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> Biking isn’t safe enough to not wear a helmet Could you explain why you think that? That’s a pretty general statement. Are you imagining city biking here, or

> Biking isn’t safe enough to not wear a helmet Could you explain why you think that? That’s a pretty general statement. Are you imagining city biking here, or something more like racing in the country-side? Some data about how this is dangerous could be convincing: https://youtu.be/Boi0XEm9-4E https://youtu.be/Boi0XEm9-4E count the helmets. Just to be clear, I’m not against helmets (I wear one, as is custom in my country).

willis936 7y ago
No, I don’t have the data on hand or the time to hunt down studies that may well not exist. That shouldn’t keep people from knowing what they know. City biking regularly gets up to 15 mph. No I don’t have a citation. Falling over the handlebars is likely when coming to a sudden stop. Brain injuries are not going to be rare occurrences in such cases. No I don’t have a citation.
- Freak_NL 7y ago
  > Falling over the handlebars is likely when coming to a sudden stop. Only if you are riding a bicycle completely unsuitable for commuting or general urban use; like a mountain bike or racing bicycle. Commonly used bicycles in Denmark and the Netherlands look like this: https://omidbikes.nl/wp-content/uploads/mat-zwart-7.jpg https://omidbikes.nl/wp-content/uploads/mat-zwart-7.jpg Note the handlebars and upright rider position that basically prevent going over the handlebars during an emergency stop. That kind of accident just doesn't happen here.
  - Kim_Bruning 7y ago
    I still prefer reverse-pedal brakes (terugtraprem). Of course, even then, as a teenager I still managed to get myself into some interesting situations a couple of times. But never went over the handlebars :-P
- wool_gather 7y ago
  Can you say whether you are yourself an active cyclist?
  - willis936 7y ago
    Yes I am. It’s nice for all the reasons people beat the drum about, but the biggest one for me is convenience. Driving and parking in a city is a nightmare. Biking is marginally slower than taking the bus and by comparison biking grants much more freedom. Frankly, I think it’s insane that anyone who regularly bikes would not wear a helmet. I push back so hard against this notion of not wearing a helmet because of how catastrophic a tiny incident can be.
    - wool_gather 7y ago
      Thanks. I also bike for my day-to-day transport, and love it. I go back and forth about the helmet issue personally. Though I've almost never not worn one. My general feeling is that it's not much of a burden to me. And while the cases where it's actually going to help are narrower than most people think (especially people looking from the perspective of a car impact), it does improve the outcome in those cases quite a bit. So it's worthwhile. If nothing else helmets are good places to mount lights, which are definitely an important safety measure! :)
rapnie 7y ago
Great video! Demonstrates Dutch cycling culture really well. Thank you.

willis936 7y ago

No, I don’t have the data on hand or the time to hunt down studies that may well not exist. That shouldn’t keep people from knowing what they know. City biking regularly gets up to 15 mph. No I don’t have a citation. Falling over the handlebars is likely when coming to a sudden stop. Brain injuries are not going to be rare occurrences in such cases. No I don’t have a citation.

Freak_NL 7y ago
> Falling over the handlebars is likely when coming to a sudden stop. Only if you are riding a bicycle completely unsuitable for commuting or general urban use; like a mountain bike or racing bicycle. Commonly used bicycles in Denmark and the Netherlands look like this: https://omidbikes.nl/wp-content/uploads/mat-zwart-7.jpg https://omidbikes.nl/wp-content/uploads/mat-zwart-7.jpg Note the handlebars and upright rider position that basically prevent going over the handlebars during an emergency stop. That kind of accident just doesn't happen here.
- Kim_Bruning 7y ago
  I still prefer reverse-pedal brakes (terugtraprem). Of course, even then, as a teenager I still managed to get myself into some interesting situations a couple of times. But never went over the handlebars :-P
wool_gather 7y ago
Can you say whether you are yourself an active cyclist?
- willis936 7y ago
  Yes I am. It’s nice for all the reasons people beat the drum about, but the biggest one for me is convenience. Driving and parking in a city is a nightmare. Biking is marginally slower than taking the bus and by comparison biking grants much more freedom. Frankly, I think it’s insane that anyone who regularly bikes would not wear a helmet. I push back so hard against this notion of not wearing a helmet because of how catastrophic a tiny incident can be.
  - wool_gather 7y ago
    Thanks. I also bike for my day-to-day transport, and love it. I go back and forth about the helmet issue personally. Though I've almost never not worn one. My general feeling is that it's not much of a burden to me. And while the cases where it's actually going to help are narrower than most people think (especially people looking from the perspective of a car impact), it does improve the outcome in those cases quite a bit. So it's worthwhile. If nothing else helmets are good places to mount lights, which are definitely an important safety measure! :)

rapnie 7y ago

Great video! Demonstrates Dutch cycling culture really well. Thank you.