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Besides being useless, there are also some negative side-effects: helmet limits field of vision significantly and distracts from perceiving audio- and visual- i

by sklogic 12y ago

Besides being useless, there are also some negative side-effects: helmet limits field of vision significantly and distracts from perceiving audio- and visual- information properly. I feel blindfolded in a helmet, even in a very light one.

jmartinpetersen 12y ago
I'm not sure I understand. Exactly what part of the world does your helmet block you from seeing? I can't see mine at all when it's on properly. Considering that a lot of people use in-ear headphones or casually check their texts while biking in Copenhagen, the added distractions of a helmet still seems like a net win.
- sklogic 12y ago
  Helmet reduces the side vision to something that feels like 20% less then normal. And yes, I cannot also tolerate any hats, hoods and such. As for the potential Darwin prize winners with earplugs - this is something that should be a matter of legislation first, not the stupid useless helmets.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
  - judk 12y ago
    Are you talking about motorcycle helmets?
    - sklogic 12y ago
      No, I'm talking about bicycle helmets, including the lightest ones. I feel deaf and blind in any helmet - or even in a hat.
- learnstats2 12y ago
  I perceive that I am much less likely to turn my head (to check the traffic behind me) when I'm wearing a helmet. It's perceptibly less comfortable to do that. I will turn my head if I absolutely need to, but I don't make it a habit. Without a helmet, on the other hand, turning my head to check the road behind me is absolutely habitual. On this basis and on other points, I believe the helmet causes me far more danger than the helmet protects me from. I am speaking personally: I don't know if this applies to other people and I would personally not dare to use headphones or check texts while cycling. I obviously will never know for sure if I'm right about this, but generally not wearing a helmet is the decision I believe is correct for me.
  - sklogic 12y ago
    Yes, you're probably right - it's less comfortable to turn head often in a helmet. And I also suspect that this effect may be due to a helmet suppressing or distorting sound transmitted via skull bones, making it harder to locate precisely the sources of sound from behind. Hence this "blindfolded" feeling, although I admit that the helmet itself is barely visible.
dmpk2k 12y ago
This is about bicycle helmets, not motorbike.
- sklogic 12y ago
  Yes, and I'm talking about the bicycle helmets. The only crash I had in my 25+ years of cycling was when I had a helmet - for the first time.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]

by sklogic 12y ago

jmartinpetersen 12y ago

I'm not sure I understand. Exactly what part of the world does your helmet block you from seeing? I can't see mine at all when it's on properly. Considering that a lot of people use in-ear headphones or casually check their texts while biking in Copenhagen, the added distractions of a helmet still seems like a net win.

sklogic 12y ago
Helmet reduces the side vision to something that feels like 20% less then normal. And yes, I cannot also tolerate any hats, hoods and such. As for the potential Darwin prize winners with earplugs - this is something that should be a matter of legislation first, not the stupid useless helmets.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- judk 12y ago
  Are you talking about motorcycle helmets?
  - sklogic 12y ago
    No, I'm talking about bicycle helmets, including the lightest ones. I feel deaf and blind in any helmet - or even in a hat.
learnstats2 12y ago
I perceive that I am much less likely to turn my head (to check the traffic behind me) when I'm wearing a helmet. It's perceptibly less comfortable to do that. I will turn my head if I absolutely need to, but I don't make it a habit. Without a helmet, on the other hand, turning my head to check the road behind me is absolutely habitual. On this basis and on other points, I believe the helmet causes me far more danger than the helmet protects me from. I am speaking personally: I don't know if this applies to other people and I would personally not dare to use headphones or check texts while cycling. I obviously will never know for sure if I'm right about this, but generally not wearing a helmet is the decision I believe is correct for me.
- sklogic 12y ago
  Yes, you're probably right - it's less comfortable to turn head often in a helmet. And I also suspect that this effect may be due to a helmet suppressing or distorting sound transmitted via skull bones, making it harder to locate precisely the sources of sound from behind. Hence this "blindfolded" feeling, although I admit that the helmet itself is barely visible.

dmpk2k 12y ago

This is about bicycle helmets, not motorbike.

sklogic 12y ago
Yes, and I'm talking about the bicycle helmets. The only crash I had in my 25+ years of cycling was when I had a helmet - for the first time.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]