[wombat2go]

Fatalities per capita only gives a partial picture. Bike ridership rates in the 2 places should be taken into consideration.

Not easy to find equivalent data .

It is interesting to search "China cyclist images"
It appears just from the photos that Chinese commuters on streets and roads almost never wear helmets whereas Chinese in organized rides always wear helmets.
Some search indicated China cyclist death rate is presently around 6 per year per million of overall population.

Top 10 Countries with Most Bicycles per Capita | Top 10 Hell
"
China
People: 1,342,700,000
Bicycles: >500,000,000
Cyclists: >37.2%
Fact: 60 percent of local cyclists in Shanghai (most populous city in China) pedal to work every day. The city is home to 9,430,000 million bicycles and 19,213,200 people.

USA
People: 310,936,000
Bicycles: 100,000,000
Bicylists: ~32,2%
In the USA only 0,9% of all trips are made by bike. The average distance cycled per person is 0.1 km.
"
Australia has population around 23 million
Australia states cyclist numbers data 1985-2011
"Cumulative ABS data listed in the states below shows there were 2,285,937 people across Australia aged 10 to 17 in 2010/2011. The 2011 Australian Cycling Participation survey (p23) shows 33.6% of people aged 10 to 17 cycled in the previous week. This is 768,075 Australians aged 10 to 17 who cycled an average 5.4 times in the previous week, which totals 4,147,605 trips per week, or an average 592,515 who cycled daily."

[reeftool]

There was a recent firestorm in the media when an emergency room doctor made a statement that bicycle helmets are essentially useless in preventing serious injury. I'm somewhat pressed for time today but I will look it up. The relationship of helmets and spine injuries have long been known. Falling backwards, the space between the back of the helmet can cause injury because the head stops moving before the rest of the body. It has been the centerpiece of the motorcycle helmet debate against mandatory helmet laws and is also coming up in regards to ski helmets. The helmet lovers acknowledge this but they say the neck injury risk is worth it in preventing head injuries. Newer motorcycle helmets and many ski helmets are tapered flat in the back to address this. I participate in all three. I wear a motorcycle helmet because I have to. I wear a ski helmet because its warmer. I don't own a bicycle helmet currently but I haven't been on my bicycle in a couple of years. Bicycle helmets seem very flimsy.

I recently laid my Harley down at around 35-40 MPH. My head never hit the ground. I got up and walked away. The protective clothing I was wearing with armor pads in the elbows, shoulders, hips and knees were of much more value. As I have grown older, I'm more inclined to wearing helmets and protective gear. Still, I believe it should be the choice of the rider as to wearing one.

[Miguel]

I've been pulled in two directions on this issue for years.

Then, I have some doubts about the physics of helmet on small kids - on a close-to-ground bike, going maybe 8mp, how likely is a kid to ever get a head injury? Almost all 'injuries' are scrapes or bruises to hands, arms, legs. That thinking makes me feel guilty, because we're supposed to armor our children against all possible injuries at all times, right?

Then there's the personal anecdotal evidence. In decades of bike riding, I'm personally aware of no-one who's sustained a head injury that a bike helmet would have prevented. I know one person who had a bad neck injury, and she claims the helmet helped cause it. Every kid I knew growing up who was badly injured (one or two) were hit by a car, and a helmet would have made no difference.

So, you bicyclists out there... what do you think?

I'd suggest you pose these questions with local ER docs & cosmetic surgeons who have ongoing experiences treating people. They should be able to tell you whether wearing a helmet made a difference in their patients' outcomes. I assume it did in a fair proportion of cases, but I'd like that confirmed.

M

[jsherman999]

if i'm only going around the block with my kids, no. But we live in a small subdivision with only one entrance, so there is very little traffic. But i'f i'm going on a ride on the roads, or in the woods, yes, without question.

This is sort of the main issue here IMO... Mandatory helmet laws would require you to wear a helmet at all times, subject to ticketing if you're seen on a bike path or at the end of your driveway without a helmet.

From what I've seen (and I researched his a bit after posting ), there's no compelling evidence to mandate that - in fact, there is much more reason statistically to mandate helmets for all automobile drivers, at all times, then there is to mandate bike helmet wear. Even pedestrians see as much or more head-related injuries per distance travelled than bike riders.

I think it's silly not to wear a helmet in mountain biking or fast road biking (especially racing,) but for a jaunt down the bike path, it doesn't seem to be necessary - any more necessary than it is to wear one while walking, anyway.

Checj out: bicyclesafe.com for an interesting take, and I've found a lot of other examples like that. (There seems to be quite a split on this issue)



.

[wombat2go]

With my 9 year old, when young he was trained to always wear a helmet.
(They are optional here) As soon as he realized his peers don't wear them, he refused to wear one.
If I insist, he won't come on the ride, he will just go back and play on the computer.

So I had to give up. I rationalize that when I was a kid in Australia we took many tumbles. I recall skinned knees and elbows, but I don't recall ever hitting my head.

[Rupert]

I've been tempted to design a bumper sticker showing a helmetless rider, a large equal sign and the words "Organ Donner".

Had a guy that worked for me some years back that did just that...became an organ donor. Said he liked the freedom of the open air without restrictions of a helmet. I guess he's free now?

Back in '70 I bought a new BSA and the owner of the shop, a long time friend of mine gave me a red metallic helmet that matched the paint exactly. They were not worn by many back then, and I told him to keep it, I didn't want or need it. He was persuasive and gave me a nice discount if I would take it and promise to wear it on my coming trip to Mexico. I did. Two days later I was cruising and got off road on a little trail along a creek that ran into a large lake. There were people on the other bank fishing and some would wave and I would wave back. Went on for maybe a 1/4 mile and as I approached a highway bridge over the creek someone on the other bank yelled at me and I turned and looked....and hit the cement of the low bridge head-on just as I turned back to the trail. I was going slow, 10-15 mph, but it knocked me off the bike and split the helmet wide open in front. Otherwise, I didn't get a scratch. My friend gave me a new helmet, put my old one on a string hanging in his shop, and didn't have to ask for me to promise to wear one from then on.
They guy that worked for me survived his crash with little damage to his body, but his brain was fried. For over a year he was a living vegetable, placing enormous pain and strain on his family and friends...and great $$ expense for them too. His death was a relief to everyone, including him, no doubt.

When I visit my friend in the Nursing Home, I pass by a room with a young man in bed on his back that never moves, never opens his eyes, and never hears anything as far as anyone knows. The story is he was just going down to the store for a loaf of bread, only two blocks away, and didn't need to put on his helmet.....As happens so often, the woman that hit him "never saw him".

It never happens to you....until it does.

Regards!

[grhazelton]

A few years ago the South Carolina General Assembly was contemplating a mandatory helmet law, and was intimidated by a circling of the State House by motorcyclists. As it now stands only riders under 20 are required to wear helmets. Interesting....

[jsherman999]

A few years ago the South Carolina General Assembly was contemplating a mandatory helmet law, and was intimidated by a circling of the State House by motorcyclists. As it now stands only riders under 20 are required to wear helmets. Interesting....

lol

The Hell's Angels voting block makes an effective appearance

(Talking bicycle, though.)

[mattb123]

When I cycle for sport (mountain or road) I always wear one. I crash on my mountain bike every now and then, occasionally in a catastrophic fashion. I have never crashed my road bike but I know it could be ugly with the speeds (and other vehicles) involved if I did.

When I cruise around our sleepy little town I do not.

[Rupert]

When I cruise around our sleepy little town I do not.

Hope the sleepy little old lady can see you cruising?

Regards!

[mattb123]

Hope the sleepy little old lady can see you cruising?

Regards!

So far so good! I ride pretty defensively too.
I also ride almost every single day. I drive to work maybe 3-5 days per year, riding the rest.
So I have more time "at risk" but also many, many hours of experience which I think offsets at least some of that risk.

[clackers]

There are also no controlled data to prove that parachutes decrease mortality from falls from aircraft. Get real people.

To stay on that, Sandy, sky divers wear helmets, too.

They don't help if the chute fails to open but there are a number of scenarios where they minimize certain kinds of injuries.

A soldier's helmet is similar.

[ziscwg]

There are also no controlled data to prove that parachutes decrease mortality from falls from aircraft. Get real people.

If Captain America does not need a parachute falling from an aircraft, then neither do I.

[VF-19]

I always wear a helmet when biking. Better safe than sorry.

[panoguy]

I have worn a helmet when biking since the late 80's, long before I had kids (and before helmets were expected).

My wife and I went for a gentle trail ride way back when mountain bikes were just getting popular, and there was a downhill portion with roots sticking up out of the washout. I went down first and yelled back to my wife to be careful... just in time to see her catapulted, head first and flying horizontal, into a tree trunk. Her helmet was cracked and crushed, and aside from a mild concussion, she still finished her PhD, had two kids, and now directs a research organization for malaria and TB. I shudder to think what our life would be like without that helmet in the way...