Today on a pickup truck at a stoplight, I saw a couple bumper stickers for an organization called ABATE, which campaigns to keep it legal for people to ride motorcycles (and presumably bicycles) in Illinois without wearing a helmet. They’re very powerful and effective. Seeing the stickers reminded me to go write this post.
At left there is my friend Pete, showing off his bike helmet. He took a spill the other day and banged up his knee pretty good. He also smacked his head on the pavement, breaking his helmet* – shown below. But here he is in his office the same day, telling the story. Instead of lying in an emergency room with a concussion like I did when I did something similar while not wearing a helmet.
I actually came up with the name of this blog while recovering from that injury, which probably explains a lot. Anyway, you know what Pete did after he finished discussing his accident? Right; he went out and bought another helmet. 
Not easy for him to find one, because he has – how to say this delicately – an enormous head, but Bloomington Cycle & Fitness happened to have one in stock. It’s made in Germany, a real nice one (not shown here) that fits him even better than his old one did.
Because the injury affected my balance, it was more than a year after my accident before I was able to ride a bike again. And you better believe I wear a helmet now. I don’t try to rationalize not wearing one like I used to. But here’s the thing: it makes a big difference how well the helmet fits. The bike shop where Pete got his helmet had a big selection (and a selection of big), and they took the time to correctly adjust the helmet so it fits snug and level on his oversized cranium.
Helmets are not a guarantee even in minor accidents where they should work. They make your head bigger, increasing torque on your neck. But at the same time they can slide on the pavement more easily than your unprotected cranium, which reduces torque. An of course there are accidents too severe for a helmet to do any good. On balance the important thing is that the helmet breaks so you don’t.
I have another biking friend in the office, named Wes. Despite my story, he was a bit skeptical of helmet-wearing at first. But that changed when he saw Pete’s broken helmet. I hope he won’t mind me mentioning him.
As for ABATE, I actually have no opinion one way or the other about them. Since my own accident I’ve read up on the risks and benefits of helmet-wearing and they come out in favor of the helmet if it is well-fitted and adjusted. But legal requirements are another issue entirely. What do you think? Should helmets be mandatory? Do you have any helmet stories?
* This was a severe impact. One of the cracks is shown – keep in mind that helmets are made of a high-density foamed plastic that is a lot stronger than its weight would suggest. The rear end of the helmet was also severely compressed showing it had absorbed a great deal of shock and the plastic alignment material inside the helmet, made of HDPE, was broken as well.
In general, I am in favour of mandatory helmet laws. In a purely theoretical sense helmets should be up to the individual. But there are two reasons I tip towards the opposite.
First is kids. Several years ago the province of Ontario made helmets mandatory for children under a certain age—something like 17, I think. I defy anyone to seriously argue against that.
The other is that for adults, the costs of medical coverage, even for the uninsured, is borne by society as a whole. I realize that perspective can be taken to extremes. But for the low price of a helmet, a life can be saved from incapacity or worse.
I tend to go with requiring helmets to be worn, but that’s just me.
Helmet Story. True One.
Our late son-in-law [no, he did not die in a bike accident] rode a bike a little for exercise. It was an electric bike, inasmuch as he had very little lung capacity, but tried his best to be active. I and others mentioned the wisdom of wearing a helmet. He was riding over to our house one day, pedaling as he could, going electric otherwise. He hit a slimy patch on the sidewalk and spilled. He hit his head. By chance, fate, luck, or something, he was wearing his brand-new bicycle helmnt for the very first time. It was cracked, his head wasn’t.
Thus endeth the lesson.
Helmets really are a good idea. Those who justify not wearing one are the ones that haven’t had a life story yet.
I go back and forth on this one… Let Darwin take over and pay for people’s medical, or force the fools to wear a helmet. Tough call, but I think I would rather keep my medical costs low.
I personally believe in helmets. At least on motorized vehicles. I have to admit that I’ve never work a bicycle helmet. But I am also a parent, and I’m rethinking that whole question. I want the kids to be start about protecting themselves, and I realize my example is more important than my words.
On the other hand, however, I am in favor of letting everyone make up their own mind. A crass way of wording it would be, “How will Social Darwinism work if everyone fights to protect the idiots?”
Truthfully, however, my reason for not having mandatory helmet laws is the “slippery slope” argument. I know there must be weaknesses in holding onto this defense, but I’ve never heard anyone acceptably answer the “Where’s it end?” concept. They usually rely on the reasonable intelligence of individuals and governments, and I too infrequently find anything reasonable or intelligent in individuals in governments. I would prefer to rely on my own Reason, and where I am not knowledgeable, I’ll ask.
Ever since a friend of my Step-Sister’s got a donor heart at the age of 16 from an idiot Motorcycle rider that wasn’t wearing a Helmet, they are refered to as Donor-Cycles in our family.
Personally I have no problem with stupid people not wearing helmets, but I do think that they should be required to be Organ Donors so that their bits and pieces can go to folks that well actually be able to put them to good use.
I had a snowboarding accident this winter, hitting the floor head-first. My helmet didn’t actually visibly crack, but I had a severe concussion anyway, and broke three bones (the two uppermost ribs and the collarbone), and had a pneumothorax to top it off.
I also had two bicycle accidents, one where I hit the pavement and had an abrasion of the entire left half my face (luckily it healed without scars), having hit the ground head-first, and one where I hit and broke a car’s front windshield with my helmet and didn’t have any injuries myself.
Without a helmet, I might have been dead multiple times by now. Not wearing one is the sign of utter idioticy, mandatory or not.
I’ve never had an accident, on a bike or a motorcycle, where my helmet did any good, but I still wear one. I figure I’ve just been lucky.
I think adults should be allowed to go without helmets, if they pay their own medical bills.
Back when my husband rode a motorcycle, and before my state had a mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists, we used to joke that people who didn’t wear “brain buckets” had nothing to put in them.
Husband never did have a motorcycle accident. But after he switched to bicycling, we spent many hours in the Urgent Care center getting him patched up from various spills. Each time, he had no head injuries, but a very beat-up helmet. Each time, he acquired a new helmet before mounting the bike again.
I’m in favor of helmet laws. They give people an additional reason to do what they should be doing anyhow.
I am a firm believer in helmets. Hubby used to think I was a bit overboard about it until this happened…
http://goobmom23.blogspot.com/2006/05/why-bike-helmets-are-good-idea.html
I had the same experience as Pete. I was on my mountain bike and was hit from behind by a car. I flew up in the air and came straight down on my head. I hit so hard that it split my helmet in three places. If you take the helmet in one hand and twist it with the other it opens up like a flower. Anyway, had I not had my helmet on I would not be here it comment on this post. I ride a motorcycle as well; I can see some riders thinking about the helmet laws. It’s about big Government telling them what they think is best for them. However in this case big Government is right. I live in Florida and I ride in Florida, my wife rides her own motorcycle as well and I can tell you, the drivers down here are crazy. I will not go out and ride my motorcycle nor will I let my wife ride without a helmet.