10 ms·

Tell HN: Wear a Helmet

272 points by stevesearer 12y ago

I started commuting to work on my bicycle earlier this year and was not wearing a helmet for the first few weeks. A coworker gave me a hard time about it and I finally decided I should get one. My chain broke on my short ride home today for lunch leaving me quickly unbalanced and on the ground in a hurry. My helmeted head definitely hit the ground and would likely have been badly injured had I not been wearing it. I am very thankful that my coworker pressured me to wear what I thought was fairly unnecessary due to my short commute and safe riding habits. If you ride a bicycle, please wear a helmet.

mooreds 12y ago
And replace your helmet every five years: http://www.smf.org/helmetfaq#aWhyReplace http://www.smf.org/helmetfaq#aWhyReplace
- nandhp 12y ago
  OP might also want to consider if they need to replace their helmet after this. > Helmets are one-use items [...] If the helmet has been involved in an impact while in use, replace it.
angersock 12y ago
Also, never forget blinkers at night! Headlights aren't a bad idea either.
- openforce 12y ago
  Yes! And a slightly strong blinker. I have had to let some riders know that their blinkers were too tiny/weak to be noticeable.
rconti 12y ago
There's some interesting research out there suggesting that head/neck injuries are actually more common among helmeted bicyclists than the non-helmeted. The factors include the extra weight of the helmet, the size of the helmet causing the helmeted head to strike the ground when an unhelmeted head would not have, and additional risks taken by helmeted riders (think: risk homeostasis). Unfortunately I can't find the link that was making the rounds a few months ago. In my own personal anecdotes, I have had one major bicycle wreck where I somersaulted into a car, one bicycle wreck where my chain snapped and I flung myself over the bars onto the street, and a couple of low-speed (~10mph) motorcycle offs where I collided with the ground but my head did not touch. Though there was one motorcycle case where the side of my helmet dragged on the ground slightly from about 5mph; it's arguable whether my head would have hit. That said, I have hit my head incredibly hard snowboarding, after catching an edge at very low speed ("last run of the day!" type thing), and always always always wear a helmet every single time I ride a bicycle or motorcycle or snowboard, just as I always wear a seatbelt in the car. It's just a habit, and a good one.
- spott 12y ago
  This kind of research is interesting (for sciences sake), but I think it is important to bring up the fact that no-one is saying wearing a helmet doesn't help in situations where life altering head injuries would otherwise occur. It is probably fair to say that in the severe head injury probability distribution, it removes a bunch of probability from the "severe/dead" part of the curve, and adds a bunch to the "minor/tweak" part of the curve, which I'm ok with.
- adlawson 12y ago
  Chris Boardman, an Olympic cyclist for GB, recently appeared on BBC News to talk about cycling safety while not wearing a helmet during his demonstrations. He gives his reasons in this short video https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=974497519231053&set=vb.127439507270196&type=2&theater https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=974497519231053&set=vb.... I certainly don't disagree with him, or with you, that there are plenty of other safety aspects to consider while cycling, but I'd always wear a helmet anyway.
  - bbrian 12y ago
    That was great, and only 37 seconds long! In Ireland there are lots of bike safety campaigns and messages but the two things that have contributed most to the uptake of cycling have been the Bike to Work scheme (tax free bikes) and the Dublin Bikes (city bike rental) scheme. Arguably, the increase in the number of cyclists has done more for cycling safety than all the efforts of the campaigns.
- ethomson 12y ago
  Bicycling magazine had an excellent article that delved into this: http://www.bicycling.com/sites/default/files/uploads/BI-June-13-Helmet.pdf http://www.bicycling.com/sites/default/files/uploads/BI-June... Their assertion was that this boiled down to: do you want open head trauma or closed head trauma? I'm not so sure that it's quite that simplistic, but seeing the data on how the helmet industry is needlessly hamstrung by outdated standards from 30 year old standards bodies is pretty startling and depressing. This alone should make you reconsider your notions of how safe your helmet really makes you. (Of course, I still wear mine.)
beilabs 12y ago
I was presently surprised moving to Australia to find that it was compulsory to have a helmet while on a bicycle. Many on my cycle run have been attaching go-pro mounts to their skull cover; I wonder how ineffective it renders the helmet if you landed straight on it.
- dripton 12y ago
  It's been alleged that having a Go-Pro camera on his ski helmet contributed to the severity of Michael Schumacher's injury. Of course, this is very hard to prove.
- zedpm 12y ago
  The helmet really isn't the best place for a video camera anyway; I've ridden quite a bit with a GoPro and found that the chest mount gives the best view of the action.
OmarIsmail 12y ago
Glad to hear you're safe! And as a fellow bike commuter I echo the message to wear a helmet. Your head is arguably the most important part of your body. I'd like for it to be socially acceptable to wear a helmet at all times.
grecy 12y ago
I was riding home last winter and a car blew a stop sign and t-boned me. My helmet hit the ground hard, I was perfectly fine. The ambulance guys were pretty sure I would not have been if not for the helmet. Please, wear a helmet.
- harvestmoon 12y ago
  I was biking down a hill about 10 years ago. Hit a bump or curve or something - either way, I flew off the bike about 5 feet forward and hit the ground directly head first almost as if I were diving into a pool of paved road. The helmet took all the impact and my head was perfectly fine (my knees then hit the ground and got scuffed up a bit). Had I not been wearing it... So yes - please wear a helmet.
  - Tcepsa 12y ago
    Upvoted for "diving into a pool of paved road". Glad you are still around to share that mental image!
kohanz 12y ago
It always amazes me how many cyclists I see riding without helmets (and anecdotally they seem to be the ones who typically ride in a less safe/defensive manner as well). My wife works in healthcare and has worked in settings looking after patients with acquired brain injuries and she always tells anyone (even if she barely knows you) to wear a helmet. She's met too many young people turned into living vegetables or something similar to idly stand by and watch people take that risk.
- carlob 12y ago
  I'm not sure riding defensively is always the best thing to do. For example, say you are in a narrow road, and a car behind you has barely enough space to overtake you. A defensive rider would move as far to the right as possible to be overtaken, which is very dangerous, while the correct answer would be to ride straight in the middle of the road so that the car driver is not even tempted.
  - darkstar999 12y ago
    I disagree. The defensive move would be to take the whole lane and not give them room to pass.
  - mertd 12y ago
    Defensive riding does not mean running away from cars. Taking the lane when it is unsafe for others to pass is in fact one of the most important rules of defensive riding.
  - markvdb 12y ago
    Defensive cycling 101: disambiguate. Your intentions as a cyclist should be crystal clear to all other traffic participants. Make it very clear the motorist will not be able to pass you.
    - kazinator 12y ago
      You should signal everything using Lisp S-expressions; no confusing infix where the motorists wonder whether you're being left-associative or right-associative, and what the precedence is.
gumby 12y ago
I was struck by a car while biking with my helmet (which I generally wore but wasn't super diligent about). Broke my arm, which I was quite bummed about. Got back on my bike and rode one-handed to the emergency room. At the hospital they reconstructed my accident and wouldn't you know: I fell on my occiput; elbow shattered as a subsequent side effect. Since I had had the helmet on I hadn't even noticed; without the helmet, well, I wouldn't have noticed either. I went back and looked at the helmet and the foam was damaged at the back of the head (it had absorbed a bunch of K.E.) and the back of th helmet had grit embedded. Needless to say I ALWAYS wear my helmet.
- pbhjpbhj 12y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occipital_bone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occipital_bone - lumpy bit at the back of your skull where the bones are fused and, when looking up, your head meets the fleshy part of your neck. The lump is called the exterior occipital protuberance (in the image on Wikipedia it is anyway).
Luc 12y ago
> If you ride a bicycle, please wear a helmet. Or you know, don't, because you've got perfectly safe bicycle infrastructure and you're never going faster than 20 km/h anyway. What works for you is not a universal law. You know how this bicycle helmet issue always turns into a shouting match on the internet? I think it's to a large extent because people don't have the empathy to see themselves in the situation of a bicyclist on the other side of the world, in a different automotive culture, with different laws and history.
- scott_s 12y ago
  Falling off your bike at 20 km/h and hitting your head is still enough for a decent head injury.
  - Luc 12y ago
    Pfft, you don't need to be going that fast. My wife was pushed off her bike at perhaps 5 km/h and fractured her shoulder. Took nearly a year of healing and revalidation.
    - carlob 12y ago
      That would be an argument for wearing protection when walking as well, you know?
      - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
        Kind of ... no, not really. Walking at 2mph with both feet on the ground, very different from balanced on a frame of pipework rolling at 5mph. Much more likely to 'land on your feet' when walking.
        carlob 12y ago
        Parent poster wrote 5 km/h which is really the speed of most walkers not 5 mph. I'm sure that if you get hit by a car that's going fast enough it won't really matter if you have a bike, a skateboard, or just the soles of your shoes…
maerF0x0 12y ago
Ive been hit three times, the third time the helmet mattered. If I had of done false presumptions of "I've been hit before and it doesnt matter" I might be dead or worse off now. if you have a 0 dollar brain, wear 0 dollar head protection.
garyfirestorm 12y ago
if cycling is the primary transport,you might want to consider this. https://www.youtube.com/embed/0aX-WXBMI8I?start=29&end=33 https://www.youtube.com/embed/0aX-WXBMI8I?start=29&end=33 http://www.hovding.com/ http://www.hovding.com/
frandroid 12y ago
There is one study that shows that car drivers give less space to cyclists who look more "professional"/well-equipped than those who look like casual riders. Of course people who cite this research say that the solution is to not wear a helmet, as opposed to take measures to make drivers give you more space when you wear a helmet. In my case, I have an old large Coca-cola plastic crate on my rear rack, plastered with reflector stickers, and that seems to give me plenty of space. A female friend holds her U-lock in her left hand and that seems to do the trick as well.
biggerfisch 12y ago
A helmet has saved my father's life several times while commuting to/from work. We have at least one of the helmets saved, complete with a crack down through the entire side. It was a hard enough hit for him to be unconscious for a few minutes. The EMTs said that without the helmet, it would have been dicey odds of survival.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
ddispaltro 12y ago
A bit OT: bicycle corridors are one thing in SF that is mostly good with a bit of second order bad. Good – if you know the routes you generally try to ride with other cyclists, safety in numbers. Plus the wide green lanes help make it abundantly clear to cars that this is a bike lane. Bad – the other streets turn into crazy biking gambles. Every once and while I see someone riding on Guerrero and want to yell at them to go one street over (Valencia) and reduce your collision chances. It emboldens bicyclists to not follow the law quite as well, or maybe since the sample size is high, I don't know.
deutronium 12y ago
Additionally if you ride a bike, grow your hair long. Dr Ian Walker did some experiments with a bike fitted with an ultrasound distance meter and found cars kept a greater distance to people with long hair. http://drianwalker.com/overtaking/overtakingprobrief.pdf http://drianwalker.com/overtaking/overtakingprobrief.pdf Alternatively, fit your bike with a flame thrower - https://www.eta.co.uk/2010/09/29/bond-bicycle-boasts-ejector-seat-and-flame-thrower/ https://www.eta.co.uk/2010/09/29/bond-bicycle-boasts-ejector...
chrismealy 12y ago
In the Netherlands, where 30% of trips are by bike (compared to 1% in the US), almost nobody where a helmet, and it's extremely safe. It's almost impossible to go over the handlebars on a Dutch bike. You're sitting upright, you're going slow, the roads are safe, and there are no hills to go zooming down. Dutch cycling is basically at jogging speeds. Nobody expects joggers to wear helmets. However, when Dutch cyclists do go fast, they wear helmets. In Dutch there are even separate words for everyday cyclist (fietser) and speed cyclists (wielrenner): http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/lycra-on-the-streets-of-the-netherlands/ http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/lycra-on-the-st... I live in Seattle, where we have killer hills and shitty bike infrastructure. I always wear a helmet, and I've had three minor crashes that would have been major crashes without a helmet. When I finally move to the Netherlands, I'm not bringing my helmet with me.
- Zigurd 12y ago
  How to spot an American in China: Wearing a helmet, and going twice the speed of the locals.
  - kazinator 12y ago
    I've actually been to China and I can tell you that there is a lot of bicycle traffic on the wide, dedicated bike/moped/motorcycle pathways. The locals are fast. Also, the drivers drive as if those cyclists were invisible. For instance, they make abrupt right turns across the bike lane without caring whether or not they are flanked by bikes or not (including electric and gas powered two-wheelers). At any time, you have to be prepared for a car to swerve in front of you to make a right turn, not always signaling beforehand. If anything, an American who is a n00b on the scene will probably stand out by going slower than the locals, out of sheer fear. You'd be crazy to cycle around in a place like Shanghai without a helmet. (Also, the helmets you buy in America are made in China so why wouldn't you get one if you're in China, haha.)
- cleaver 12y ago
  You don't have to go over the bars or go fast to get hurt. Back during my cycling days a teammate was out training on a quiet country road. He crossed wheels when a kid he was passing swerved. He hit his head, went into a coma and died two weeks later. While this was a competitive cyclist, he was riding solo and training for endurance—not terribly fast, nor anywhere near race pace. You could also be struck by a motorist. Granted, Dutch drivers are more aware of cyclists, but people still make mistakes.
skierscott 12y ago
Please, wear a helmet. The costs of not wearing a helmet can be severe and far outweigh the minor inconvenience of wearing a helmet. I'm a severe traumatic brain injury survivor. I was wearing a helmet (skiing crash) but lived with the effects for two years. It was incredibly frustrating -- I was surrounded by loving friends and family that cared enough to give me some painful feedback. I'm still skiing and researched helmets in depth before returning. There's some interesting technology called MIPS[1]. The protect against moving impacts, a large improvement. Current helmets are just dropped straight down and these helmets are tested while spinning/moving/etc. That's how crashes happen -- while you're moving, whether it be on skis or on a bike. It's a little more expensive, but it's your brain. Please protect that. [1]:http://www.mipshelmet.com http://www.mipshelmet.com
- hereonbusiness 12y ago
  Helmets that use MIPS may not be much better in a crash than normal helmets. http://www.bhsi.org/mips.htm http://www.bhsi.org/mips.htm
mindcrime 12y ago
I crashed while mountain biking a couple of years ago, and hit the ground headfirst with all of that energy driving through my head and then my right shoulder/arm. The impact was severe enough to split my helmet and knock me unconscious for a couple of minutes. I expect that without that helmet I likely would have been killed or very seriously injured. So yeah, don't play around... just wear the damn helmet. That's my advice anyway.
kazinator 12y ago
Please throw away your helmet and get a new one; they are only rated to be in one accident. Also, get a better bicycle for commuting; chains should not break after a few weeks. This shows that the bicycle had been heavily used, or is an ancient rust bucket, and may be a "bicycle shaped object" to begin with. I carry a Park chain linkpin press tool for opening and closing chain links. Though occasions for using that on the road are rare if the chain is well-maintained and replaced regularly, not long ago I had a fairly new chain derail off the front ring, and by some unfortunate combination of events get itself into a tight kink which jammed and caused a link to bend severely. Having the tool, I was able to splice out and discard the bent link, and be on my merry way. I also carry a short piece of chain that was left over from the original chain installation, because there is only so many links you can throw away before the chain gets too short. When you get a new chain, the rear gear cluster should be changed at the same time, since they wear together. A new chain can slip on old sprockets even if the old chain didn't. The front rings have to be changed maybe once every three chain changes.
- ChrisNorstrom 12y ago
  My $80 walmart bike lasted 3 months. My $200 bike from a bike shop lasted years (and is still going without rust) and was totally worth the purchase. I always advise people to avoid cheap K-mart, Walmart, and Target bikes in favor of ones from their local bike shop. Especially if they're presents for their kids and you want them to last throughout their teens. The gift of a functional bike keeps on giving when it turns into a memorable nostalgic functional bike that you've had for 12 years. It's worth it.
  - Luc 12y ago
    $80, $200? Did you make a typo in these? You're lucky to get a good bike for $200. A bike I can keep for 12 years would easily cost me 500 euro (~US$625 currently), for the most basic model, probably without gears at that price.
    - darkstar999 12y ago
      You can definitely find department store bikes for less than $100. You get what you pay for. $200 for a decent bike might be a stretch, but $300 definitely gets you in that range.
masklinn 12y ago
> My helmeted head definitely hit the ground and would likely have been badly injured had I not been wearing it. Now buy a new helmet and go get your head checked (literally, a helmet will protect against a skull fracture but not a concussion or other brain injuries)
jessevdk 12y ago
I'm Dutch, and used to biking everywhere since I've been little. It is true that people in the Netherlands don't usually wear helmets, and the infrastructure and general driving attitude (you do have to pay much more attention to bicyclists when learning to drive) promote this. However, since I've moved to Switzerland I've become accustomed to wearing a helmet. One year ago I was in a pretty serious accident where I broke two vertebrae (one compression fracture and one clean break) and... my helmet. I don't care what studies say, I'm pretty sure that in my case the helmet saved my life. On a side note, the situation in which the accident happened could have happened likewise in the Netherlands, it was on the flat and I was on a driver lane, except maybe that it was driver negligance that could have been avoided if drivers where more accustomed to bicyclists.
- jessevdk 12y ago
  I meant to say bicycle lane, not driver lane.
fsckin 12y ago
I experienced a highside [1] dirt bike crash a few years ago. I hit the ground with incredible force, which fractured my arm. The following day, one side of my body was covered in contusions, and I had a severe phone-shaped hematoma on my thigh. I have every reason to believe that wearing a helmet prevented a serious brain injury. Also, Otterbox makes a pretty good product. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highsider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highsider
stronglikedan 12y ago
Agreed. My front tire slipped to the left on wet slanted concrete. My helmet hit the ground so hard that my glasses flew off my face and were flattened upon impact. I just ended up with a little scuff and a headache. (and a broken shoulder and knuckle) There was nothing I could do to prevent the impact, as I've trained myself to pull my money makers under me in a fall and let my body take the hit (the broken finger got wrapped up in the brake lever on the way down). There was something preventative that I could do in case of an impact, and boy am I glad I did: wear a helmet.
- mod 12y ago
  Your brain is your moneymaker--put out your hands!
  - stronglikedan 12y ago
    That's what the helmet is for! ;-) I used to reach out my hands when falling, but now I tuck them in and lead with my shoulder. that was my first major fall, but it's something that I would repeat to myself in my head while riding. In the aforementioned case, I was falling sideways and forwards. I suppose if I were leading with my head I would try to break the fall with my hands. I don't know; it all comes down to muscle memory, subliminal reaction, and how bad I'm freaking out at the time.
    - seestheday 12y ago
      Relying solely on a helmet seems like a really bad idea. I recommend learning how to fall using your hands/forearms and not damage them at the same time. Martial arts training (judo would be a good one) can help a lot here. There are also a lot of context specific tricks you can pick up. Like if you fall skiing or snowboarding make a fist when you put your hand down instead of falling with an open hand. A fist vs. open hand won't make much of a different on snow, and the fist will stop fingers/thumbs from catching and breaking. In addition the wrist is less likely to break.
      - 12y ago
TimSchumann 12y ago
Glad to hear you're safe Stephen, thanks for the reminder.
amjaeger 12y ago
Just to echo the OP: Was biking with my brother and a friend in San Fran. The friend crashed when his tire got stuck in the trolley track. Then my brother crashed same way while looking back to see what happened. Always wear a helmet; Especially in San Fran
JoshTriplett 12y ago
In my case, when I was much younger, I skidded on some gravel and went head-first over the handlebars. I had a finger-thick dent in my helmet. I'm glad that dent was not in my skull.
stevebmark 12y ago
Glad you have a friend like that. Please continue the social pressure and actively encourage your less self-preseverational friends with the same message. I yelled at my non-helmet wearing friend (otherwise very bright) and eventually he started wearing it. Social pressure can bring good change.
MrQuincle 12y ago
You can do it, but you shouldn't advocate it. Arguments against widespread use: - making people wear helmets will make less people bike, less people biking on the road leads to more accidents with bikes, and more deaths [1] - a helmet may make people in general more reckless [1] - cars will pass closer to people when they are wearing a helmet than when they are unprotected [1] - if people need helmets, cycling is apparent a dangerous activity, attracting risk-seekers, skewing the statistics [1] - compulsory helmet use in Australia seems to support some of these (perhaps) counter-intuitive arguments [1] - helmet itself is dubious [2] Morale: sure, wear a helmet, but don't evangelize its use. It's a tragedy of the commons if you will succeed. [1] http://hanlonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/07/should-my-son-wear-a-cycle-helmet.html http://hanlonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/07/should-my-son-wear... [2] http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/08/idea-of-the-day-ditch-the-bike-helmet--12152.html http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/08/idea-of-the-day...
- analog31 12y ago
  Has the experiment in [1], where cars pass closer, ever been replicated? Admittedly, I'm skeptical. Is it correlated to the rider being more reckless, and riding closer to traffic?
  - zik 12y ago
    There have been no attempts at replicating the experiment yet, however the study is generally regarded as valid by the scientific community [1]. One study examined the same source data a different way and came up with different conclusions [2]. [1] http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/3812/do-cars-pass-with-less-space-for-bicyclists-who-wear-helmets http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/3812/do-cars-pas... [2] http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0075424 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...
    - analog31 12y ago
      The first link shows no data, just some general sense of validity based on some other claimed psychological effect. I don't mean to sound snarky, but lots of things can be made to seem plausible if certain effects are taken for granted. The second link seems to invalidate the study, as you say. Granted, how close cars pass cyclists is only one factor affecting safety. I suspect that the most dangerous or critical situations are the ones where the driver is either minimally aware, or unaware, of the presence of the cyclist. I doubt there's a special brain circuit that influences the driver's behavior based on the cyclist's helmet without alerting the driver to the existence of the cyclist.
mod 12y ago
If you're moving quickly and could impact the ground, is maybe a better phrasing. Check out this skateboard wreck I saw posted on reddit a little while back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9yL5usLFgY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9yL5usLFgY A person in the thread (so value accordingly) said they worked in an ER and their estimation of the result of the impact, were there no helmet involved, was "likely death." Also, as kazinator said, helmets are only good for one crash (or even drop from very high off the ground). Get a new one!
fendrak 12y ago
The thing that made me start wearing a helmet was the realization that, even if I'm the safest possible bicyclist there's ever been, there's no way to stop the environment from acting against you! I managed to go over my handlebars while riding down a quiet side street (with no hands, like a badass :/ ), when a gust of wind blew me sideways and caused me to overcorrect and crash. The Lord protected me on that one and gave me a chance to be a bit more proactive :)
elif 12y ago
Some practical advice: Even if you don't ride a fixie, you should get comfortable doing skid stops. Just because the rear wheel locks up doesn't mean you have to lose balance.
maxmcd 12y ago
For all the usual discussion on HN about sample size, confirmation bias, FUD, survivorship bias, etc... I'm surprised to see so many personal experiences gaining upvotes. There are certainly quite a few linked studies and supported arguments, but they are the minority. Isn't anyone's personal account of risk and danger pretty much irrelevant?
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  Not irrelevant against claims of zero risk or other absolutes. We can conclude helmets save Some lives; the ones volunteering their stories here. As a statistical measure, no they are not much use I'm afraid. But hospital admissions etc can show the value of helmets.
cyclewisdomage 12y ago
1 Bicycle cyclist riders save your brain! 2 * allegedly stupidity and dumbing down of the USA 3 increases and the 'i wear a helment' is an example. 4 * At age 58.34 years, I still ride a bicycle. I have 5 survied various adventures, including learning to 6 ride as a child in New York City, NYC, USA. 7 *the WISDOM OF AGES to SAVE YOUR BRAIN 8 1.) fastest way to lose your career, and live in 9 the 'nursing home prison' for a life sentence is 10 'bicycle cycling cyclist.' 11 2.) Do I have the best equipment like helmet? 12 3.) Do I assume that the 'impaired driver' or 13 old driver with OLD EYES does not see me? 14 Do I assume that I am running Microsoft Windows 15 XP and I have alreaady been 'cracked'?? 16 4.) Do I practice FALLING OFF MY BICYCLE in a 17 controlled procedure? Do I know how to tumble 18 and roll? 19 5.) Like driving a car, where is the escape route? 20 Like soft grass and NOT lighting poles? 21 6.) Do I practice tumbling on 'hard ground'/ 22 DO THIS PRACTICE to strengthen your neck muscles! 23 Push on your head with your hands, while rolling 24 and rotating your head. 23 Push on your head with your hands, while rolling 24 and rotating your head. 25 7.) Why does this work? The reason GRANDMA dies 26 SLOWLY is hip fracture from falling down. 27 That's the reason why TAI CHI WITH WEIGHTS works. 28 It 'strengthens the BALANCE FUNCTIONS.' 29 8.) WEAR ALL PROTECTIVE GEAR. Ater a few falls, 30 and YES I AM STILL ABLE TO WALK AND HAVE ALL 31 MY FINGERS, wear the 'dollar store cotton gloves' 32 and the knee covers and yes SAFETY GLASSES. 33 9.) Most sunglasses shatter. Blind for the rest 34 of your life and then you go to the 'nursing home.' 35 Even MURDER in the USA has an average sentence of 36 less than seven years. 37 10.) 1.) fastest way to lose your career case: 38 THE CENTRAL PARK JOGGER with TBI traumatic brain 39 injury. When you LOSE YOUR short term memory, 40 your career, especially if you are a programmer 41 or white collar work IS FINISHED due to TBI. 42 11.) A truck tractor trailor jack-knifes and 43 skids. The car crash and 'multi-car pilup' 44 cuts off your legs. What a pity! 45 Seeing in the old age homes in Florida, FL, 46 USA, this is not a problem. 47 12.) Think of it this way. Would you rather have 48 dementia - Alzheimers or 'wheelchair no legs 49 disease.' For me the choice is 'wheelchair.' 50 http://theinvisiblegorilla.com/blog/2010/06/22/ http://theinvisiblegorilla.com/blog/2010/06/22/ 51 unexpected-bicycles-and-inattentional-blindness/ 52 "unexpected-bicycles-and-inattentional-blindness" 53 14.) YOU ARE INVISIBLE for this is the USA - 54 United States of Attention Deficit and 55 USA - United States of Amnesia. 56 Europe and even Asia - cyclists are treated 57 with respect. In the USA, expect loose dogs, 58 even wasp nests operating out of abandoned 59 houses, sand and slipperty stuff on the roads 60 and drivers who don't care and can't see well. 61 15.) the most dangerous times are are dawn 62 and dusk. Simply test your OLD FRIENDS with 63 OLD EYES who have a driver's license. 64 16.) How do we know this is true? The 65 rate of motorcycle accidents in Florida 66 and Arizona is very high. The old driver 67 or teenager texting says in the court: 68 " HE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE; NEVER SAW HIM." PPPS. There is little penalty in the USA for 'manlaughter.' or Traumatic Brain Injury. Let's take an alleged legal case in FL or AZ, USA, shall we?? the worst penalty for BAD DRIVERS that might happen is two (2) years in jail. Florida, FL, USA protects the house. Civil courts cannot usually get the 'pension/annuity.' The worse that can happen to the GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVER is he gets fired and usually the company will try to protect him. LIKE THE BIG BANKSTERS, company fines are a 'small inconvience.' PPS. Some of the garbage truck drivers may be hearing impaired, SO THEY DO NOT HEAR YOUR WARNING BICYCLE HORN. Have you ever seen 'rear view mirros' on GARBAGE TRUCKS and other commercial vehicles THAT HAVE NO BLKND SPOTS?? plenty BLIND SPOTS.
bbulkow 12y ago
Honestly, I think you're .... oh, I don't want to be harsh .... being a bit wishful by saying that you would have been badly injured had you not been wearing your helmet. At least, there's no evidence in your post that shows it. Probably, you have no idea. Without a helmet, your effective head is "smaller", I know that in an accident of mine - where everyone said "thank god for your helmet" am I certain that the part of the helmet hanging out the back hit the ground, and without the helmet, my head probably wouldn't have touched. As a long-term bicycist and a long-term motorcyclist (serious crashes in each), I am increasingly skeptical about the technology in current bicycle helmets, especially compared to the technology in my current motorcycle helmets. Bicycle helmets are simply not tested to the same standards. They use very hard shells. They extend the "impact radius" --- basically, your head becomes bigger --- with only some decrease in crash absorbancy. Reading the literature, it seems that the current bicycle designs are based on voodoo more than good science. The designs look like what bicycle racers used 30 years ago (little leather padded strips). Compare this to the motorcycle helmet industry. There are plenty of crashes to analyze, mostly of motorcycle racers. There are numerous standards (like SNELL) which measure levels of transient G force within the brain on a simulated head. We deserve better bicycle helmets, and people are willing to pay for good science and proof of protection. I pay a LOT of money for my motorcycle helmet, and glad to do so. I would pay 4x the price of a current bicycle helmet to buy one with solid, verified science and an international standard behind it. In my suspicion, the lack of good bicycle helmet science is why the upper level numbers are bad: helmets don't decrease injuries or deaths, except that they cause people not to ride. Really, we deserve better helmets.
- revelation 12y ago
  I think we deserve cars not crashing into us. It's only in the US that people suggest (implicitly or explicitly) somebody is at fault for his death because he didn't wear a <400g soft shell around his head after a 4 ton truck ran into them from behind (which is the majority in cases where people died).
  - mwarkentin 12y ago
    Canada too. :(
kaybe 12y ago
I can also recommend martial arts fall training, which saved my head in a similar situation. I got my handlebars hooked on a rail going downhill and flew over the handlebars; my training allowed me to take the whole impact with my hip and butt. Light graze on the forehead, I'm lucky my reflexes told me to tuck in the head. (However, I couldn't walk that day. Cycling was fine.) I'm wearing a helmet now, but I'm not sure the situation would have ended as well if I had been wearing it then, because of the bigger head radius. edit: spelling
- elwell 12y ago
  For me, years of skateboarding have trained my subconscious how to fall/roll. I got 'doored' once on my bicycle, and I think that training paid off. I was really lucky my face didn't smash into the door though.
  - jarek 12y ago
    It's really frustrating to see cyclists who can't fall. I guess it comes down to lots of practice falls during childhood and infrastructure that supports safe cycling for children but...
MalcolmDiggs 12y ago
When I was 18 I crashed riding home from the gym at night. I was jumping off of a curb and my shitty front-wheel collapsed under the weight, bringing the bike to a sudden halt and sending me over the handlebars. Wasn't wearing a helmet. Landed face first and slid into San Pablo avenue. Concussion and Ripped most of the skin on the right side of my face off. I was pretty grotesque for awhile. Half my face was just an open wound. If I had been wearing a helmet the cushion around my head would have lifted most of my face off the ground. Probably would have ended up with nothing but a chin scrape.
emocakes 12y ago
my bike cost $4k (MTB). Looking to get a full face helmet as well, I like my pretty face the way it is.
haldean 12y ago
Weird coincidence; last night I was car-doored on my bike ride home from work. I had my lights on and flashing, I was paying attention, and a guy opened his car door about 20 feet in front of me, way too close for me to respond. Even if you're careful, the people around you aren't always going to be. My helmet saved me a pretty serious head injury last night.
lexap 12y ago
Good news, and yes please wear helmets. A similar incident happened to a friend of mine. Literally the day before his boss insisted he wear a helmet "to protect his investment." Invasive managers aside, if it were possible for companies to incentive employees to wear helmets, I would support it.
tunnuz 12y ago
I second that. I started commuting myself four months ago when I got my current job in a new city. After just two weeks I fell down from an elevated cycling path, and hit my head (w/ helmet) on the tarmac. I had to replace my helmet, but I walked away with just a small scratch on a hand. Also, check regularly the tightness of your wheel spokes, and replace a wobbly wheel if you can.
joshmn 12y ago
Some comments here suggest buying new. I didn't, and I'm perfectly fine with it. Used bike shops are your friends, people. Find a reputable one and you'll always go back. In Minneapolis? Yeah, it's not in season right now, but bookmark http://oneononebike.com http://oneononebike.com - not affiliated, but I've recommended plenty of people over to Gene and they've always thanked me.
btbuildem 12y ago
Be on the lookout for symptoms of concussion - they can take weeks to manifest. Take care especially if you're working long hours, it can make it worse.
jsilence 12y ago
Please "Stop forcing people to wear bike helmets" http://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to-wear-bike-helmets http://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to-... "While they do protect your head during accidents, there's some evidence that helmets make it more likely you'll get in an accident in the first place."
sidcool 12y ago
Absolutely. Can't stress this enough. This image is worth a thousand words: http://i.imgur.com/cpgbU6o.jpg http://i.imgur.com/cpgbU6o.jpg
ariejan 12y ago
As a Dutchman: lol, helmets.

272 points by stevesearer 12y ago

mooreds 12y ago

And replace your helmet every five years: http://www.smf.org/helmetfaq#aWhyReplace http://www.smf.org/helmetfaq#aWhyReplace

nandhp 12y ago
OP might also want to consider if they need to replace their helmet after this. > Helmets are one-use items [...] If the helmet has been involved in an impact while in use, replace it.

angersock 12y ago

Also, never forget blinkers at night! Headlights aren't a bad idea either.

openforce 12y ago
Yes! And a slightly strong blinker. I have had to let some riders know that their blinkers were too tiny/weak to be noticeable.

rconti 12y ago

There's some interesting research out there suggesting that head/neck injuries are actually more common among helmeted bicyclists than the non-helmeted. The factors include the extra weight of the helmet, the size of the helmet causing the helmeted head to strike the ground when an unhelmeted head would not have, and additional risks taken by helmeted riders (think: risk homeostasis). Unfortunately I can't find the link that was making the rounds a few months ago. In my own personal anecdotes, I have had one major bicycle wreck where I somersaulted into a car, one bicycle wreck where my chain snapped and I flung myself over the bars onto the street, and a couple of low-speed (~10mph) motorcycle offs where I collided with the ground but my head did not touch. Though there was one motorcycle case where the side of my helmet dragged on the ground slightly from about 5mph; it's arguable whether my head would have hit. That said, I have hit my head incredibly hard snowboarding, after catching an edge at very low speed ("last run of the day!" type thing), and always always always wear a helmet every single time I ride a bicycle or motorcycle or snowboard, just as I always wear a seatbelt in the car. It's just a habit, and a good one.

spott 12y ago
This kind of research is interesting (for sciences sake), but I think it is important to bring up the fact that no-one is saying wearing a helmet doesn't help in situations where life altering head injuries would otherwise occur. It is probably fair to say that in the severe head injury probability distribution, it removes a bunch of probability from the "severe/dead" part of the curve, and adds a bunch to the "minor/tweak" part of the curve, which I'm ok with.
adlawson 12y ago
Chris Boardman, an Olympic cyclist for GB, recently appeared on BBC News to talk about cycling safety while not wearing a helmet during his demonstrations. He gives his reasons in this short video https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=974497519231053&set=vb.127439507270196&type=2&theater https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=974497519231053&set=vb.... I certainly don't disagree with him, or with you, that there are plenty of other safety aspects to consider while cycling, but I'd always wear a helmet anyway.
- bbrian 12y ago
  That was great, and only 37 seconds long! In Ireland there are lots of bike safety campaigns and messages but the two things that have contributed most to the uptake of cycling have been the Bike to Work scheme (tax free bikes) and the Dublin Bikes (city bike rental) scheme. Arguably, the increase in the number of cyclists has done more for cycling safety than all the efforts of the campaigns.
ethomson 12y ago
Bicycling magazine had an excellent article that delved into this: http://www.bicycling.com/sites/default/files/uploads/BI-June-13-Helmet.pdf http://www.bicycling.com/sites/default/files/uploads/BI-June... Their assertion was that this boiled down to: do you want open head trauma or closed head trauma? I'm not so sure that it's quite that simplistic, but seeing the data on how the helmet industry is needlessly hamstrung by outdated standards from 30 year old standards bodies is pretty startling and depressing. This alone should make you reconsider your notions of how safe your helmet really makes you. (Of course, I still wear mine.)

beilabs 12y ago

I was presently surprised moving to Australia to find that it was compulsory to have a helmet while on a bicycle. Many on my cycle run have been attaching go-pro mounts to their skull cover; I wonder how ineffective it renders the helmet if you landed straight on it.

dripton 12y ago
It's been alleged that having a Go-Pro camera on his ski helmet contributed to the severity of Michael Schumacher's injury. Of course, this is very hard to prove.
zedpm 12y ago
The helmet really isn't the best place for a video camera anyway; I've ridden quite a bit with a GoPro and found that the chest mount gives the best view of the action.

OmarIsmail 12y ago

Glad to hear you're safe! And as a fellow bike commuter I echo the message to wear a helmet. Your head is arguably the most important part of your body. I'd like for it to be socially acceptable to wear a helmet at all times.

grecy 12y ago

I was riding home last winter and a car blew a stop sign and t-boned me. My helmet hit the ground hard, I was perfectly fine. The ambulance guys were pretty sure I would not have been if not for the helmet. Please, wear a helmet.

harvestmoon 12y ago
I was biking down a hill about 10 years ago. Hit a bump or curve or something - either way, I flew off the bike about 5 feet forward and hit the ground directly head first almost as if I were diving into a pool of paved road. The helmet took all the impact and my head was perfectly fine (my knees then hit the ground and got scuffed up a bit). Had I not been wearing it... So yes - please wear a helmet.
- Tcepsa 12y ago
  Upvoted for "diving into a pool of paved road". Glad you are still around to share that mental image!

kohanz 12y ago

It always amazes me how many cyclists I see riding without helmets (and anecdotally they seem to be the ones who typically ride in a less safe/defensive manner as well). My wife works in healthcare and has worked in settings looking after patients with acquired brain injuries and she always tells anyone (even if she barely knows you) to wear a helmet. She's met too many young people turned into living vegetables or something similar to idly stand by and watch people take that risk.

carlob 12y ago
I'm not sure riding defensively is always the best thing to do. For example, say you are in a narrow road, and a car behind you has barely enough space to overtake you. A defensive rider would move as far to the right as possible to be overtaken, which is very dangerous, while the correct answer would be to ride straight in the middle of the road so that the car driver is not even tempted.
- darkstar999 12y ago
  I disagree. The defensive move would be to take the whole lane and not give them room to pass.
- mertd 12y ago
  Defensive riding does not mean running away from cars. Taking the lane when it is unsafe for others to pass is in fact one of the most important rules of defensive riding.
- markvdb 12y ago
  Defensive cycling 101: disambiguate. Your intentions as a cyclist should be crystal clear to all other traffic participants. Make it very clear the motorist will not be able to pass you.
  - kazinator 12y ago
    You should signal everything using Lisp S-expressions; no confusing infix where the motorists wonder whether you're being left-associative or right-associative, and what the precedence is.

gumby 12y ago

I was struck by a car while biking with my helmet (which I generally wore but wasn't super diligent about). Broke my arm, which I was quite bummed about. Got back on my bike and rode one-handed to the emergency room. At the hospital they reconstructed my accident and wouldn't you know: I fell on my occiput; elbow shattered as a subsequent side effect. Since I had had the helmet on I hadn't even noticed; without the helmet, well, I wouldn't have noticed either. I went back and looked at the helmet and the foam was damaged at the back of the head (it had absorbed a bunch of K.E.) and the back of th helmet had grit embedded. Needless to say I ALWAYS wear my helmet.

pbhjpbhj 12y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occipital_bone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occipital_bone - lumpy bit at the back of your skull where the bones are fused and, when looking up, your head meets the fleshy part of your neck. The lump is called the exterior occipital protuberance (in the image on Wikipedia it is anyway).

Luc 12y ago

> If you ride a bicycle, please wear a helmet. Or you know, don't, because you've got perfectly safe bicycle infrastructure and you're never going faster than 20 km/h anyway. What works for you is not a universal law. You know how this bicycle helmet issue always turns into a shouting match on the internet? I think it's to a large extent because people don't have the empathy to see themselves in the situation of a bicyclist on the other side of the world, in a different automotive culture, with different laws and history.

scott_s 12y ago
Falling off your bike at 20 km/h and hitting your head is still enough for a decent head injury.
- Luc 12y ago
  Pfft, you don't need to be going that fast. My wife was pushed off her bike at perhaps 5 km/h and fractured her shoulder. Took nearly a year of healing and revalidation.
  - carlob 12y ago
    That would be an argument for wearing protection when walking as well, you know?
    - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
      Kind of ... no, not really. Walking at 2mph with both feet on the ground, very different from balanced on a frame of pipework rolling at 5mph. Much more likely to 'land on your feet' when walking.
      - carlob 12y ago
        Parent poster wrote 5 km/h which is really the speed of most walkers not 5 mph. I'm sure that if you get hit by a car that's going fast enough it won't really matter if you have a bike, a skateboard, or just the soles of your shoes…

maerF0x0 12y ago

Ive been hit three times, the third time the helmet mattered. If I had of done false presumptions of "I've been hit before and it doesnt matter" I might be dead or worse off now. if you have a 0 dollar brain, wear 0 dollar head protection.

garyfirestorm 12y ago

if cycling is the primary transport,you might want to consider this. https://www.youtube.com/embed/0aX-WXBMI8I?start=29&end=33 https://www.youtube.com/embed/0aX-WXBMI8I?start=29&end=33 http://www.hovding.com/ http://www.hovding.com/

frandroid 12y ago

There is one study that shows that car drivers give less space to cyclists who look more "professional"/well-equipped than those who look like casual riders. Of course people who cite this research say that the solution is to not wear a helmet, as opposed to take measures to make drivers give you more space when you wear a helmet. In my case, I have an old large Coca-cola plastic crate on my rear rack, plastered with reflector stickers, and that seems to give me plenty of space. A female friend holds her U-lock in her left hand and that seems to do the trick as well.

biggerfisch 12y ago

A helmet has saved my father's life several times while commuting to/from work. We have at least one of the helmets saved, complete with a crack down through the entire side. It was a hard enough hit for him to be unconscious for a few minutes. The EMTs said that without the helmet, it would have been dicey odds of survival.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

ddispaltro 12y ago

A bit OT: bicycle corridors are one thing in SF that is mostly good with a bit of second order bad. Good – if you know the routes you generally try to ride with other cyclists, safety in numbers. Plus the wide green lanes help make it abundantly clear to cars that this is a bike lane. Bad – the other streets turn into crazy biking gambles. Every once and while I see someone riding on Guerrero and want to yell at them to go one street over (Valencia) and reduce your collision chances. It emboldens bicyclists to not follow the law quite as well, or maybe since the sample size is high, I don't know.

deutronium 12y ago

Additionally if you ride a bike, grow your hair long. Dr Ian Walker did some experiments with a bike fitted with an ultrasound distance meter and found cars kept a greater distance to people with long hair. http://drianwalker.com/overtaking/overtakingprobrief.pdf http://drianwalker.com/overtaking/overtakingprobrief.pdf Alternatively, fit your bike with a flame thrower - https://www.eta.co.uk/2010/09/29/bond-bicycle-boasts-ejector-seat-and-flame-thrower/ https://www.eta.co.uk/2010/09/29/bond-bicycle-boasts-ejector...

chrismealy 12y ago

In the Netherlands, where 30% of trips are by bike (compared to 1% in the US), almost nobody where a helmet, and it's extremely safe. It's almost impossible to go over the handlebars on a Dutch bike. You're sitting upright, you're going slow, the roads are safe, and there are no hills to go zooming down. Dutch cycling is basically at jogging speeds. Nobody expects joggers to wear helmets. However, when Dutch cyclists do go fast, they wear helmets. In Dutch there are even separate words for everyday cyclist (fietser) and speed cyclists (wielrenner): http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/lycra-on-the-streets-of-the-netherlands/ http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/lycra-on-the-st... I live in Seattle, where we have killer hills and shitty bike infrastructure. I always wear a helmet, and I've had three minor crashes that would have been major crashes without a helmet. When I finally move to the Netherlands, I'm not bringing my helmet with me.

Zigurd 12y ago
How to spot an American in China: Wearing a helmet, and going twice the speed of the locals.
- kazinator 12y ago
  I've actually been to China and I can tell you that there is a lot of bicycle traffic on the wide, dedicated bike/moped/motorcycle pathways. The locals are fast. Also, the drivers drive as if those cyclists were invisible. For instance, they make abrupt right turns across the bike lane without caring whether or not they are flanked by bikes or not (including electric and gas powered two-wheelers). At any time, you have to be prepared for a car to swerve in front of you to make a right turn, not always signaling beforehand. If anything, an American who is a n00b on the scene will probably stand out by going slower than the locals, out of sheer fear. You'd be crazy to cycle around in a place like Shanghai without a helmet. (Also, the helmets you buy in America are made in China so why wouldn't you get one if you're in China, haha.)
cleaver 12y ago
You don't have to go over the bars or go fast to get hurt. Back during my cycling days a teammate was out training on a quiet country road. He crossed wheels when a kid he was passing swerved. He hit his head, went into a coma and died two weeks later. While this was a competitive cyclist, he was riding solo and training for endurance—not terribly fast, nor anywhere near race pace. You could also be struck by a motorist. Granted, Dutch drivers are more aware of cyclists, but people still make mistakes.

skierscott 12y ago

Please, wear a helmet. The costs of not wearing a helmet can be severe and far outweigh the minor inconvenience of wearing a helmet. I'm a severe traumatic brain injury survivor. I was wearing a helmet (skiing crash) but lived with the effects for two years. It was incredibly frustrating -- I was surrounded by loving friends and family that cared enough to give me some painful feedback. I'm still skiing and researched helmets in depth before returning. There's some interesting technology called MIPS[1]. The protect against moving impacts, a large improvement. Current helmets are just dropped straight down and these helmets are tested while spinning/moving/etc. That's how crashes happen -- while you're moving, whether it be on skis or on a bike. It's a little more expensive, but it's your brain. Please protect that. [1]:http://www.mipshelmet.com http://www.mipshelmet.com

hereonbusiness 12y ago
Helmets that use MIPS may not be much better in a crash than normal helmets. http://www.bhsi.org/mips.htm http://www.bhsi.org/mips.htm

mindcrime 12y ago

I crashed while mountain biking a couple of years ago, and hit the ground headfirst with all of that energy driving through my head and then my right shoulder/arm. The impact was severe enough to split my helmet and knock me unconscious for a couple of minutes. I expect that without that helmet I likely would have been killed or very seriously injured. So yeah, don't play around... just wear the damn helmet. That's my advice anyway.

kazinator 12y ago

Please throw away your helmet and get a new one; they are only rated to be in one accident. Also, get a better bicycle for commuting; chains should not break after a few weeks. This shows that the bicycle had been heavily used, or is an ancient rust bucket, and may be a "bicycle shaped object" to begin with. I carry a Park chain linkpin press tool for opening and closing chain links. Though occasions for using that on the road are rare if the chain is well-maintained and replaced regularly, not long ago I had a fairly new chain derail off the front ring, and by some unfortunate combination of events get itself into a tight kink which jammed and caused a link to bend severely. Having the tool, I was able to splice out and discard the bent link, and be on my merry way. I also carry a short piece of chain that was left over from the original chain installation, because there is only so many links you can throw away before the chain gets too short. When you get a new chain, the rear gear cluster should be changed at the same time, since they wear together. A new chain can slip on old sprockets even if the old chain didn't. The front rings have to be changed maybe once every three chain changes.

ChrisNorstrom 12y ago
My $80 walmart bike lasted 3 months. My $200 bike from a bike shop lasted years (and is still going without rust) and was totally worth the purchase. I always advise people to avoid cheap K-mart, Walmart, and Target bikes in favor of ones from their local bike shop. Especially if they're presents for their kids and you want them to last throughout their teens. The gift of a functional bike keeps on giving when it turns into a memorable nostalgic functional bike that you've had for 12 years. It's worth it.
- Luc 12y ago
  $80, $200? Did you make a typo in these? You're lucky to get a good bike for $200. A bike I can keep for 12 years would easily cost me 500 euro (~US$625 currently), for the most basic model, probably without gears at that price.
  - darkstar999 12y ago
    You can definitely find department store bikes for less than $100. You get what you pay for. $200 for a decent bike might be a stretch, but $300 definitely gets you in that range.

masklinn 12y ago

> My helmeted head definitely hit the ground and would likely have been badly injured had I not been wearing it. Now buy a new helmet and go get your head checked (literally, a helmet will protect against a skull fracture but not a concussion or other brain injuries)

jessevdk 12y ago

I'm Dutch, and used to biking everywhere since I've been little. It is true that people in the Netherlands don't usually wear helmets, and the infrastructure and general driving attitude (you do have to pay much more attention to bicyclists when learning to drive) promote this. However, since I've moved to Switzerland I've become accustomed to wearing a helmet. One year ago I was in a pretty serious accident where I broke two vertebrae (one compression fracture and one clean break) and... my helmet. I don't care what studies say, I'm pretty sure that in my case the helmet saved my life. On a side note, the situation in which the accident happened could have happened likewise in the Netherlands, it was on the flat and I was on a driver lane, except maybe that it was driver negligance that could have been avoided if drivers where more accustomed to bicyclists.

jessevdk 12y ago
I meant to say bicycle lane, not driver lane.

fsckin 12y ago

I experienced a highside [1] dirt bike crash a few years ago. I hit the ground with incredible force, which fractured my arm. The following day, one side of my body was covered in contusions, and I had a severe phone-shaped hematoma on my thigh. I have every reason to believe that wearing a helmet prevented a serious brain injury. Also, Otterbox makes a pretty good product. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highsider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highsider

stronglikedan 12y ago

Agreed. My front tire slipped to the left on wet slanted concrete. My helmet hit the ground so hard that my glasses flew off my face and were flattened upon impact. I just ended up with a little scuff and a headache. (and a broken shoulder and knuckle) There was nothing I could do to prevent the impact, as I've trained myself to pull my money makers under me in a fall and let my body take the hit (the broken finger got wrapped up in the brake lever on the way down). There was something preventative that I could do in case of an impact, and boy am I glad I did: wear a helmet.

mod 12y ago
Your brain is your moneymaker--put out your hands!
- stronglikedan 12y ago
  That's what the helmet is for! ;-) I used to reach out my hands when falling, but now I tuck them in and lead with my shoulder. that was my first major fall, but it's something that I would repeat to myself in my head while riding. In the aforementioned case, I was falling sideways and forwards. I suppose if I were leading with my head I would try to break the fall with my hands. I don't know; it all comes down to muscle memory, subliminal reaction, and how bad I'm freaking out at the time.
  - seestheday 12y ago
    Relying solely on a helmet seems like a really bad idea. I recommend learning how to fall using your hands/forearms and not damage them at the same time. Martial arts training (judo would be a good one) can help a lot here. There are also a lot of context specific tricks you can pick up. Like if you fall skiing or snowboarding make a fist when you put your hand down instead of falling with an open hand. A fist vs. open hand won't make much of a different on snow, and the fist will stop fingers/thumbs from catching and breaking. In addition the wrist is less likely to break.
    - 12y ago

TimSchumann 12y ago

Glad to hear you're safe Stephen, thanks for the reminder.

amjaeger 12y ago

Just to echo the OP: Was biking with my brother and a friend in San Fran. The friend crashed when his tire got stuck in the trolley track. Then my brother crashed same way while looking back to see what happened. Always wear a helmet; Especially in San Fran

JoshTriplett 12y ago

In my case, when I was much younger, I skidded on some gravel and went head-first over the handlebars. I had a finger-thick dent in my helmet. I'm glad that dent was not in my skull.

stevebmark 12y ago

Glad you have a friend like that. Please continue the social pressure and actively encourage your less self-preseverational friends with the same message. I yelled at my non-helmet wearing friend (otherwise very bright) and eventually he started wearing it. Social pressure can bring good change.

MrQuincle 12y ago

You can do it, but you shouldn't advocate it. Arguments against widespread use: - making people wear helmets will make less people bike, less people biking on the road leads to more accidents with bikes, and more deaths [1] - a helmet may make people in general more reckless [1] - cars will pass closer to people when they are wearing a helmet than when they are unprotected [1] - if people need helmets, cycling is apparent a dangerous activity, attracting risk-seekers, skewing the statistics [1] - compulsory helmet use in Australia seems to support some of these (perhaps) counter-intuitive arguments [1] - helmet itself is dubious [2] Morale: sure, wear a helmet, but don't evangelize its use. It's a tragedy of the commons if you will succeed. [1] http://hanlonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/07/should-my-son-wear-a-cycle-helmet.html http://hanlonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/07/should-my-son-wear... [2] http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/08/idea-of-the-day-ditch-the-bike-helmet--12152.html http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/08/idea-of-the-day...

analog31 12y ago
Has the experiment in [1], where cars pass closer, ever been replicated? Admittedly, I'm skeptical. Is it correlated to the rider being more reckless, and riding closer to traffic?
- zik 12y ago
  There have been no attempts at replicating the experiment yet, however the study is generally regarded as valid by the scientific community [1]. One study examined the same source data a different way and came up with different conclusions [2]. [1] http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/3812/do-cars-pass-with-less-space-for-bicyclists-who-wear-helmets http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/3812/do-cars-pas... [2] http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0075424 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...
  - analog31 12y ago
    The first link shows no data, just some general sense of validity based on some other claimed psychological effect. I don't mean to sound snarky, but lots of things can be made to seem plausible if certain effects are taken for granted. The second link seems to invalidate the study, as you say. Granted, how close cars pass cyclists is only one factor affecting safety. I suspect that the most dangerous or critical situations are the ones where the driver is either minimally aware, or unaware, of the presence of the cyclist. I doubt there's a special brain circuit that influences the driver's behavior based on the cyclist's helmet without alerting the driver to the existence of the cyclist.

mod 12y ago

If you're moving quickly and could impact the ground, is maybe a better phrasing. Check out this skateboard wreck I saw posted on reddit a little while back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9yL5usLFgY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9yL5usLFgY A person in the thread (so value accordingly) said they worked in an ER and their estimation of the result of the impact, were there no helmet involved, was "likely death." Also, as kazinator said, helmets are only good for one crash (or even drop from very high off the ground). Get a new one!

fendrak 12y ago

The thing that made me start wearing a helmet was the realization that, even if I'm the safest possible bicyclist there's ever been, there's no way to stop the environment from acting against you! I managed to go over my handlebars while riding down a quiet side street (with no hands, like a badass :/ ), when a gust of wind blew me sideways and caused me to overcorrect and crash. The Lord protected me on that one and gave me a chance to be a bit more proactive :)

elif 12y ago

Some practical advice: Even if you don't ride a fixie, you should get comfortable doing skid stops. Just because the rear wheel locks up doesn't mean you have to lose balance.

maxmcd 12y ago

For all the usual discussion on HN about sample size, confirmation bias, FUD, survivorship bias, etc... I'm surprised to see so many personal experiences gaining upvotes. There are certainly quite a few linked studies and supported arguments, but they are the minority. Isn't anyone's personal account of risk and danger pretty much irrelevant?

JoeAltmaier 12y ago
Not irrelevant against claims of zero risk or other absolutes. We can conclude helmets save Some lives; the ones volunteering their stories here. As a statistical measure, no they are not much use I'm afraid. But hospital admissions etc can show the value of helmets.

cyclewisdomage 12y ago

1 Bicycle cyclist riders save your brain! 2 * allegedly stupidity and dumbing down of the USA 3 increases and the 'i wear a helment' is an example. 4 * At age 58.34 years, I still ride a bicycle. I have 5 survied various adventures, including learning to 6 ride as a child in New York City, NYC, USA. 7 *the WISDOM OF AGES to SAVE YOUR BRAIN 8 1.) fastest way to lose your career, and live in 9 the 'nursing home prison' for a life sentence is 10 'bicycle cycling cyclist.' 11 2.) Do I have the best equipment like helmet? 12 3.) Do I assume that the 'impaired driver' or 13 old driver with OLD EYES does not see me? 14 Do I assume that I am running Microsoft Windows 15 XP and I have alreaady been 'cracked'?? 16 4.) Do I practice FALLING OFF MY BICYCLE in a 17 controlled procedure? Do I know how to tumble 18 and roll? 19 5.) Like driving a car, where is the escape route? 20 Like soft grass and NOT lighting poles? 21 6.) Do I practice tumbling on 'hard ground'/ 22 DO THIS PRACTICE to strengthen your neck muscles! 23 Push on your head with your hands, while rolling 24 and rotating your head. 23 Push on your head with your hands, while rolling 24 and rotating your head. 25 7.) Why does this work? The reason GRANDMA dies 26 SLOWLY is hip fracture from falling down. 27 That's the reason why TAI CHI WITH WEIGHTS works. 28 It 'strengthens the BALANCE FUNCTIONS.' 29 8.) WEAR ALL PROTECTIVE GEAR. Ater a few falls, 30 and YES I AM STILL ABLE TO WALK AND HAVE ALL 31 MY FINGERS, wear the 'dollar store cotton gloves' 32 and the knee covers and yes SAFETY GLASSES. 33 9.) Most sunglasses shatter. Blind for the rest 34 of your life and then you go to the 'nursing home.' 35 Even MURDER in the USA has an average sentence of 36 less than seven years. 37 10.) 1.) fastest way to lose your career case: 38 THE CENTRAL PARK JOGGER with TBI traumatic brain 39 injury. When you LOSE YOUR short term memory, 40 your career, especially if you are a programmer 41 or white collar work IS FINISHED due to TBI. 42 11.) A truck tractor trailor jack-knifes and 43 skids. The car crash and 'multi-car pilup' 44 cuts off your legs. What a pity! 45 Seeing in the old age homes in Florida, FL, 46 USA, this is not a problem. 47 12.) Think of it this way. Would you rather have 48 dementia - Alzheimers or 'wheelchair no legs 49 disease.' For me the choice is 'wheelchair.' 50 http://theinvisiblegorilla.com/blog/2010/06/22/ http://theinvisiblegorilla.com/blog/2010/06/22/ 51 unexpected-bicycles-and-inattentional-blindness/ 52 "unexpected-bicycles-and-inattentional-blindness" 53 14.) YOU ARE INVISIBLE for this is the USA - 54 United States of Attention Deficit and 55 USA - United States of Amnesia. 56 Europe and even Asia - cyclists are treated 57 with respect. In the USA, expect loose dogs, 58 even wasp nests operating out of abandoned 59 houses, sand and slipperty stuff on the roads 60 and drivers who don't care and can't see well. 61 15.) the most dangerous times are are dawn 62 and dusk. Simply test your OLD FRIENDS with 63 OLD EYES who have a driver's license. 64 16.) How do we know this is true? The 65 rate of motorcycle accidents in Florida 66 and Arizona is very high. The old driver 67 or teenager texting says in the court: 68 " HE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE; NEVER SAW HIM." PPPS. There is little penalty in the USA for 'manlaughter.' or Traumatic Brain Injury. Let's take an alleged legal case in FL or AZ, USA, shall we?? the worst penalty for BAD DRIVERS that might happen is two (2) years in jail. Florida, FL, USA protects the house. Civil courts cannot usually get the 'pension/annuity.' The worse that can happen to the GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVER is he gets fired and usually the company will try to protect him. LIKE THE BIG BANKSTERS, company fines are a 'small inconvience.' PPS. Some of the garbage truck drivers may be hearing impaired, SO THEY DO NOT HEAR YOUR WARNING BICYCLE HORN. Have you ever seen 'rear view mirros' on GARBAGE TRUCKS and other commercial vehicles THAT HAVE NO BLKND SPOTS?? plenty BLIND SPOTS.

bbulkow 12y ago

Honestly, I think you're .... oh, I don't want to be harsh .... being a bit wishful by saying that you would have been badly injured had you not been wearing your helmet. At least, there's no evidence in your post that shows it. Probably, you have no idea. Without a helmet, your effective head is "smaller", I know that in an accident of mine - where everyone said "thank god for your helmet" am I certain that the part of the helmet hanging out the back hit the ground, and without the helmet, my head probably wouldn't have touched. As a long-term bicycist and a long-term motorcyclist (serious crashes in each), I am increasingly skeptical about the technology in current bicycle helmets, especially compared to the technology in my current motorcycle helmets. Bicycle helmets are simply not tested to the same standards. They use very hard shells. They extend the "impact radius" --- basically, your head becomes bigger --- with only some decrease in crash absorbancy. Reading the literature, it seems that the current bicycle designs are based on voodoo more than good science. The designs look like what bicycle racers used 30 years ago (little leather padded strips). Compare this to the motorcycle helmet industry. There are plenty of crashes to analyze, mostly of motorcycle racers. There are numerous standards (like SNELL) which measure levels of transient G force within the brain on a simulated head. We deserve better bicycle helmets, and people are willing to pay for good science and proof of protection. I pay a LOT of money for my motorcycle helmet, and glad to do so. I would pay 4x the price of a current bicycle helmet to buy one with solid, verified science and an international standard behind it. In my suspicion, the lack of good bicycle helmet science is why the upper level numbers are bad: helmets don't decrease injuries or deaths, except that they cause people not to ride. Really, we deserve better helmets.

revelation 12y ago
I think we deserve cars not crashing into us. It's only in the US that people suggest (implicitly or explicitly) somebody is at fault for his death because he didn't wear a <400g soft shell around his head after a 4 ton truck ran into them from behind (which is the majority in cases where people died).
- mwarkentin 12y ago
  Canada too. :(

kaybe 12y ago

I can also recommend martial arts fall training, which saved my head in a similar situation. I got my handlebars hooked on a rail going downhill and flew over the handlebars; my training allowed me to take the whole impact with my hip and butt. Light graze on the forehead, I'm lucky my reflexes told me to tuck in the head. (However, I couldn't walk that day. Cycling was fine.) I'm wearing a helmet now, but I'm not sure the situation would have ended as well if I had been wearing it then, because of the bigger head radius. edit: spelling

elwell 12y ago
For me, years of skateboarding have trained my subconscious how to fall/roll. I got 'doored' once on my bicycle, and I think that training paid off. I was really lucky my face didn't smash into the door though.
- jarek 12y ago
  It's really frustrating to see cyclists who can't fall. I guess it comes down to lots of practice falls during childhood and infrastructure that supports safe cycling for children but...

MalcolmDiggs 12y ago

When I was 18 I crashed riding home from the gym at night. I was jumping off of a curb and my shitty front-wheel collapsed under the weight, bringing the bike to a sudden halt and sending me over the handlebars. Wasn't wearing a helmet. Landed face first and slid into San Pablo avenue. Concussion and Ripped most of the skin on the right side of my face off. I was pretty grotesque for awhile. Half my face was just an open wound. If I had been wearing a helmet the cushion around my head would have lifted most of my face off the ground. Probably would have ended up with nothing but a chin scrape.

emocakes 12y ago

my bike cost $4k (MTB). Looking to get a full face helmet as well, I like my pretty face the way it is.

haldean 12y ago

Weird coincidence; last night I was car-doored on my bike ride home from work. I had my lights on and flashing, I was paying attention, and a guy opened his car door about 20 feet in front of me, way too close for me to respond. Even if you're careful, the people around you aren't always going to be. My helmet saved me a pretty serious head injury last night.

lexap 12y ago

Good news, and yes please wear helmets. A similar incident happened to a friend of mine. Literally the day before his boss insisted he wear a helmet "to protect his investment." Invasive managers aside, if it were possible for companies to incentive employees to wear helmets, I would support it.

tunnuz 12y ago

I second that. I started commuting myself four months ago when I got my current job in a new city. After just two weeks I fell down from an elevated cycling path, and hit my head (w/ helmet) on the tarmac. I had to replace my helmet, but I walked away with just a small scratch on a hand. Also, check regularly the tightness of your wheel spokes, and replace a wobbly wheel if you can.

joshmn 12y ago

Some comments here suggest buying new. I didn't, and I'm perfectly fine with it. Used bike shops are your friends, people. Find a reputable one and you'll always go back. In Minneapolis? Yeah, it's not in season right now, but bookmark http://oneononebike.com http://oneononebike.com - not affiliated, but I've recommended plenty of people over to Gene and they've always thanked me.

btbuildem 12y ago

Be on the lookout for symptoms of concussion - they can take weeks to manifest. Take care especially if you're working long hours, it can make it worse.

jsilence 12y ago

Please "Stop forcing people to wear bike helmets" http://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to-wear-bike-helmets http://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to-... "While they do protect your head during accidents, there's some evidence that helmets make it more likely you'll get in an accident in the first place."

sidcool 12y ago

Absolutely. Can't stress this enough. This image is worth a thousand words: http://i.imgur.com/cpgbU6o.jpg http://i.imgur.com/cpgbU6o.jpg

ariejan 12y ago

As a Dutchman: lol, helmets.