Should you wear a bike helmet?
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- čas přidán 30. 05. 2024
- Bicycle helmets are compulsory in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, among others, but as the Guardian's Peter Walker explains this does not help save lives. Despite a series of helmet promotion campaigns in the UK, a growing amount of evidence suggests forcing people to wear protective headgear leads to greater risk-taking and can even put people off cycling altogether, exacerbating the crises in obesity and inactive living
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If governments really want to improve on cycling safety, they should make proper infrastructure for cycling. Look at the Nethlerlands for that, people rarely wear helmets. But there's proper infrastructure
The solution is not segregated infra, it's removing the killing machines from the existing infra, they do this in Denmark very well especially around Copenhagen. it's actually safer than segregated (and more direct as advocated by Mickael colville-Andersen) because segregated infra actually crosses motorvehicle roads a lot, in Netherlands 60+ people a year die at these locations. Segregated is not the panacea everyone thinks it is.
And it's flat.
Government works on perception. This is where the role of media come in. Sadly it has been negative all over the world.
@@ynotnilknarf39 amsterdam has many bycicle only roads without andy road crossings
@@burgerpommes2001 How many within the urban area, when I wanted to travel to Amsterdam from the South East about 5miles away, I had to cross multiple motor roads to get there and in a meandering fashion lenghtening the journey significantly, meanwhile the main road for cars, lorries and such was in a nice straight line.
The Dutch governments own statistics prove that segregating cyclists is a failure, the number of deaths at junctions with motor roads is shocking, or maybe 60 people being killed whilst riding a bike is just a mere triviality? what about the 200 deaths in Netherlands, how do you account for so many deaths with segregated lanes?
The helmet debate aside, I’d urge fellow cyclists to install lights. Not only are lights legal requirement for cycling after sunset in the UK, they can be your biggest asset as cycling in the dark becomes more necessary in the winter. Have a white and red flashing light on the front and back, help others on the road see you and be safe.
Totally I have back that flashes and informs of vehicles approaching me on my Garmin😊
I thought that law required the lights to be solid, not flashing?
Helmet or no helmet doesn't matter when cars around you will rather save a few seconds of their day than wait for a safe place to pass you. I live in Canada and have been counting. 7/10 cars don't respect the security distance or pass me where they shouldn't. That's a lot of people being assholes and undervaluing the lives of those around them. My city wants to build more bike lanes; the social pressure against it has been insane. There is an animosity from drivers toward bikes that I still haven't been able to understand.
How about banning Bicycles from roads with automobile traffic? You know, instead of someone who isn't traveling faster than 15 mph driving on a road with a 50 mph limit? Just saying, it would save lives....
@@MrDanielWP how about ban cars from roads instead? It would save just as many lives.
@@redhotgalego When talking about canada, banning bikes from roads with motorised traffic (like in countries where they have seperate bike infrastructure), would affect a lot less people than banning cars... Therefore, you can't compare the two. If i wouldn't live in a country with seperate bike lanes I would NEVER use my bike as much. Lobby for seperate bike lanes, if you counted and you KNOW 7/10 car drivers don't take the cyclists into consideration, it is just plain dumb to keep on riding those roads. When you are dead, it doesn't really matter if you are in the right does it? You're still dead.
@@MrDanielWP How about baning slow cars doing 20-30kph in traffic and letting us cyclists get on with doing 30-40kph, get rid of all cars from cities.
@@007floppyboy - because disabled people, fat people, lazy people, etc exist. Without cars, you might as well just murder everyone who isn't riding a bike. (And, forcing people to ride bikes won't cure obesity.) Personally, I'd like to have stricter and better driving tests to weed out people who can't handle faster speeds or have poor reaction times and force them to use public transportation. It would kill two birds with one stone:
1. You'd reduce congestion drastically because of improved drivers and lower numbers of total drivers.
2. You'd fund public transportation via consumption.
And, you can keep your shitty 30 kph off my roads. I'm driving 80 mph on the interstate.
I agree - that's why I bicycle in the nude. Drivers - and other cyclists, dogs, etc. - stay well away from me. Plus, I don't want to damage my greatest asset, so I am extra careful while riding. But I do find that getting arrested is taking its toll on my motivation to bicycle. I keep telling them that there's nothing '"indecent" about my "exposure", but they seem to disagree.
Every year there is a naked bike ride in Chicago. No one gets arrested...
Chicago is the most corrupt city on Earth. I doubt anybody gets arrested because the police are as bad as the gangs.
@Peteraba Gilliez .Duct tape and cable ties ...Tie to the cross bar...and leave hang over the handlebars..
Hahaha... English humour.
I also used to cycle naked, but everyone thought I was going to turn left...then right...then left...then right...
As a cycling safety expert in the USA, you nailed this topic and controversy perfectly. You even made the point about car occupants making up the vast majority head injuries but there is never talk of making motorists where helmets. Bravo and thank you!
Andrew Besold are you saying to don't wear a crash helmet while driving you car to the supermarket
Also when you consider there are likely more drivers than cyclists in the UK, the risk per capita is likely higher for cyclists
Airbags are called a "supplementary restraint system" for a reason. They do not compensate for: other passengers not using restraints properly, flying objects, wild animals, or fixed obstacles (outside the vehicle). In fact, an airbag is not even designed to prevent a concussion (it just makes it less severe).
What did I learn? Thank god that I live in the Netherlands where people have recognized that cars are the danger and have to be banned from cities and separated from cyclist and pedestrians. A lot of drivers seem to have problems with their responsibilities all over the world.
Typisch links type dat niet werkt en geen auto heeft dus....
Empathie. Probeer het een keer. Je gaat er dingen anders van zien. Doe je minder 'huh, auto's moeten weg'-achtige domme uitspraken van bovendien.
@Blah b, Nee hij heeft gewoon gelijk. Maar ik zie jammer genoeg een trend in nederland waarbij automobilisten zich steeds minder aantrekken van voorrangsregels en dan met name bij zebra paden. Nog snel even voor je langs rijden wanneer je wil oversteken, verkeer van rechts wordt geen voorrang gegeven, geen richting aangeven of pas wanneer de bocht wordt ingereden. Heeft niks met 'links' type te maken. Of is het 'rechts' om mensen omver te rijden?
Laten we beginnen om auto's uit jouw woonwijk te weren. Veel plezier als een private dienst langs jouw huis moet komen om iets te doen. Laat de ambulance jou ook maar op tandem fiets naar het ziekenhuis brengen. Auto's zijn niet het kwaad het zijn mensen die niet aan andere denken en die kom je op en in alle vormen van transport tegen.
Gast, (ik noem mensen geen mongool) Als jij in een woonwijk woont dan is al het verkeer al bestemmingsverkeer. Nederland is koploper in het omleiden van verkeer. Zelf de allerkleinste dorpen hebben kleine ring wegen en in de buurten afgesloten stukken, zodat je niet kan afsnijden. Als je in Amsterdam komt binnen de ring dan ben je sowieso bestemmingsverkeer.
Maar goed, dit gaat over helmen en niet over bereikbaarheid en leefbaarheid en is bovendien in het Engels. fijne dag nog.
The only reason i want to go to netheland because its an cyclist-friendly country.
Love from indonesia mate
Helmets are good but helmet laws are bad. A mandatory helmet law instantly kills the debate of having dedicated bicycle paths and frees the government from its responsibility to provide infrastructure to bicycle riders; "just wear a helmet and share the road with cars... y'all be 'right". The whole scenario discourages ordinary people from riding the bicycle, only the hard core lycra-wearing "cyclists" would brave the Australian roads. Mothers going to the market with children at the back of the bike like in Germany, Holland or Japan? Forget it.
This is a very interesting pov. Thanks.
Helmers are NOT a good thing, they deflect blame and take away from the real problem whilst not actually offering much if any protection. Weavers get injured more often, in racing they are twice at risk of trauma injury compared to earlier years with no helmets and die in greater numbers post helmet rules.
We have compulsory helmets plus a widening range of bike paths and bike lanes. Can be done. South Australia.
At the average bicycle speed of 10 to 12 mph you're better of investing in shin guards than a cycle helmet.. As that is the most common injury.
Yep
I live in the netherlands, and everyone rides a bike, even if it's a ride of an hour or something like that, and it's really healthy and also nice to actually be outside instead of in a car
M A Q U E Z i really admire the dutch on their cycle habits. It gets you from point A to B just as a car would maybe a bit longer journey. If only the government here in Britain would properly plan and invest in proper cycle paths, it would be much safer and as you say, it’s really healthy too
It's easy for Dutch the Netherlands is flat where I live It's very hilly.
@@the-blue-barron2791 Ebikes make hills obsolete.
@@the-blue-barron2791 Have you experienced the Dutch wind. Thats actually harder than riding on hills.
@@nickdentoom1173 rubbish
The problem with cycling in the U.K. is mostly down to the attitude of drivers who seem to have an overwhelmingly resentful attitude towards cyclists for absolutely no reason.
Maybe its because the majority of cyclists don't adhere to the highway code, regularly go through red lights and illegally cycle on the pavements.
Gee I can't wait to see the research study you presumably comissioned which backs up your ludicrous claim @disarmsox. Just because the occasional cyclist evidently pisses you off doesn't mean we're all like that.
One generalisation deserves another. Just because one motorist pisses you off it doesn't mean we're all like that.
And in my city it is rare to see a cyclist actually stop at red lights and the police ignore the problem of cyclists on the pavements. No wonder there is resentment but there are guilty parties on both sides.
disarmsox Aa
disarmsox It is not the majority. That is your prejudice making you think that. I hate cars with a passion,but I do not assume all drivers are dangerous drivers. I see some shocking cycling,but on an average day,I see a hell of a lot more shocking driving.
I can't stand being put in to the same category as the idiots that have no regard for everyone else on the road.
The bike lanes in the UK are a joke come death traps. The one shown in this vid is a good example since they may as well paint double yellows every where and ask cyclists to ride between the lines.
People who complain that I don't wear a helmet never cycle themselves.
I am an advocate for hemet use, but I agree with you 100%.
Bro this is so relatable. I get made to wear helmets till I’m 16. My mum never really cycled but my dad used to cycle when he was a teenager a lot and he never wore a helmet. They make me wear one but I can tell it’s mainly my mum who wants me to
I am a cyclist who is still alive thanks to a helmet. I can only recommend it.
Well said
If your going to ride fast then you should wear a helmet but if your just chilling going to work on very non busy streets you don't need to wear a helmet.
I wear a helmet because I can reach 50-60kph downhill.
So yeah, risk compensation...
Yeah! with that speed you need a helmet. You're fast!
I once reached 56kph on my XC bike and a few years back I reached 62kph on my uncles E-bike! Going fast is so fun because it feels faster than it actually is
The most significant information is that regarding the Dutch experience. Remove the motorised traffic from proximity to bikes and the problem goes away, well said Chris Boardman.
I do wear a helmet and protective eyeglasses when mountain biking - gotta be careful of trees and rocks - and often when biking on the road, but I don't wear one for additional safety, just for comfort. I have very little hair and a helmet protects me from the elements. In addition the helmet visor is perfect at night to screen out the glare of lights on approaching vehicles.
good for you
i dont
+Tournel Henry Then you haven't seen Dutch cities, which are mostly just as cramped as anywhere else in Europe. And no, it's not like all Dutch cities were build from the ground up to keep cycling in mind: our cycling infrastructure only really started to get build somewhere in the 70's and most city centres are way older than that. If anything, the Dutch model proves that you can have a good cycling infrastructure DESPITE cities being cramped.
actually netherlands is the most densly populated country in europe
Except the relatively obvious and well known problem. THE FUCKNG GROUND.
There is a compromise in Czech Republic. Helmet is mandatory, but only for people under 18. I think is the best solution. It procests kids and give freedom to adults. And since kids are used to wearing them from young age, when they grow up, they usualy don't mind using them after 18.
But Czech people all have short hair that don't get messy. I thinking from a teenager perspective.
Errol yeah, I’m Canadá it is mandatory for kids under 14
Jeroen lol most of the time I wear a helmet to protect my hair
saem in estonia
Errol, here in Oregon we have similar legislation but it requires helmets up to age 16.
30 years ago as a teenager I wiped out on my bike. I wasn't wearing a helmet. I did get a brain injury and amnesia. I did make a full recovery but it was hard. I encourage everyone to wear a helmet. I enjoy biking and you'll see me with my helmet on.
How did you hit your head that hard?
@@cobrak1ngs she doesnt remember she had amnesia
I found an easy way to avoid brain injury while riding a bike... they enacted helmet laws so I just stopped riding my bike and drove everywhere.
I always wear a helmet. As a pedestrian, in the office, when grocery shopping, in my garden, at the nude beach, in bed, when I'm sewing.
I can't even remember the last time I took it off. You can't be too careful in life :)
I hope you always wear a codpiece, too. A meteorite could take your nads off at any moment.
jedwardh underrated comment haah
At the hairdressers, you never know when that dangerous piece of cutlery ends up piercing an artery...
I think people just forget we brains inside our heads. You fall, put your hands in front of you, shift yourself on your back. Same go with crashing. Specifically wearing full faced helmets puts increased danger of crashing on your rides, but bike helmets are okay to wear
I wear one in the most dangerous underrated place, the shower to reduce head injuries.
Conclusion: move to Holland.
Holzkohlen The other 10 provinces of The Netherlands are bicycle friendly as well! No need to move to Holland for that. :)
Mwaoh, i would be happy if Brits moved to either Noord- or Zuid-Holland. Gives the rest of us here in the Netherlands more space. The Randstad is busy enough as it is, no need to spread that out over the whole country. (^.^)
Or stay and do your best to be part of the solution. Many cities around the UK are tentatively improving their cycle infrastructure. There's a long way to go, particularly with regards to driver awareness and behaviour, but it does feel like there is some sort of momentum behind improving the environment for cycling.
Please don't. Specially Londoners will make housing unaffordable for locals
The thing about the Netherlands is that they mostly ride slow, single speed, upright bikes. It's like wearing a helmet while jogging.
However, when they're on a road bike, 99% of riders will have a helmet on. At that speed and body angle you need one.
Every clip in this video of cycling on UK roads made me wince, and I'm a regular cyclist in Vancouver. The appropriate technology for increasing cycling safety is separated bike paths, not helmets. Painted bike lanes make no difference at all.
our whole country has narrow roads, we cant exactly move every building further apart
in the Netherlands there are also painted bikelanes next to the cars where cars can cross over in. every little bit helps, and I feel just as safe on that road as I feel on a standard bicycle path.
Infrastructure will make cycling safer than putting on helmets. Look at the Netherlands, nobody uses a helmet.
But BOTH will make you even safer. Especially from being attacked by those feral magpies.
Let’s also add that the Netherlands have a very high rate of death by brain injuries caused by cycling (mainly male population in the age of 55 years and upwards) compared to other countries. Bikes without proper lights, reckless cycling and without helmet... I wonder why. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Douwe Bloot The point is not whether the Netherlands have the highest or lowest death rate due to cycling, the point is that studies have found that fatal brain injuries have increased among the male population of the age of 55 and upwards due to cycling, compared to other countries where the rates are more or less stable. Following your logic, because other countries are focused on driving, putting on a seatbelt is pointless because we might as well stay home to be safe. It makes no sense right? Accidents happen, it’s part of life, wearing a helmet annihilates the risk of dying with your skull slashed open on the road. I have both cycled and driven a car in the Netherlands, it’s amazing how they managed to include bicycles (much better than other countries - that we can both agree on), but also the number of times I didn’t see a car coming while crossing the street or when as I driver, I wasn’t able to see cyclists crossing the street because they don’t care enough to even put lights on their bikes, is astounding. While I’m a careful driver, others are not. You have the option to prevent something tragic from happening with the sole action of wearing a helmet. I mean this genuinely, please be careful. Because I sure wouldn’t be here today hadn’t I worn a helmet back then.
Douwe Bloot Alles gut, ich kann Niederländisch verstehen und kann ebenfalls in einer anderen Sprache antworten wenn Sie das lieber haben, aber ich dachte schön wärs wenn man debattieren könnte wie Erwachsene :)
I did the helmet experiment once. Without a helmet I could go down a road in Hungary no problem. When I wore a helmet after I bought it, I got ran off the road.
When wearing a helmet was made compulsory in Australia, the number of cyclists dropped dramatically and has never recovered.
The same here in New Zealand ... cyclist numbers slashed, and never recovered.
Seems the only people cycling now are sports cyclists, hard-core commuters, and cycle-tourists. ... oh, and the poor, that can't afford any other means of transport, but they don't seem to count because they don't wear helmets, and mostly stick to back streets and pavements to avoid the cops.
Where I live it seems the penalty for getting caught without a helmet is generally to turn up to the local cop shop with a helmet to prove you've got one (mostly useless damaged ones bought at a 2nd hand store), and then to abandon your bike because you can't risk getting caught again.
Same in NZ.
I suspect many posting here in support of helmet wearing have never ridden without a helmet, simply because they have grown up with compulsory helmet laws . I was fortunate to have ridden in both NZ and Oz BEFORE compulsory helmet laws were introduced. I can honestly say that riding with a helmet today does not make me feel any safer. The only thing would make me feel safer would be improved cycling infrastructure. But that costs money. A lot of money. Cheaper to shift the onus onto the cyclist, and give everybody the fake impression that wearing helmets will make our world safer.
pervertt. Exactly. In the Netherlands, virtually nobody wears helmets, yet they have the lowest rates of injuries in the world because they have the best cycling infrastructure.
pervertt
I cant say for sure that most supporters of helmet wearing live in places with mandatory helmet laws but in Singapore there are no mandatory helmet laws but as a mountainbiker amd road biker we as a community do encourage wearing helmets. On a statistical scale helmets on a case by case basis do assist in protection therefore a less severe injury. Even i Personally sometimes ride without a helmet for short commutes around 1km.
i am from the netherlands and i ride my bike every day. its amazing every where you look -------> bikelanes. I take the bike to school every day. i have to go 9,5 kilometers i did this for 4 years never ever got in a dangerous situation. If you consider visitting the netherlands rent a bike you will have a great expierince.
Ian van Broekhoven so do you wear a helmet?
FPVmaster no i don’t
Only tourists wear helmets here on regular bikes, spot the tourist becomes spot the helmets. Any politician advocating for mandatory helmets would be laughed out the building.
We are also not so stupid to go riding our bikes on roads where the traffic is going 70 mph. In the Netherlands it is forbidden to ride your bike on the highway.
Remember that the Netherlands is pretty much the only country with roads suitable for biking to and from every town. In Hungary I did bike on a 80km/h road simply because there was no other option
I burn myself with acid way more often when I am wearing gloves.
Cody'sLab except that is not what is going on here. The helmet studies are comparing handling acid with gloves vs handling acid without gloves.
Life is Awesome check Cody's channel dude.
nonsense why? His comment is silly and show ignorance of the topic, regardless of who he is
Life is Awesome ok dude you win ignorance is bliss
Cody's channel is great
Here's an idea: don't mix cars and bikes.
great idea! Still, many bike accidents happens with no cars involved at all. Seen bikes with a lot more speed (and a LOT less protection) and it doesn't take much to have a person flying from a bike, having the head hitting the ground very hard with just some bad luck… Many new bikes has gears letting them get a hefty speed and many bikers enjoy using that speed.
It's a risk that bikers take. What is stupid is the way bike lanes are designed. It should be:
PEOPLE | NATURE STRIP | BIKES | PARKED CARS | CARS
This way, the parked cars can serve as a barrier between cyclists and cars.
Unfortunately, cars have monopolized road space in most areas, so that if you want to use a bike as a viable form of transportation and not just riding a few miles on a path on a weekend, you need to mix with cars.
1/2 weight of the biker times velocity square is a lot less at the same velocity than if it was the weight of a car. Thus the impact energy would be a fraction. then cyclists are soft and tend to absorb more energy than a car would. And lastly they are way easier to jump out of the way of ... in conclusion your argument is mainly based uon bias and prejudice, cause lets be honest, if there were safer lanes, more people than just the action- oriented cyclists would ride a bike. and most of them wouldn't tend to take such risks. And in the few cases of error, ignorance or adrenaline and testosterone-based behaiour caused accidents they would still have far less consequences. @@ghanaboyz
They can mix, but it depends what kind of street you're talking about. In the Netherlands there are almost no bike paths in 30km/h residential areas, and some 50km/h roads don't have them either. In the town I'm from there's no bike paths in the entire town because it's all 30km/h, seperated bike paths start right outside of it when cars can speed up to 80km/h.
Very good video! It covers all the relevant issues regarding that heated topic. Other points worth mentioning are: Cycle helmets are only designed to protect the rider at impact speeds of 15 miles an hour or less. The main life-threatening injury for a cyclist in a serious collision is crushing injuries and the resulting internal bleeding, shock, organ failure etc. I myself found that I took more risks while wearing a cycle helmet than without one. My best advice for keep cars at bay; wearing a flapping jacket. They give you more room as a result. Chris Boardman's advice at the end is excellent; it should be the rider's choice to wear a helmet. One final note; crossing the road as a pedestrian is much more dangerous, per metre travelled, than riding a bike. If anyone should be compelled to wear a helmet, according to the hard evidence, it first needs to be anyone who crosses a road.
During daylight there's no evidence that wearing high visibility clothing makes cyclists more noticeable to motorists. It's more victim blaming unfortunately. The reason why is that motorists, especially those in countries where cycling is less common, are neither looking for or expecting cyclists, so they skip areas in their field of view too small for a car to fit in when looking around while driving. The human brain unfortunately is very good at hiding this and filling in the blanks in your optical field, so you assume that if you've looked left and then right that you've seen everything between, but you've actually got no optical information while your eyes were moving between the two points you specifically looked at. This behaviour incidentally also kills a lot of motorcyclists when cars pull out in front of them at junctions too.
It was already mentioned in the video that if wearing helmets was mandatory for everyone in cars, this would genuinely save lives, but this would definitely make cars less attractive and the money the car companies spend lobbying for laws to suit them is shocking, so it's unlikely to happen. The known fact that mandatory wearing of helmets disincentivises using a mode of transport could be used well by making them mandatory for cars, both saving lives in accidents and by reducing the amount of driving people do in the first place.
Another disturbing trend is mandatory daylight running lights on cars. This, as far as I know, does reduce the number of car to car collisions (Most of which are not fatal in the first place), and collisions where people walk out in front of cars, but it has the side effect of raising the threshold further for everyone that's not running a piercingly bright light to be noticed by motorists.
I seriously doubt that my bike helmet will save my life if a car hits me, but while riding off road, the number of scalp wounds I've avoided by wearing one is massive, so they're not just about impact protection for anyone who rides narrow trails with heavy tree cover.
Got any evidence that high-visibility clothing is NOT noticed by drivers? That would be telling. Otherwise, I am using my smarts and staying high-vis. And, both as a car driver and cyclist, I see high-vis bikes far more easily.Maybe I'm odd, but I suspect not.
If you google it you can find the relevant research and articles fairly quickly.
Adrian Ellis I wasn't aware they were only rated to 15mph, I cruse at 25-30mph. Scary.
Thanks for the flapping jacket tip, hadn't thought or heard of that one before.
How about everyone *mind their own business.* The question of whether it's safer for the cyclist is irrelevant. You know what's safer for cyclists? *Not being hit by cars.* You're not going to force other people to take actions just to enable you to keep running them over with a clean conscious.
I wear one, and after a particularly nasty crash last year I'd advise everyone do the same. But that's where my authority stops, people can decide *for themselves.*
Most cyclists who die die from getting hit by cars, not from not wearing a helmet. The question therefore is not "should cyclists wear helmets", it's "should cars stop running over cyclists", which *yes they should.*
Daniel Sadjadi you are not a motorist when on a bike, you're simply a road user. I understand your point and it is correct, but the terminology bothers me. A motorist is using a "motor"
As a person who drives and cycles i feel like saying this; *cyclists need to learn traffic rules* and there should be a license of sorts to be able to cycle on the road, because there are too many morons on the road - arrogant cyclist exists too.
LL cool J looking at the amount of horrible car drivers a cycling license won’t help
Nathan Dutoit
Yeah no i do think it would help. The amount of red lights run, switching between pedestrian/"motorist", not signalling where you're headed etc is probably some of the most common reasons for accidents i would assume. I'm now also talking about specific cycling lanes and how cyclists often exit these lanes without signaling which is extremely dangerous and reckless.
I've seen cyclists do the most idiotic things too, and ignoring traffic laws entirely, without penalty. It goes both ways. Know what's safer for cyclists as well? Obeying traffic laws. If both cars and cyclists do the same, no one will get hurt.
ironically, im an ER nurse in inner city Houston and I commute on my bike to work 99% of my shifts...sometimes I wear a helmet, sometimes I do not. What I've observed is I feel I am much safer when I am ultra aware of my surroundings and not riding like an A hole. Practicing these behaviors will keep me safer than any helmet will.
I will admit, once I got my first real road bike and felt comfortable on it, I began to ride a little recklessly....had a few close calls and some real collisions too. I've learned a lot and would like to be riding my bike well in to old age thank you very much! And to do that, I need to practice safe riding behaviors and continue to be very aware. Again, this mindset will keep safer than any helmet.
One of my best friends died from a bicycle accident and I know another young person who did. Both in their 20's. When you experience that, you don't feel like the risks are all that small...
was he going fast or something?
In what country???
Good video. One thing I've found is that having cycled both in Britain and Europe is that the Europeans are far more tolerant of cyclists. For some reason cycle incites rage in Britain. As a commuter and road racer I would like to see the government spend more on cycle lanes, that way those who ride more sedately and without a helmet can do in safety.
It's something to do with the language. Anglophone countries are anti-cyclist. USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia.
We don't like cyclists in Britain because they're right there on the road, not n a cycle path like in Holland. It's awkward to get past them.
G Cooper. And that's the cyclist's fault? There's nowhere else for us to be. If we go on the pavement we're breaking the law and we'll get hated for that. Cycling is objectively better than driving, and the fact that UK roads ignore cyclists in their design is idiotic.
Jon Burnell dude, whére in europe?
I like to sit and eat So far I've riding Sicily, Crete and Strasburg. Sicily and Germany were great, Crete wasn't so great for scenery but the drivers were fine.
I always cycle like a crack head and find cars keep a biiiig distance when you look nuts! Works every time! Lol
One of the techniques you learn in advanced motorcycling safety courses is regularly changing your lane position (not exactly "like a crack head" but the sentiment is the same) as humans perceive objects moving across their field of vision much better than relatively stationary ones, and usually become aware and react accordingly.
Yes, I learned that ‘swaying’ when you bike really helps drivers see you better when I got clipped by a side mirror and nearly slammed into a light pole.
Oh so that's how it is? I usually swerve away quickly from "zig zaggy objects" when driving, by reflex. People, bikes whatever so long as it distracts my field of view.
look like you carry a big knife and people respect you
ozzyg82 works for me too!
Another factor to consider is how having more bike riders in an area makes it safer to be on a bike--there's safety in numbers for cycling. Helmet laws reducing the number of bike riders means that part of safety is lessened.
Rather my helmet hit the pavement than my head!
Rather neither
You are just as likely, per mile, to have a head injury walking as you are cycling, do you wear a helmet walking to the shops? (much rather my helmet hit the pavement when im walking than my head!), How about using stairs, probably a factor of 10 more dangerous, do you wear a helmet when you use the stairs?
I wear a helmet just for training, as I tend to go faster and in more dangerous roads, as for commuting I rather not use it.
The only time I have only come off my road bike I hit my head on the corner of a ceramic flower box. Had I not been wearing a helmet I would have had a head injury for sure.
Had you not been wearing the helmet, maybe you wouldn't have taken the risk which lead to you being in that situation, which would have caused you no injury at all.
I am a lifetime rider. Once I was doing some technical X-country in Arizona. I endoed, landed on some lava rock, and broke my helmet into two pieces.
Moral of your story: always wear your helmet, even in the shower.
DowzerWTP72 In this guys case it sounds like he was not purposely taking any risks outside of just riding his bike.
@@DowzerWTP72 that is a really dumb way of looking at it. That is like saying that you don't need to wear a seat belt because it will make you drive safer. There are a thing called accidents.
As a mountain biker I think my helmet has saved me from a lot of brain damage. I like being able to take more risks in order to ride more creatively and excitingly. Definitely agree that for a leisurely ride its not necessary but it gives you more freedom if you wear protective gear
I feel on my head my Helmet cracked and my head didn't so it saved my life
I crashed on my mountain bike recently and cracked my MIPS helmet. I sustained a mild concussion but without the helmet I might have serious brain injury or death. I won’t ride without a helmet but each rider should decide how much he values his brain.
Same here, I mountain bike, road bike and ride motorcycles, I wont get on two wheels without a helmet. I've put my head down on the road and it hurt even with a helmet on, I wouldn't want to experience it without a helmet on.
We're talking about commuting here. I also wear a helmet when I go mountain biking, and I drop slopes. But riding in a small sized city? ... eh no.
foxman105 Why not? It amazes me that people think they are safer in cities, rural or otherwise and at lower speeds. It’s got nothing to do with how fast you’re going and everything to do with the impact of your head. You ever stopped to consider how one punch victims of head trauma get brain damage just from falling down? It’s just an unnecessary risk to take.
Speed makes a difference in how you can fall. If you sit on a bike going maybe 10-15 km/h and do not lean over (which commuters mostly do not do, especially if they do ride bikes that encourage sitting in an upright position), your are not likely to fall head-first, but rather on the shoulders. Also, helmets are problematic when you do not want to keep them on while shopping, but also not hanging on your bike unprotected. I stopped wearing my helmet on the way to the bus stop for school because I could not leave it there on my bike and it would have been impractical to always carry around at school and in the bus...
Dover Ben 100% agree. My brother fell off a skateboard on a flat road and ended up with 2 bleeds on his brain and a few months on deaths door..
They are less effective than people think. You can protect your skull with a helmet, but still the brain can impact against the inside of the skull, which may lead to brain damage or death.
A couple of times I have been knocked down, not wearing a helmet, but it was other parts of my body that were injured. No helmet in existence stops you getting broken arms or legs.
There are basically no cycling lanes here and I refuse to cycle on roads with a lot of traffic and I don't care if people take issue with me for cycling on pavements. It's too dangerous for me on the roads, too many times I'm almost hit by cars when I cycle on the road, because drivers don't care when they are surrounded by the metal frame of a car and try to push me off the road or overtake me in a risky way. They expect cyclists to be slow and they hate that I am not, so they do stupid things to get past me. They put my life in danger, whether I wear a helmet or not.
I have been a cyclist all my life, it's not me that is cycling in an unsafe or reckless manner. I am careful and respectful to both road users and pedestrians, but many drivers are not.
Although I understand where you are coming from I do hope you understand why bikes are normally forced to drive on the road instead of the pavement?
And if I may ask, in what country do you live?
And indeed, people seem to think that helmets will safe you whatever happens, and if something happens and the helmet actually gets hit they act like they would have died otherwise 100% of the time if they didn't wear a helmet.
You've been very very lucky so far, next time it might not be so. You can't really compare broken arms & legs with broken skull/brain
'Zen Zero' It's too dangerous for me on the roads, so i'll live up to the entitled cyclist name and endanger pedestrians instead.
Smdcuo Live Maybe they should demand cycling lanes, so I'm not forced onto the pavement with the pedestrians. As I said I'm respectful to road users and pedestrians, I'm not putting them in danger.
You are not forced, you are making a decision to break the law (if you live in the UK). If you are unable to ride on the road you should not be on a bike.
Maybe they should demand cyclists be punished for being on the pavement??? Or maybe they should demand walking lanes, clearly marked and specially designed to ensure cyclists do not use them.
And you are not in any position to make the claim you are not putting them in danger. I could easily make the same claim, here. I drive everywhere at 50mph, don't worry though i'm respectful and i'm not putting anyone in danger. Bike's were banned from the pavement in the UK for being a danger to pedestrians.
No helmet is going to stop a lorry running over you.
Having said that I don't ride without one, and have had several crashes when the helmet has saved teeth, skin and more.
Living in Ghent, Belgium, a very bike friendly city, i don't even think of wearing a bike helmet.
American in Copenhagen Denmark where every road is accompanied by a bike lane there are also more bike paths than roads for autos here. No helmet for me at present.
paxwallacejazz Jup the same as in the Netherlands.
As a Dane, I think it’s because largely Danes follow traffic laws(obviously they’re a few who probably don’t) and I am not sure that’s the same in the UK.
Ren M. You know if bikes can be isolated from automobile traffic that's the solution so it doesn't really matter if you ocassionally have someone riding the wrong way most times of day in most circumstances etc.
I also live in Denmark and have been riding here for many years. Even though you're mostly isolated from cars due to bike lanes, I've seen plenty of accidents happen ON the bike lane with cyclists crashing into eachother, or into a post, or scratching the curve with their front tire or whatever reason, with some pretty bad results. A helmet doesn't only need to save your from certain death to be worth wearing. Concussions and bruises are also things that will ruin your day far more than wearing a helmet would. Just my 2 cents :)
lucky bugger, im in aus where drivers (not joking) often run riders off the road........... meth makes people angry and we've got alot of that :D
Mountain Biking can be pretty freakin' dangerous. But that's a choice, and usually with that choice one also chooses to wear a helmet. I certainly do, I also wear it in the city.
I do downhill MTB on occasion (mostly a road rider), I never wear a helmet for any cycling, wearing one simply makes you take greater risks and from that increase chances of a crash. There's a very good reason why injuries of MTB and road riders both casual and competition wise has not reduced since helmets became a thing.
ynotnilknarf39 You can control yourself well for sure, it's other people though that are the main reason why I choose to wear a helmet. Sure I've had crashes that were entirely my fault. I like to ride with speed when I mountain bike, it is certainly exhilarating but I tend to keep within my own personal ability, skill-wise and reaction time-wise. But just yesterday morning in fact I saw a guy in a pick-up turning left onto the road as i approached from his right. He looked at me, then he looked left and started going AS I WAS PASSING IN FRONT OF HIM. Missed me by mere inches. These are the idiots that make safety a top priority to me. I had light's on and he definitely should have known I was there. Baffling.
wussie.
@@triv7252 k big guy.
@@triv7252 Spotted the 5 year old.
Im 55 When I go out it's usually late at night after several beers, No headlamp but only on a bike path. No helmet but I bring my dog along for safety, one hand on the bars one hand on the leash.50yrs Strong.✌
i would rather hope you had a cycle light
I ride in a fast group - 10+ in our pace-line normally, so it makes A LOT of sense to wear a helmet. Helmets have saved several of my friends from smashing their melon into the pavement. I don't agree with the suggestion that people would ride more safely if a helmet isn't worn. I would ride the same way, I'd just be more likely to get seriously hurt in a crash. I almost always wear a helmet but am vehemently against their use being compulsory (especially by an entity that can't even balance a checkbook). Nice video.
Nice video on the topic of bike safety. The Dutch do indeed do a good job with cycling safety and I wish more countries and cities are like that
Cooltaha we (the Dutch) have an advantage that we have a cycle culture. Because of that cities and roads are all designed with cycling in mind. Changing cities that already exist and making them cycle friendly is much more difficult and expensive.
yes Derek,
Here in Cambridge, England - there's LOADS of cyclists from all over the world, most of them misbehaving (like I did when I was a student 20 years ago!)
The city council has since put in loads of bike lanes; even right now, there's severe traffic disruption as yet another cycle lane is constructed.
But, meanwhile, the existing roads and cycleways are falling to pieces - the city is disintegrating. Because it was all done on the cheap in the first place.
Totallly agree I was originally born in Netherlands (in U.K. now) and go back their quite often and the roads are a lot more organised especially for cyclists compared to U.K.. (but I still wear a helmet for my opinion)
+Derek Smit
The first Dutch official bike lane got created in 1896.
Dutch cities are a lot older than that, but even in the ancient centers of cities, the cities adapted.
I mountain bike and will always where a helmet as I crash often and have totalled helmets before. I would rather total a helmet than my skull
Helmets make a lot more sense for mountain biking than they do for transport biking. I wear one (a caving helmet as I own one of those) for non-trivial MTBing, but not for commuting.
Rally drivers wear crash helmets too. Off road it makes sense.
your skull isnt made out of foam.
Nature trails are the only place I've worn helmets since there are lots of opportunities to fall and lots of obstacles to run into on some trails.
All it takes is some oil on the road or a patch of ice. I always wear a helmet, and came off my bike just before Christmas on some ice. It happened so fast I got dumped on the floor and ended up with a concussion. My helmet probably saved my life; it had a deep crack through it. I don't see why given their availability you wouldn't choose to wear one. Forget cars and likelihood. If there is a chance that, as an exposed person I could come off and smack my head, I'm wearing one. My boss hit a pothole and went headfirst into a lamppost a few years ago. Fortunately he also had a helmet on...
I've found that being as big and visible as possible is the safest option.
I'm 6'4" I ride an upright bike and wear a bright red jacket, people can see me over cars.
I also use bright green pannier bags on both sides, the added width seem to stop drivers trying to get to close.
All of the lights, all of the time.
It's not a stylish look...
I always alert people to wear a helmet when cycling. I've been doing this for 30 years. I'm 58 years old and I had both hips replaced. Cycling has many, many health benefits. The main problem is weight. You wanna lose that flab, get on a bike every day. It will change your life. You feel better. The best part is you don't have to ride fast to enjoy cycling. Cycling also slows down the aging process. So, put the hammer down, fast or slow. :)
As per video, helmets do not really do anything helpful. They make things worst. The only thing cycling helmets do is line the pockets of the companies who make that fashion accesory.
I ride roughly 5000 km per year and helmets are completely pointless for me.
@@Diggnuts
Tell that to the doctor that treats your head injury. 🤔
My feelings for helmet is the same as for safety belt in car. I just feel unsafe with out it.
Yet you probably don't feel unsafe walking down a flight of stairs without a helmet.
Steen I feel unsafe thinking about so arogant people like you driving a car.
Why would I ever drive a car?
And why don't you care about your safety when you walk down a flight of stairs?
i feel unsafe walking down stairs that lack a rail.
People are so irresponsible these days, they just go about driving in their cars without helmets, walking down stairs without a helmet, just doing all these sort of stupid things like getting on a ladder and putting the christmas star on the tree without a helmet. What is the world coming to? And all because they think they look stupid walking around in helmets (they do but that is another matter altogether). All for the cheap thrill of free airflow around their heads.
You Brit's are crazy. Cyclist's shouldn't have to share the road with cars.
Learn how our British (aka English) apostrophe works.
Yes, cars should be abolished. But that's not on the cards, so let's live in the real world.
The roads were here before cars. The original car was really a motorised bicycle. The road network is unparalleled in its vastness. Be great though if there was an autonomous network. I'd rather safer, better roads, and less driving. And a push to take freight off the road (less the motorways) during the day. I live on a national speed limit road, where many cycle injuries take place. Cycling to the shops is a gamble. I used to cycle daily for at least twenty years of my early life - and the traffic frightens me - helmet or not. Result: less cycling.
Takanashi Yuuji - yes, in an ideal utopia, cyclists probably shouldn't have to share the road with cars, but here in the real world a bicycle can be a vehicle moving at 20 miles per hour or over. It makes sense to me therefore to ride with other vehicles on a street where car drivers are expecting to see cyclists and where pedestrians are expecting to see cyclists. I do not hold with the trend - in the UK - of encouraging cyclists to ride on the pavement (US: 'sidewalk') with pedestrians. A mum with a push chair or a toddler is not expecting to share space with a vehicle moving at 20 mph. I share the road with cars every day. The problem I have is not the cars. Its when pedestrians decide to step off the sidewalk and in to the road - assuming because they can not hear the roar of a motor engine - that the road is clear. This is more of a hazard for a cyclist in the small town I live in. I feel strongly that cyclists and pedestrians do not mix well and that cyclists should be accepted on the highway just like any other vehicle - slow or fast...but then I am just a crazy old Brit !
w1nchester32 why would separating bikes and motor vehicles lead to pedestrians having to share the sidewalk with bikes. Why not get a separate bike lane.
Most cyclists do not move at 20mph, look at the Dutch example. Cyclists in Britain ride at 20mph and more because they feel they have to integrate with motorised traffic to survive. Which makes utility cycling on city roads a competitive pursuit only suitable for a small demographic.
Even in the Netherlands, of which you stated that cycling is much safer, this discussion comes back every now and then. At the time I'm writing this, they started a pretty agressive campaign. It's irritating me. I'm a commuter and cycle 6500 km/year, mostly on separate cycling paths. These are absolutely safe.
I want to make a comparison with plant health care: first the workshop and the machines have to be designed as safe as possible. Only when conditions are still dangerous, workers have to wear helmets, gloves etcetera. Why don't we just approach traffic in the same way.
Bikes are not dangerous, cars are.
I think many people fail to realize people have hands. Nobody falls off their bike without putting out their hands first
Indeed. Wrist and arm injuries are the most common. perhaps they should have protection there as well, just like inline skaters!
I'll never forget when I saw a cyclist on the road lose his balance and got ran over BY A BUS. The bus' rear wheel was gonna hit his head and I instantly thought his head was gonna explode from the pressure. But the guy was wearing a helmet and the entire bus jumped, as if the helmet was one big rock on the road. A couple seconds later the guy just stood up like nothing had happened.
If that's not enough reason to wear a helmet I don't know what is
Damn, dude!
Dolan do you wear a helmet every time you are inside a car? Because you are more likely to suffer a head injury there than on a bike. Data matters more than anecdotes
Life is Awesome, that is a dumb comment. While it is possible that wearing a full face helmet would help in a car accident (although, I have my suspicion as to how often it would actually make a difference. I am also certain standard bike helmets would have little to no appreciable effect, simply because of the forces involved), it is undeniably proven that bike helmets do have a major impact in the event of a crash. The amount of risk a bike helmet mitigates while riding a bike as opposed to driving a car is massive. Therefore the comparison is meaningless.
Alaks McGregor everything you just raid about a helmet on a car, can be said about a helmet on a bike. You think people never suffer minor injuries in cars? You think a helmet will protect you from the weight of a lorry on a bike?
Life is Awesome Yes, as dolans comment just described, are you so anti-logic? Can you not read? You admit that a driver would be safer with a helmet, so you disprove your own argument. Difference is in a car there is much less chance of your head ending up under the wheel of another vehicle. You can quote bad statistics all you want, but you are comparing apples to oranges, and no one is falling for it.
Hi there I wear my helmet cycling all the time when I'm out for a short or long ride. If you want to wear a cycle helmet wear it if you don't then it's not a crime. But motorists think they own the roads out there they don't we have the right to be on the roads as well. So be careful out there on the public roads.
I hate wearing a helmet because it only covers the top of my head, i don't get how that should protect my head unless I'm going at extreme speed, hit something and go head first into a wall. In junior high I wore a motor cycle helmet because it felt more comfortable and covered the areas I worried about, my face and jaw. Too bad a full helmet was too hot and people act weird to it.
I sometimes wear a full face helmet when I'm riding my bicycle, though that's only when I am recording because I tend to take more risks, and I often ride along side cars. I go down hills and on some trails. People look at me funny, yes, but, I do not care. Me looking "Silly" is less important than my safety.
When I don't wear a helmet, I am x2 more careful when riding. (When commuting normally).
I even used to wear it on one of my electric scooter for the same reason, it was going at a reasonable speed too, so I preferred to keep it on. I have some videos about it if you don't mind having a look.
I live on the border of North and South Carolina. NC requires motorcycle helmets as well as bicycle helmets for those under 16 (no kids in my neighborhood comply). SC has no motorcycle or bicycle helmet laws. This said the peer pressure about bicycle helmets has a firm hold even in SC. Still yet people strap their $5,000 bikes to their $50,000 cars and drive to this region to ride in a circle on the weekend. Come Monday morning they are back in the car driving to work. One of the hurdles is changing the the public's perception of bicycles from sporting equipment and toys to transportation. One way I found to do it is sit upright with my head on a swivel smiling, making eye contact, communicating and 'looking human' . As opposed to hunched over fast and sleek and 'looking like competition'. As a mental test while driving and see a young child near the road most react with the foot on or over the brake plotting an evasive maneuver, then come to a cyclist the mindset changes to competition and hurriedly overtaking so as to get to the next red light first.
I only wear a helmet because it has my camera mounted to it (best place to mount the camera) .
Seb K I bet the camera helps persuade motorists to behave. I should look at getting one.
Seb K in Australia The police have decided that makes your helmet non compliant. I say the police have decided because there's nothing in the statues or the standards to say that. They've just taken it on themselves to issue fines.
Actually worse the camera can cause helmet to give way quicker and cause more damage to you
Please, please do not mount anything on your helmet. If the camera is hit this can cause extra neck rotational damage. Google search evidence.
gasdive, lights also? Since if they are only doing it with cameras, that would be suspicious.
Here In The Netherlands we don't wear Helmets..
If i were to use a bike in the UK, then i might wear one..
But overal you couldn't pay me enough for cycling in the UK..
Cycling in the UK is amazing brilliant in the countryside.
@@the-blue-barron2791 Yeah then i would do it yes.
However, cycling infrastructure within your cities that aren't developed for cycling i would skip that.
@@Zoza15 yes more money should be put into cycle friendly roads in the UK
Have been cycling since i was 6 fell of my bike plenty of times but never fell on my head.
I'm similar. Cycling for all over 30 years. Probably fell off well over 100 times in that period and hit my head once.
I was injured, as a cyclist, when a car pulled out of a side road and collided head on with me. The driver hadn't looked in my direction and hit me side on, rolling me up onto their bonnet. I have now purchased an air bag helmet that inflates out of a collar when it detects a collision. I feel this will offer better protection than a helmet and, because it is descrete, will not encourage drivers to come too close when passing. Any comments?
Thanks for this.
When helmets became compulsory in New Zealand I predicted both the increase in cyclist taking risks and the increase in motorists being more careless around cyclist with helmets.
There is however an additional consequence that I have noticed.
Certain drivers will almost attempt to assault a cyclist with their vehicle if the cyclist is not wearing a helmet.
They appear to think that they're kind of teaching the unhelmeted cyclist a lesson by nearly knocking them off their bike.
I've been in this situation as a car swerves toward me while the driver taps their heads.
those drivers should lose the driving license for endangering people.
Yep, @huepix I've experienced and seen that too, also with cyclists at night with poor illumination. There is not a healthy relationship between cyclists and motorists in NZ, especially with the media [mainly Stuff / Fairfax] fueling the negativity due to cost of the cycle ways upgrades in CHCH
Those drivers could be safety conscious cyclists also trying to teach a lesson.
@@ComputerRouter If you are a cyclist at night with poor illumination, I'd definitely be annoyed (although I'd be busy swerving away due to noticing you last minute, and hopefully not hit someone else in the process).
@@Gsoda35 like are they hunting humans?
Today I was in an accident. I traveled from Westminster to Finchley Central. On my way back to Westminster I head-buttet the back of a van and fell to the ground. I was so tired that my attention was not satisfactory. My head hit the car at around 10 mph and the helmet broke in numerous places. Apart from a number of scratches I was left untouched. I believe if I didn't have a helmet on, I would either be at a hospital with a serious head injury (I left a dent in the van's backdoor) or would be dead. I thank everyone who cycles with a helmet on for we are building a safe future.
The point is - you were too tired. There are a hundred ways this could have led to an accident not involving your protected head, but you got lucky!
Let's consider a mandatory cup of coffee (or energy drink, black tea ...) before riding a bike. I would be surprised if we couldn't prevent more accidents this way! If people can't even commit to a cup of coffee before riding, they're just not serious about it to begin with ... right? Right?!
10mph, denting a flexible(?) sheet metal, and serious head injury don't seem an intuitive match to me, but I'm willing to believe I'm overly optimistic.
It would have hurt, yes. Glad you're fine. Everyone cycles and drives while tired, everyone makes mistakes, that's why infrastructure should reduce the opportunities for mistakes to cause great harm.
As already said, you should not have had the accident. Another time you may hit someone walking around without a helmet, and do anything from killing them to crippling them. You dangerous driving behaviour has to be the first thing you address. Hard to know the exact facts in your case, but studies show people wearing helmets take more risks, which seems to suit your case. When you take more risks, you are not the only person who's risks you are increasing.
Two minor points. Your low speed/my helmet broke crash is typical. Because bike helmets are mostly for show. The use case is basically falling sideways to the ground as occurs with beginners, which is the case for training wheels. Everyone should at least handle an Original Bell hard shell helmet which was designed in accordance with real engineering principles and realistic cycling accidents in mind. While lighter and more airy than a motorcycle helmet, it is in that kind of range along with climbing helmets, white water helmets, football, and hockey helmets. If you are seriously expecting helmets to help you in collision with cars, you will need a lot of luck, but at the very least a helmet as serious as a football helmet designed for a collision between people.
It was your fault. You caused the accident and prevented yourself from injury. I choose to be safer than that, and I save money on crash helmets!
The argument isn't Compulsory Helmets V No Helmets At All.
"There are very good indications that [helmet laws] make cycling less appealing to people..." Why aren't solid numbers given here? What are the rates of non-cyclists who say they're take up cycling if only they didn't have to wear a helmet? Furthermore, how do we know that the people who choose not to take up cycling because of helmets aren't going to choose some other form of physical activity instead? It's hard to make a real comparison based on just what we're given here.
I think it also depends on how you're gonna be using the bike. I only exceed 10mph on straight clear roads but for the most part, I stay within 10mph. So, I don't really need a helmet. If anything, it obstructs my ability to breathe. If I am gonna go off road though, I'm always wearing a helmet. It's like driving in the end. If you're commuting to work, you go slow and only wear a seat belt as a protection. However, if you go racing, you're always gonna need a helmet. Same thing with bikes.
Edit: if you're gonna ride on fast roads you are going to have to go fast to try to match the speed of the cars or you're just more likely to be hit. However, I've never had that problem as I usually either take small roads or highways with a separate bike path.
I'm similar. When on the roads / cycle paths i don't wear a helmet. Even at 30+mph down concrete hills.
But when it's mountain biking and off road, i put one on as it's far more risky and a lot more surprises can crop up.
I won't ride without a helmet, nor will I drive without a seat belt. My choice, you should be able to make your own choice..
Exactly! Freedom is more important that safety. If safety would be a priority we would still be sitting on the trees.
But the arguments don't apply to driving. If seat belts make you feel less free and less likely to drive, that is actually a good thing. Also, a human body in a car accident is a projectile. You need to be secured in your seat so that you don't kill _other_ people.
If you want an analogy, say you won't ride without a helmet because you won't drive without a helmet. That is much more comparable.
Lubystka Olamonola yeah freedom is the priority in America. safety is second. trees third..
Seat belts are mandatory here in Brazil :-P .
I only wear seatbelts when I'm the one driving or if the car's over 80 km/h.
Own choice stops being yours when you become handicapped or die, and other people have to take care of your family and the responsibilities you can't attend to anymore. That's why some safety features like seat belts are mandatory. PS. I know you said you DO wear a helmet and so on, but this was directed to those who use the ''own choice'' line to avoid using safety measures
I had collision with a truck in 1982 before modern helmets were available, I landed on my head and cracked my skull which also destroyed the hearing in my right ear and left me with permanent tinnitus. Fast forward to last year when I lost the front wheel on wet leaves on a cycle path and head butted the floor again very hard, this time just my helmet was destroyed. Not scientific I know but I would never ride without a helmet.
David Thomas but most cheap helmets don’t really work in a collision. High-grade maybe
wow, finally a guardian piece i enjoyed. This video really shows the importance of basing legislation on well gathered statistics and not anecdotes.
I never wear a helmet and I still take a lot of risks
Cycling is love, cycling is life. Did a 171 kilometer tour de force last Saturday, it was a blast!
How in the world...
whanowa i could if i had the strenght but bruh
I did it as a relatively untrained cyclist. I only commute to work by bike. You can do it!
I really doubt that you did that
Feel free to. But I did it. 24 km/h average speed. 1260 meters altitude total, so a relatively flat route.
Don't suggest car drivers wearing helmets when in the same video you also say how wearing one increases risk taking behaviour! The last thing drivers need is more incentive to gamble with cyclist's lives!
It is pointing out the severe irrationality in most peoples decision-making process. People wearing helmets on bicycles makes bicycling seem dangerous and it is bizarre that people would wear one on a bicycle but not in a car. It is to the point now where you just cannot convince most people that with or without a helmet bicycling is safer than driving. Even though bicycling is undeniably unequivocably unarguably safer with or without a helmet. People are weird.
I'm not sure that cycling is safer than driving a car, in fact I am certain it is not. It depends what you measure. And this just goes for where I live. Cycling is a lot more dangerous per mile, and per hour, but few people spend anything like the number of hours on a bike that they do in a car. But on an annualized basis it is safer on a bike. This is where passionate cyclists need to pay attention, because if you are high hours/miles you are at a pretty severe risk.
I don't wear helmets most of the time myself, and I do think car drivers should be required to wear them in any jurisdiction where they are mandated for cycles.
I don't know how you would measure overall safety. I meant the risk of death. My bad. I have never seen an assessment of the bicycling risk of death vs. risk of death in a car which found that the risk of death wasn't higher in a car than on a bicycle in the U.S. calculated either deaths per 100,000 miles or deaths per 100,000 hours. In the U.S. the risk of death on a bicycle is astronomical compared to the risk of death on a bicycle in other developed nations but you are still less likely to die on a bike than in a car in the U.S.
If you spend three hours a day in a car vs. three hours a day on a bicycle you would still be more likely to die in the car.
I spend 2-3 hours a day on a bicycle 4 or 5 days a week at least and I was struck by a car while riding in the bicycle lane and very severely injured. I was unable to even walk for six months and I couldn't ride a bicycle for a year. But a year and a half later I did ride almost 1000 miles through Oregon and CA and I am now back to commuting by bicycle.
My hunch is that the risk of severe injury on a bicycle is almost exclusively the risk of being hit by a car on a bicycle. But there is no central source of data for bicycle injury like there is for bicycle deaths or car deaths and car injuries. I have never seen an assessment of the risk of injury on a bicycle vs. risk of injury in a car.
Ed sarcasm
I liked your comment and agree with it. But maybe he was plainly looking at the head injury data (the one that also would promote the usage of helmets for cyclists).
I am not a cyclist but I am an equestrian and I can almost guarantee that without helmets, I could be blind, brain damaged or even dead due to some accidents I have had. It only takes a bit of testing to find comfortable, breathable helmets that suit all conditions for your chosen sport. So while it may be slightly inconvenient, uncomfortable, uncool or annoying, your life is more important. And a helmet on your head does not automatically make you 10ft tall and bullet proof.
Mine saved me from hurting my head seriously
It wasn't mentioned anywhere in the video that that wouldn't have been so.
There was no data about people who get dissabled or other major health problems, because of not wearing helmet. Medical treatment and long rehabilitation process it takes lots of money.
You have internet. You even have a google account. Surely you can work out how to google information that you feel you need? This is a quick summary of the status on the matter. The status is the overall societal harm from cycling is Way way way way lower than not cycling when you consider the impact of reduced exercise. That considers all of the costs and risks of cycling in terms of accidents, deaths, inabilities etc.
The idea of a helmet is for it to take the brunt of the applied force, dent or shatter, leave your head with a smaller force. It reduces the force on you, much like how cars crumple and take the brunt of an impact.
I crashed just 5 days ago, with my shoulder and head bearing the brunt of the impact. The helmet was a total wipeout, but I was concussion-free and very thankful.
I support the move to promote cycling safety. Especially in our country which doesn't have the same cycling culture behaviour as Denmark, Netherlands or UK.
Helmets only stop you from cracking your head open. Helmets do not prevent concussions, so the fact you didn't get a concussion means either A. Low energy impact or B. Your shoulder took most of it.
@@Anon.G that's not true, helmets have padding which cushion the impact.
@@moel6304 you can't just make something up and pretend it's true. Helmets do not prevent concussions, this is a vérifiable fact.
@@Anon.G where's that verifiable fact from?
@@moel6304 all concussion research. All helmet manufactures. You've clearly done absolutely zero research. Helmets don't claim to prevent concussions, and that's because they aren't designed too and can't.
So, regarding to the resarch at 3:00~, if some kind of similiar test have been done among motorists who fasten their safe belts, presumably they would end up taking more risk than those who don't fasten. It is any cool?
I know a person who died in the Netherlands because she was not wearing a helmet, it was a situation where she was riding the bike slowly and had to do a turn, on a bike lane, off traffic, there was black ice on the lane, the bike slipped, she hits the head on the sidewalk and the head cracked open. Her brain got onto the asphalt. So I am not convinced that not wearing a helmet is as safe as wearing one. I think it is a matter of educating both people who ride bikes and people who drive cars and maximising the chances for the most vulnerable to survive (for instance the bike lanes in the video are ridiculously narrow and in immediate contact with the car traffic).
that “risk compensation” is really interesting. I do find i’m more careful on my fixed gear bike than on my road bike, the latter having better stopping power. And I vote for dressing for safety, cycling in a safe manner, plus I really want my tax payer money to add more and more cycling lanes in London, because they are great for safety and for reducing the overall annoyance level! :-)
In Germany we don't have to wear helmets as adults.
It does not mean you should not do it. Or do they sell New heads and brain in shops there?
Yeah the same in Austria
Was worried on how this would be spun. I’m glad they looked at this from all angles.
I got so used to wearing a helmet that I get paranoid that I'll crash if I don't :/
Cyclists without helmets are less of a risk to pedestrians, and surely that's a reason why the armouring trend should not be encouraged in cities. Car-free cities: that's what we want!
hear! hear!
Cyclists, with and without helmets.... are less of a risk to pedestrians than LIGHTNING is!
More people are killed or seriously injured by being struck by lightning, than by cyclists!
A weird, but interesting statistic given how there's a crazy paranoid perception over how "rogue cyclists are really dangerous to pedestrians!"
Agree, the bicycle helmet also limits side visibility and reduces awareness, so makes it hard to see/hear walkers at intersections.
michaelportell sounds like you're wearing a bucket.
weed is even safer :D
Excellent video. More proof that coercion (a law requiring people to wear bicycle helmets), even if it's well-meaning, has unintended consequences that defeat the intentions of the law. Want people to wear bicycle helmets? Try persuasion instead of coercion.
However, even I was surprised that auto drivers took more risks when the bicyclist is wearing a helmet. A very unexpected result!
That was tried in Denmark. It raised the perception of risk and caused a significant drop in biking in a country where biking was generally considered safe and pleasant. People started perceiving it as far riskier than it is. People don't perceive risk correctly so if you emphasise the risks of cycling by promoting helmets they get the distorted perception that it is more dangerous than driving or walking. Walking is about the same as cycling in terms of miles travelled. Driving is way way way more dangerous. So maybe the right thing is to emphasise at every opportunity how dangerous and socially undesireable driving is and cycling safety may get a much bigger boost.
Driving is somewhat dangerous, but hardly socially undesirable. When I bike, I feel like the odd person out, because so few people are biking in my city. Maybe biking will be safer when self-driving cars become prevalent.
It’s an important reason why all Dutch bicycle organisations are against mandatory helmet wear. Statistically, looking at deaths with/without a helmet, wearing a helmet could save a few lives, but at the risk of both cyclists and cars taking more risks. It sounds very counterintuitive, but it’s true.
So because coercion doesn't work, persuasion works better? I think you can do both personally.
Get refreshed on vector addition. Bicycle helmets are designed to absorb energy from the vertical component of a fall. If you hit a car door at speed, or hit head on by a car (one of the most common accidents) The energy produced will exceed The helmets resistance. So I wear a helmet when I race, commute, or mountain bike but it does NOT protect me from traffic hazards.
I watched this a few years ago and it really helped to ramp up my thinking on the folly of bike helmets. It wasn't simply this of course, but it combined with other sources. In fact I never wore helmets when I was a kid, no one ever did then in the 1970s, especially the kids, and after getting back into bikes six years ago, after many years of not having one and only rarely borrowing one on out of town trips, over the years, where friends often insisted I wear a helmet on their bikes, which I felt degraded by, I saw absolutely no reason to change my habits on no helmet wearing for bicycles. Two of the main lines of argument are touched on in this video; Risk compensation, and automobile closer passing. These are valid theories which by themselves alone turn the whole kneejerk mindset of helmets for bikes on it's head!
I just want to be able to make my own choices concerning my body.
Then gov should also banned smoking as it causes health problems. Also ban, alcohol because it cause family disunity and lead to other social problems. Also banned gambling for its notorious social decaying effect ..
I totally agree with the risk point. When I ride my mountain bike, and I put my helmet on, I instantly begin pushing myself harder, going faster and tackling more difficult terrain. Whereas when I ride my road-bike on the road, without a helmet, I am considerably less risky. I'll admit, often I don't stick to all the laws of the road, but when I do break them, I am careful (I won't just fly through a red light, I don't overtake recklessly etc).
Also, when I ride my BMX in the park, if I've got my helmet, I feel much more comfortable pushing myself to learn new stuff over when I don't have it on.
Most cycling injuries can be avoided if the cyclist doesn’t make any poor decisions, like making a right turn without looking or giving a hand signal or cycling on the left of a lorry
I appreciate this - I usually wear a helmet but the other day I forgot it-and when I left work colleagues (who all drive in) were so judegmental at he fact I was cycling without one. Sadly I feel until we follow the dutch example for cycling/pedestrian infrastructure our norms will be to this unhealthy tune.
It's amazing that people who do the thing that causes most death on the roads gets judgemental about people doing the healthiest and most responsible thing.
OMG YOU JUST WENT TO THE TOILET AND DIDNT BRING A HELMET, DONT YOU KNOW WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED?!?!?!?!
Maybe they were concerned for your safety.
I flew over the handlebars in a bike accident and landed on my knees and head. I walked away with no injuries other than minor bruising and scratches on my knees because I was wearing a helmet
Same thing for me, it basically destroyed my knees and I had a cranial fracture. I wasn’t wearing a helmet. Problem is it’s my face that took the shock, my chin and cheekbone hit the floor and the skull broke at the level of my forehead, so a helmet wouldn't have helped at all. The point is that it doesn’t matter at all, nobody said a bike helmet couldn’t help in some cases, everybody know it does (in about 50% of head traumas). That’s not the subject here. We’re talking about facts and studies of all the effects mandatory helmets are causing, not some random story of one person in a billion.
First step. People all over the world should first ride bicycles for a long time, before being able to get drivers license.
1. Wear a helmet. If you fall off for ANY reason (even something like hitting a rut or a slippery patch) and you hit your head it WILL protect you.
2. Build proper cycle lanes and cycle byways to reduce the risk of traffic collisions.
3. Encourage all riders to wear helmets from day one, then it becomes the norm and it should reduce this apparent will to take more risks (which I still don't think is necessarily true) and also could reduce any stigma against wearing them.
I am a commuter cyclist. Although I wear helmet regularly, I agree that it must not be forced. Individual cyclist can take their own decision.
This genuinely made me think. 10 minutes ago I would have said yes definitely need to wear a helmet on roads now though I'm not so sure!
metalmorgan you may aswell tho
Stick with your original instinct. You were right. This video is flawed.
The thing is, cycling helmet doesn't seem to be protective enough. You are still very much exposed. That's why it's only a little better than not wearing one. If you really want to be safe, then you should wear a motorcycle helmet.
Helmets properly saved my brain a couple of times in Aus. The common element was lack of driver awareness (both nice blokes who felt pretty bad about messing me up).
Lesson 1: I always wear a helmet in training/racing/hairy routes. Lesson 2: there'd be a lot more awareness and tolerance among drivers here in bloody 'straya if we could all jump in the saddle helmet-free for a gentle commute or a swing round to the shops.
Euro cyclists and drivers get along so much better
> Using extra protection in order to be more reckless. MFW this exactly matches my experience with being a healer in MMORPGs.
In my experience, cars overtake me much closer when I wear a helmet than when I don't.
Offroading & Long drives - *Helmets*
Casual Cycling near by distance - *No Helmets*
But either way *Drive sensibly in the 1st place*
If time is bad no can stop it from happening !
be Safe & Cautious 👍
Would there be worth separating city biking and touring/racing and look at the latter for helmet benefits?
Nice clip!