, it doesn't make me cycle any differently, it's just a safety precaution.

Stark

Used to wear it all the time, these days only when racing or going for long spins with lots of tearing it up on the downhill. I find around Dublin that motorists take it easier on you when you're not wearing one; I think wearing a helmet dehumanizes you in their eyes. There's also precious little real evidence that helmets are actually beneficial for urban cycling, it's all anecdotal "I hit my head and the helmet cracked, therefore if I hadn't been wearing it, I'd be dead" etc.

Stark

Kipperhell wrote: »

Never had a single incident? WOW!
I have had car doors opened on me well over 10 times in the space of about 18 months.

So have I, but then I cycle out from the parked cars, just as I'd leave space if I was driving past them.

citizen_p

never..... just dont like them.... and you look like a dope unless you have all the cycling gear.....

dub_skav

Stark wrote: »

So have I, but then I cycle out from the parked cars, just as I'd leave space if I was driving past them.

Ah now, you can't be using knowledge gleaned from using 1 mode of transport while using another.
When on a bike you are a red-light jumping, pedestrian terrorising maniac
When in a car you are a planet-killing, speeding moron

And never the twain shall meet.

Next you'll be claiming we're all just people no matter the mode of transport. Move along hippie, your crazy ideas are not welcome here.

m3llowship

meh, the idea of wearing a helmet goes straight over my head to be honest.