5 ms·

When it comes to the dangers threatening cyclists, wearing a helmet is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. America’s top-selling vehicle model, the Ford F-Seri

When it comes to the dangers threatening cyclists, wearing a helmet is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. America’s top-selling vehicle model, the Ford F-Series, weighs up to 7,500 pounds. Its hood stands 4.5 feet tall—at the height of my chin. I get that point. And the other points made here about defense against traffic and cars. But helmets protect against WAY more than getting hit by a truck. They protect you when your foot gets stuck and you fall over backwards onto concrete. They protect you when you flip over and the bike comes back around and the chain ring takes a chunk out of the helmet instead of your head. Helmets stop injuries and many other ways.

LanceH 4y ago
They are hard and slick on the outside to allow your head to slide along with your body, instead of snapping; protecting your neck.
pkulak 4y ago
But by that logic we should always wear helmets. You're always at some risk of head injury.
- acomjean 4y ago
  But when walking around you aren't cruising at 10+ miles and hour in an area with multi thousand pound vehicles going a multiple of your speed.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- happytoexplain 4y ago
  There is no implication in the parent that you should wear a helmet when the risk of head injury is greater than zero (i.e. always). They only imply that bike-riding is high enough risk to warrant it.
  - pkulak 4y ago
    The implication that riding a bike puts you at higher risk of head injury than any other moderate activity is precisely what I take issue with. I'd bet good money that showering, walking up stairs, and even driving a car are all at least as dangerous to the ol' noggin.
- FrontierPsych 4y ago
  I wore a mask during the height of the pandemic and didn't mind that one bit. I liked it. I asked my grocery store clerks, who always wore masks during the height of the pandemic, if anyone got covid. None did, because they all wore masks. And they waited on tens of thousands of customers weekly. Meanwhile, 35 out of 40 of Donald Trump's inner circle got Covid because they didn't wear masks. So some people want to wear helmets and some don't. I say, whatever you want to do is fine. But just like the masks in the pandemic, don't you come whining to me if you realize after you get f-ed up that maybe you should have after all worn the mask or the helmet. Don't want to hear any none no whining no way negative uh-uh go away shut up.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
acomjean 4y ago
I wear one. One day when I was you, in the spring I slipped on some sand and went down. the helmet hit first basically saving my nose. I've also been hit on the head by an acorn. Thats mild, but it could be startling enough to loose control, but it was just a noise for me.
Apes 4y ago
It's so much worse than even what you say. This article is just a continuous slow flow stream of gas lighting. Like, if the problem you notice is 7,500 pound vehicles designed to kill pedestrians, isn't the logical solution to anyone with a functioning brain to propose restricting those vehicles? What kind of lead paint eating logic does it take to conclude that the best solution is to get rid of bike helmets?
- Kim_Bruning 4y ago
  The author of the article actually doesn't propose taking away helmets. Instead the author says: "Only a suite of infrastructure changes can combat the deadliest risk to cyclists. Not helmets alone." I think the author is actually a bit careful. It is actually quite possible to make the infrastructure so safe that helmets offer little additional protection -and thus people stop wearing them-. This is (rather in a nutshell) what has happened in the Netherlands. This situation still so far from the typical (North America) experience at this moment that I would fully understand if you don't quite believe it. However, hopefully you can see there has to be some reason why all the people in eg. this video [1] aren't wearing helmets. They can't all be crazy, after all. See also [2] for a very short summary of specific bicycle infrastructure. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynwMN3Z9Og8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynwMN3Z9Og8 (Utrecht Vredenburg) [2] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z5dvqhYQACY https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z5dvqhYQACY A Quick Intro to Dutch Bike Paths

LanceH 4y ago

They are hard and slick on the outside to allow your head to slide along with your body, instead of snapping; protecting your neck.

pkulak 4y ago

But by that logic we should always wear helmets. You're always at some risk of head injury.

acomjean 4y ago
But when walking around you aren't cruising at 10+ miles and hour in an area with multi thousand pound vehicles going a multiple of your speed.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
happytoexplain 4y ago
There is no implication in the parent that you should wear a helmet when the risk of head injury is greater than zero (i.e. always). They only imply that bike-riding is high enough risk to warrant it.
- pkulak 4y ago
  The implication that riding a bike puts you at higher risk of head injury than any other moderate activity is precisely what I take issue with. I'd bet good money that showering, walking up stairs, and even driving a car are all at least as dangerous to the ol' noggin.
FrontierPsych 4y ago
I wore a mask during the height of the pandemic and didn't mind that one bit. I liked it. I asked my grocery store clerks, who always wore masks during the height of the pandemic, if anyone got covid. None did, because they all wore masks. And they waited on tens of thousands of customers weekly. Meanwhile, 35 out of 40 of Donald Trump's inner circle got Covid because they didn't wear masks. So some people want to wear helmets and some don't. I say, whatever you want to do is fine. But just like the masks in the pandemic, don't you come whining to me if you realize after you get f-ed up that maybe you should have after all worn the mask or the helmet. Don't want to hear any none no whining no way negative uh-uh go away shut up.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

acomjean 4y ago

I wear one. One day when I was you, in the spring I slipped on some sand and went down. the helmet hit first basically saving my nose. I've also been hit on the head by an acorn. Thats mild, but it could be startling enough to loose control, but it was just a noise for me.

Apes 4y ago

It's so much worse than even what you say. This article is just a continuous slow flow stream of gas lighting. Like, if the problem you notice is 7,500 pound vehicles designed to kill pedestrians, isn't the logical solution to anyone with a functioning brain to propose restricting those vehicles? What kind of lead paint eating logic does it take to conclude that the best solution is to get rid of bike helmets?

Kim_Bruning 4y ago
The author of the article actually doesn't propose taking away helmets. Instead the author says: "Only a suite of infrastructure changes can combat the deadliest risk to cyclists. Not helmets alone." I think the author is actually a bit careful. It is actually quite possible to make the infrastructure so safe that helmets offer little additional protection -and thus people stop wearing them-. This is (rather in a nutshell) what has happened in the Netherlands. This situation still so far from the typical (North America) experience at this moment that I would fully understand if you don't quite believe it. However, hopefully you can see there has to be some reason why all the people in eg. this video [1] aren't wearing helmets. They can't all be crazy, after all. See also [2] for a very short summary of specific bicycle infrastructure. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynwMN3Z9Og8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynwMN3Z9Og8 (Utrecht Vredenburg) [2] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z5dvqhYQACY https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z5dvqhYQACY A Quick Intro to Dutch Bike Paths