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If you've tried driving in the Netherlands, you know why so many people prefer to ride a bike instead. Well maintained, but narrow and extremely busy roads, den

If you've tried driving in the Netherlands, you know why so many people prefer to ride a bike instead. Well maintained, but narrow and extremely busy roads, densely packed with tiny vehicles. Wearing a helmet while cycling in the Dutch bike lanes is a bit like wearing a helmet while walking on the side walk. I used to only wear it while racing. Since I had a bad crash after being hit in the eye by an insect, I wear a helmet and cycling glasses on my commute as well. This has a remarkable effect on how you are treated in traffic. Gone is the usual friendly coexistence between cyclists, pedestrians, drivers and even scooters. Without the helmet, I'm just one of the thousands riding their bike to work, but wearing it, apparently now I'm an asshole bike racer who needs to be taught a lesson, much the way cyclists in general seem to be treated in cycling-hostile countries. A helmet doesn't really make you feel safer if it changes the way you're treated by the rest of traffic.

tinco 10y ago
This comment is important in how it shows biking is totally different in The Netherlands. The first type of bike most non-Dutch think of when they hear 'bicycle', where the rider sits hunched forward poised to race is not even considered a regular bike here. If you go faster than 15mph you are basically considered to be comparable to a moped and doing it without a helmet is frowned upon even here. When you are not in The Netherlands you should most definitely wear a helmet no matter what kind of bike. The fact that you can ride a bike without a helmet in The Netherlands is a sort of democratic miracle of the 70's where the public convinced the politicians to make bikes a first class mode of transport. The effect of this is that almost every road in The Netherlands has some sort of provision for bicycles, or has at least been considered to have some. And in most cases not just in the form of a line but actual infrastructures, curbs, asphalt, specifically constructed in a way to make bicycling safe. And even when there would be no infrastructure for bicyclists, every motorist is trained to deal with cyclists. From the driving lessons (usually 40-50 hours are necessary to pass the exam these days) where a considerable amount of time is spent on being aware of cyclists, to the fact that when you're on a Dutch road and you want to turn right you are almost guaranteed to wait for cyclists you have to yield to, so not having a shoulder check habit wouldn't get you 100m out of your driveway without an accident.
- kristofferR 10y ago
  > "When you are not in The Netherlands you should most definitely wear a helmet no matter what kind of bike." Why? It's actually not statistically safer.
  - cowsandmilk 10y ago
    so that if you are in an accident, the reaction of everyone else isn't "he should have been wearing a helmet".
  - tinco 10y ago
    * Citation needed
    - mpweiher 10y ago
      http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bicycle+helmets+not+safer&l=1 http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bicycle+helmets+not+safer&l=1
      - tinco 10y ago
        So you're going with "a neurosurgeon said", "motorists between Bristol and Salisbury drive closer to people with helmets" and a TedX talk that cites "some research shows". Solid citation.
    - ralfn 10y ago
      That is true for the original statement (that helmets provide safety on a bike) as well. I mean, you would expect some improvement, but (as a Dutch citizen), i expect it to prevent harm in the same way wearing helmet during sex would prevent harm. In general: if you taking those kind of risks (as a car, as a bike, etc.) that people on a bike need a helmet, you don't belong in traffic here. The effect on mentality may be as important, if not more important. Also, interesting to realize, if car and a bike have an accident, by law, it is automatically the fault of the car, no matter what. Even if the person on the bike is drunk, driving in the wrong direction, etc. So, although bikers are betting their life going out, cars are betting their wealth, money and freedom. It turns out, instead of focusing on 'who is at fault' and 'who is right', it is much safer to focus on 'lets make sure we don't hit each other' and turn accidents into a mutually-assured-destruction kind of deal. This way, every actor in traffic has a natural tendency to compensates for mistakes of the other actors. And this attitude is the one that prevents most accidents.
aexaey 10y ago
Indeed, Dutch view this two ways to use bicycle very differently. There are even completely different verbs to describe that: - fietsen i.e. literally "bicycling" would refer to riding an opafiets [1] bicycle, at moderate speed, without helmet or any sort of cycling attire; - wielrennen, i.e. literally "wheel running" instead describes sort of cycling that you would see in Tour de France race - racing bike, helmet, lycra gear on, considerably faster. Second is far less common, and doing so on busy city streets during rush hour is frowned upon, of course. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadster_(bicycle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadster_(bicycle)
- lucb1e 10y ago
  Interesting, I never realized this. I know wielrennen (obviously) but haven't yet needed the word in English so I didn't notice the lack. I guess I'd call it bike racing.
- adrianratnapala 10y ago
  While I get the difference, I can't quite imagine how it works in practice. Here in Germany, it's all radeln, and when I commute along the ordinary bike lanes, I usually go as fast as I can, which is something like 20-30km/hour. That's nothing like racing, but it not moderate and so I am overtaking more casual cyclists all the time. As far as I know, people who ride like me or faster are not frowned upon here. We are just expected to do our overtaking safely and politely.
  - wobbleblob 10y ago
    I'm telling you, it's not the speed, it's the outfit and the bike. I don't suddenly ride faster just because I'm wearing a helmet and goggles, but other people's attitude is sudden;y totally different.
  - djsumdog 10y ago
    The cycles I've seen in Germany are pretty similar to the same style as the rest of the western world: typically flat bars or drop bars with somewhere between 3 and 15 gears. So a huge variety, everything from commuter to cruisers to speed to hybrids. In the Netherlands, it's rare to find speed or even higher end street bikes parked in any of the massive bike stands. They're all mostly old-school cruisers (what some people might call scooners). They don't go very fast and it's not uncommon to see a 2nd person just sitting on the back cargo mount. Also, I find it interesting Germans have the same word for drive and ride. That's one of those common language mistakes you'll hear Germans make when they say, "I drove the bus."
mcv 10y ago
It's not just how you're treated. Research has shown that cyclists wearing helmets tend to put more trust in their helmet, whereas cyclists without helmet tend to be more careful.
- tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago
  There is also a study that shows other traffic participants engage in riskier overtaking when a cyclist wears a helmet. Instead of leaving 1.5 m space when the cyclist is on the side of the car, drivers leave an average of 0.5 m space for cyclists wearing a helmet. If I remember correctly, drivers see helmets as increased safety for the cyclist and feel they can engage in less safe behavior because it evens out. Edit: For exact distances, see the paper (doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2006.08.010).
  - analog31 10y ago
    Citation?
    - tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago
      It seems to have been “Drivers overtaking bicyclists: Objective data on the effects of riding position, helmet use, vehicle type and apparent gender”[1] (doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2006.08.010). [1] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457506001540 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457506...
      - analog31 10y ago
        This study is cited in every discussion of helmet use, yet it was barely scientific -- the author was his own test subject, and there has been no attempt at replication.
  - saiya-jin 10y ago
    although it seems to make some sense, I am never treating any cyclist differently, be it granny or some racer or anything between, whatever the dress and equipment. It's a moving obstacle to be overtaken asap, with some extra room around them necessary. the only 2 things that matter - speed of the cyclist and the stability of their ride (ie keeping straight path close to side of the road which I do on bike is ideal, aholes driving 2-3 next to each other taking full lane and sometimes more, chatting together and going left to right is on the other side of the spectrum)
lucb1e 10y ago
> I had a bad crash after being hit in the eye by an insect How did that happen, did you reflexively close both eyes and jerk on the handlebar or something?
- wobbleblob 10y ago
  Is that strange? Are you confident you'll stay completely composed and in control with a live bug in your eye? I lost control while trying to get the source of pain in my eye to stop.
  - lucb1e 10y ago
    I'm not sure... I mean, I've had bugs fly in before but nothing big and bad. Thinking about it now (in a logical state of mind) I would say I'd just press my eyes tightly closed instinctively and press both brakes as hard as I can. If it takes more than a second or two to stop, I think I'd realize I can open one eye to see traffic (if I'm in traffic). But in a panic, there is no way to tell whether I'd do that. It just seems excessive to go through the hassle of both glasses and a helmet every time you use a bike. Then you might as well get the car out.
    - mcv 10y ago
      I haven't had bugs in my eyes ever since I got glasses, but as a kid, I do remember the occasional bug in my eye. Never lead to a crash, though. I think the most important thing is to come to a stop before trying to clear bugs from your eyes. Which remind me of my biggest bike crash: cleaning ice off my glasses on an icy bike path. I knew it was that slippery, but somehow I'd forgotten because everything was going so well. But obviously low speed, so no big deal.
    - qb45 10y ago
      > I would say I'd just press my eyes tightly closed instinctively and press both brakes as hard as I can. You probably don't have much experience if you write things like that :)
II2II 10y ago
I find that difference in treatment to be curious. I have very little confidence in a helmet providing sufficient protection in an automobile collision. Other forms of accidents, sure. Then again, cycling culure is very different in my part of the world. Motorists are more likely to respect a cyclist if they behave like a motorist. That often means going fast on the part of the road that is in the worse condition.
Grishnakh 10y ago
That's really strange. Wearing a helmet while cycling is just good sense: the human body was never designed to move at speeds over 10mph (and frequently over 20) on hard, asphalt roads or near concrete. One mistake can have you landing and hitting your head on these hard surfaces, which can give you a concussion or brain injury, or worse. You don't even have to be moving; you can lose your balance while waiting for a light, and fall over and hit your head. I was once told by someone who got a motorcycle and took a safety course about a video he watched: in the video, it showed numerous accidents with motorcycle riders wearing helmets and other protective gear, and walking away from pretty horrible accidents, or at least not suffering any permanent injuries. Then, at the end, they showed an accident where a guy not wearing a helmet was sitting on his motorcycle in his driveway, with the engine off, lost his balance, fell over, hit his head on the concrete, and died. The idea that a helmet-wearer is somehow an "asshole bike ricer" because he wants to avoid a brain injury in case he falls off his bike onto a hard surface seems rather asinine to me. And yes, glasses are a good idea too because of bugs and wind. You don't need anything fancy; just cheapo clear safety glasses will work great.

tinco 10y ago

This comment is important in how it shows biking is totally different in The Netherlands. The first type of bike most non-Dutch think of when they hear 'bicycle', where the rider sits hunched forward poised to race is not even considered a regular bike here. If you go faster than 15mph you are basically considered to be comparable to a moped and doing it without a helmet is frowned upon even here. When you are not in The Netherlands you should most definitely wear a helmet no matter what kind of bike. The fact that you can ride a bike without a helmet in The Netherlands is a sort of democratic miracle of the 70's where the public convinced the politicians to make bikes a first class mode of transport. The effect of this is that almost every road in The Netherlands has some sort of provision for bicycles, or has at least been considered to have some. And in most cases not just in the form of a line but actual infrastructures, curbs, asphalt, specifically constructed in a way to make bicycling safe. And even when there would be no infrastructure for bicyclists, every motorist is trained to deal with cyclists. From the driving lessons (usually 40-50 hours are necessary to pass the exam these days) where a considerable amount of time is spent on being aware of cyclists, to the fact that when you're on a Dutch road and you want to turn right you are almost guaranteed to wait for cyclists you have to yield to, so not having a shoulder check habit wouldn't get you 100m out of your driveway without an accident.

kristofferR 10y ago
> "When you are not in The Netherlands you should most definitely wear a helmet no matter what kind of bike." Why? It's actually not statistically safer.
- cowsandmilk 10y ago
  so that if you are in an accident, the reaction of everyone else isn't "he should have been wearing a helmet".
- tinco 10y ago
  * Citation needed
  - mpweiher 10y ago
    http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bicycle+helmets+not+safer&l=1 http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bicycle+helmets+not+safer&l=1
    - tinco 10y ago
      So you're going with "a neurosurgeon said", "motorists between Bristol and Salisbury drive closer to people with helmets" and a TedX talk that cites "some research shows". Solid citation.
  - ralfn 10y ago
    That is true for the original statement (that helmets provide safety on a bike) as well. I mean, you would expect some improvement, but (as a Dutch citizen), i expect it to prevent harm in the same way wearing helmet during sex would prevent harm. In general: if you taking those kind of risks (as a car, as a bike, etc.) that people on a bike need a helmet, you don't belong in traffic here. The effect on mentality may be as important, if not more important. Also, interesting to realize, if car and a bike have an accident, by law, it is automatically the fault of the car, no matter what. Even if the person on the bike is drunk, driving in the wrong direction, etc. So, although bikers are betting their life going out, cars are betting their wealth, money and freedom. It turns out, instead of focusing on 'who is at fault' and 'who is right', it is much safer to focus on 'lets make sure we don't hit each other' and turn accidents into a mutually-assured-destruction kind of deal. This way, every actor in traffic has a natural tendency to compensates for mistakes of the other actors. And this attitude is the one that prevents most accidents.

aexaey 10y ago

Indeed, Dutch view this two ways to use bicycle very differently. There are even completely different verbs to describe that: - fietsen i.e. literally "bicycling" would refer to riding an opafiets [1] bicycle, at moderate speed, without helmet or any sort of cycling attire; - wielrennen, i.e. literally "wheel running" instead describes sort of cycling that you would see in Tour de France race - racing bike, helmet, lycra gear on, considerably faster. Second is far less common, and doing so on busy city streets during rush hour is frowned upon, of course. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadster_(bicycle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadster_(bicycle)

lucb1e 10y ago
Interesting, I never realized this. I know wielrennen (obviously) but haven't yet needed the word in English so I didn't notice the lack. I guess I'd call it bike racing.
adrianratnapala 10y ago
While I get the difference, I can't quite imagine how it works in practice. Here in Germany, it's all radeln, and when I commute along the ordinary bike lanes, I usually go as fast as I can, which is something like 20-30km/hour. That's nothing like racing, but it not moderate and so I am overtaking more casual cyclists all the time. As far as I know, people who ride like me or faster are not frowned upon here. We are just expected to do our overtaking safely and politely.
- wobbleblob 10y ago
  I'm telling you, it's not the speed, it's the outfit and the bike. I don't suddenly ride faster just because I'm wearing a helmet and goggles, but other people's attitude is sudden;y totally different.
- djsumdog 10y ago
  The cycles I've seen in Germany are pretty similar to the same style as the rest of the western world: typically flat bars or drop bars with somewhere between 3 and 15 gears. So a huge variety, everything from commuter to cruisers to speed to hybrids. In the Netherlands, it's rare to find speed or even higher end street bikes parked in any of the massive bike stands. They're all mostly old-school cruisers (what some people might call scooners). They don't go very fast and it's not uncommon to see a 2nd person just sitting on the back cargo mount. Also, I find it interesting Germans have the same word for drive and ride. That's one of those common language mistakes you'll hear Germans make when they say, "I drove the bus."

mcv 10y ago

It's not just how you're treated. Research has shown that cyclists wearing helmets tend to put more trust in their helmet, whereas cyclists without helmet tend to be more careful.

tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago
There is also a study that shows other traffic participants engage in riskier overtaking when a cyclist wears a helmet. Instead of leaving 1.5 m space when the cyclist is on the side of the car, drivers leave an average of 0.5 m space for cyclists wearing a helmet. If I remember correctly, drivers see helmets as increased safety for the cyclist and feel they can engage in less safe behavior because it evens out. Edit: For exact distances, see the paper (doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2006.08.010).
- analog31 10y ago
  Citation?
  - tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago
    It seems to have been “Drivers overtaking bicyclists: Objective data on the effects of riding position, helmet use, vehicle type and apparent gender”[1] (doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2006.08.010). [1] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457506001540 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457506...
    - analog31 10y ago
      This study is cited in every discussion of helmet use, yet it was barely scientific -- the author was his own test subject, and there has been no attempt at replication.
- saiya-jin 10y ago
  although it seems to make some sense, I am never treating any cyclist differently, be it granny or some racer or anything between, whatever the dress and equipment. It's a moving obstacle to be overtaken asap, with some extra room around them necessary. the only 2 things that matter - speed of the cyclist and the stability of their ride (ie keeping straight path close to side of the road which I do on bike is ideal, aholes driving 2-3 next to each other taking full lane and sometimes more, chatting together and going left to right is on the other side of the spectrum)

lucb1e 10y ago

> I had a bad crash after being hit in the eye by an insect How did that happen, did you reflexively close both eyes and jerk on the handlebar or something?

wobbleblob 10y ago
Is that strange? Are you confident you'll stay completely composed and in control with a live bug in your eye? I lost control while trying to get the source of pain in my eye to stop.
- lucb1e 10y ago
  I'm not sure... I mean, I've had bugs fly in before but nothing big and bad. Thinking about it now (in a logical state of mind) I would say I'd just press my eyes tightly closed instinctively and press both brakes as hard as I can. If it takes more than a second or two to stop, I think I'd realize I can open one eye to see traffic (if I'm in traffic). But in a panic, there is no way to tell whether I'd do that. It just seems excessive to go through the hassle of both glasses and a helmet every time you use a bike. Then you might as well get the car out.
  - mcv 10y ago
    I haven't had bugs in my eyes ever since I got glasses, but as a kid, I do remember the occasional bug in my eye. Never lead to a crash, though. I think the most important thing is to come to a stop before trying to clear bugs from your eyes. Which remind me of my biggest bike crash: cleaning ice off my glasses on an icy bike path. I knew it was that slippery, but somehow I'd forgotten because everything was going so well. But obviously low speed, so no big deal.
  - qb45 10y ago
    > I would say I'd just press my eyes tightly closed instinctively and press both brakes as hard as I can. You probably don't have much experience if you write things like that :)

II2II 10y ago

I find that difference in treatment to be curious. I have very little confidence in a helmet providing sufficient protection in an automobile collision. Other forms of accidents, sure. Then again, cycling culure is very different in my part of the world. Motorists are more likely to respect a cyclist if they behave like a motorist. That often means going fast on the part of the road that is in the worse condition.

Grishnakh 10y ago

That's really strange. Wearing a helmet while cycling is just good sense: the human body was never designed to move at speeds over 10mph (and frequently over 20) on hard, asphalt roads or near concrete. One mistake can have you landing and hitting your head on these hard surfaces, which can give you a concussion or brain injury, or worse. You don't even have to be moving; you can lose your balance while waiting for a light, and fall over and hit your head. I was once told by someone who got a motorcycle and took a safety course about a video he watched: in the video, it showed numerous accidents with motorcycle riders wearing helmets and other protective gear, and walking away from pretty horrible accidents, or at least not suffering any permanent injuries. Then, at the end, they showed an accident where a guy not wearing a helmet was sitting on his motorcycle in his driveway, with the engine off, lost his balance, fell over, hit his head on the concrete, and died. The idea that a helmet-wearer is somehow an "asshole bike ricer" because he wants to avoid a brain injury in case he falls off his bike onto a hard surface seems rather asinine to me. And yes, glasses are a good idea too because of bugs and wind. You don't need anything fancy; just cheapo clear safety glasses will work great.