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The Argument for How Getting Rid of Bike Helmets Actually Saves Lives
…just not yours
I'll shortly be moving out of New York City, and one of the things I'll miss the most is Citibike. I love being able to run quick errands while getting a little exercise; at the supermarket I buy only a few things at a time and go several times a week, rather than stocking up once a week, so that I have more opportunities to burn calories. I'm on a Citibike at least every other day.
Enter a caption (optional)I don't wear a helmet.
I started out wearing a helmet. I'm someone who takes careful steps to avoid injury in most areas in life, whether in martial arts training or when working with tools. I'm super careful with ladders, kitchen knives and heavy objects. When I started cycling four years ago, every cyclist I knew told me that everyone on a bike eventually has an accident and that a helmet is a must, and I listened.
But I quickly came to hate everything about the helmet. I hate wearing it, I hate having to carry it around, and now it's gathering dust on a peg.
Enter a caption (optional)So when I came across this "Should you wear a bike helmet" video by the Guardian, I wondered if I might find some validation for not wearing a helmet:
It hadn't occurred to me that doing away with helmet laws would encourage non-cyclists to cycle. One hundred on-bike deaths vs. 85,000 sitting-on-ass deaths is a pretty compelling comparison.
As for me not wearing a helmet, the only solace I found in the video is the example of the Dutch. Like them I cycle in protected bike lanes, at least as much as I can; Manhattan ain't Amsterdam and there are stretches where I have to pedal into General Population, where I'm out in the yard with the animals.
Should I wear a helmet? Yes. But the point is moot, as soon I'll be living in a rural area with zero cycling infrastructure, and any transportation I use will have four wheels.
Cyclists among you, do you wear a helmet? If so, how do you deal with the hassle?
If you don't wear a helmet, don't be afraid to speak up! The awesome thing about the internet is, commenters never judgmentally offer unsolicited safety advice.
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Next up: The argument for how making gun access easier saves lives.
I always wear a bicycle helmet ... and if I forget it feels very uncomfortable. Similar to the feeling of driving a car without a seat belt.
If someone is too lazy to not put on a helmet because of the inconvenience then they probably weren't going to take up cycling to begin with. I think the main barrier to cycling is infrastructure especially in the US. I ride only trails and paths only using the bike lane when it is especially wide and well taken care of.
Normally I'd agree w/ this, but our city recently got a bike-share program 2 years ago (similar to CitiBike) and I see riders daily on them everything from HS/College kids up to Retires. In the 2 years of daily site of them, I've only seen ONE person riding w/ a helmet. In addition I've seen a bunch riding on sidewalks (illegal here), riding on the wrong side of the street, or wrong way on a one way. All while not wearing a helmet, and I couldn't help but wonder how much of an increase of bicycle accident injuries have increased in our city.
In the context of a bike sharing program I think it does change the equation. I was thinking about it from a commuter/ fitness context of someone owning a bike. Requiring helmets by law isn't necessary. If someone wants to take that risk I think they should be free to do so. But as a point of safety and common sense I think helmets should be encouraged.
I was involved in an accident and my helmet saved my life. I always wear a helmet. But then I don't always roll on bike lanes and I tend to be an extra-careful cyclist.
As to how I carry it around, I usually tie it to my purse or my travel bag. It is sometimes a pain to carry because it tends to bump an hit things and people around me but I feel the benefits greatly outweigh the inconvenience.
There are many thousands of these "helmet saved my life" stories, but the death rate of cyclists does not fall as helmet wearing rates increase, so they cannot be true.
Or can read the data correctly. May be the maximum amount of riders are being saved by helmets and those that die are in such traumatic accidents that helmet or no helmet they were gonna die anyway.
Comment on I've been riding a bicycle for 64 years without a helmet or head injury. I won't start now.
I cycle in San Francisco and wearing a helmet has saved my life twice. Definitely the first time when I flipped over my bike head and slammed my head on the ground so hard I dented and cracked my Giro helmet. I think the best solution is to have vending machines that sell these sweet foldable helmets at each of the bike share stations so people still have convenience and safety - that's what these were designed for. https://www.ecohelmet.com/
Don't go bungee jumping without a bungee, don't go parachuting without a parachute, don't drive a car without a seatbelt, don't go cycling without a helmet. It's pretty simple.
Helments. I hate auto correct!
Well, I grew up in the sixties when we did not have bicycle elements. And today, though I have one, if I'm on a dedicated path for recreational use, I will sometimes still ride without one. However, I'm an "experienced" rider who has spent years prior, learning to ride without them due to being invented yet.
I am from the Netherlands, and I do a lot of biking. like most Dutch, I do not wear a helmet. I do not even know how protective it is. (it is mainly used by tourists I believe) What is actually protecting our cyclists, is the national attitude. If you hit a biker in my country, even if he or she disregarded the red light, you are in deep trouble unless you are a biker yourself. If you sit in your air conditioned car, protected from any external danger, you are supposed to give special attention and care to those who are on the road unprotected. That is what we all believe, especially if the weather is bad.
A few years ago, a friend of my daughter died, 17 years old, because he was on his bike and was hit by a car and wasn´t wearing a helmet. He was riding in a bike lane, but in the crossing the car hit him and his head hit the edge of the sidewalk. He was in the hospital almost for a week. If it is comfortable or uncomfortable is not relevant.
Hi Rain,
Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works has an interesting take on not wearing helmets. He says it best: https://www.rivbike.com/pages/getting-cars-to-scooch-over-and-helmets
I think I speak for everyone. Get the fu*k out. Not wearing a helmet is idiotic. Wow. You're so brave cause you don't wear one (I mean the readers commenting not author). Everyone may not die however there is considerable brain damage that can leave you permanently disabled just not "dead".
Unfortunately, helmets are pretty lousy at preventing concussion. They protect your head the same way egg cartons protect eggs - the shell is the part that is actually being protected not the yoke. Which means helmets do a good job of protecting your skull from fracture and puncture but little to prevent your brain from bouncing around in your skull resulting in a concussion. People should be made aware of this - helmets don't prevent concussion. That said, I've been in several accidents on both bicycles and motorcycles. In every accident, my head hit the ground (protected by a helmet). I gladly wear a helmet to protect the integrity of my skull any day. Your skull loses every time when competing with concrete. Though it is definitely a personal choice to wear a helmet, if you don't you're unwittingly increasing your chances of joining the ranks of the Darwin awards and make sure you're signed up to be an organ donor.
The herd always finds a way to thin itself out.
So what I'm hearing is if you live in a rural area where the greatest traffic comes from four wheelers, we shouldn't think that it's necessary to wear a helmet?
If I lived in a place with a very well established cycling culture like the Netherlands I'd be inclined to go without a helmet, but in the US, hell no. Car drivers frequently drive dangerously around bikers and can be downright aggressive in my experience. What helmets can do is rather limited though, better education and enforcement for both drivers and cyclists would likely be the most effective imo.
Stupidity at it's finest. Don't wear a seatbelt either. Fyi- while riding into work last month a tree branch came down in front of me and went right into my front wheel- went down hard after the fork snapped and my head hit the ground- I was wearing a helmet. At 20 mph, my rural crash would've been alot worse for you. I walked away.
Having now read the comments, I'm wondering whether most people actually looked at the Guardian video, and are just reeling off their prejudices and opinions, formed the thirty year propaganda campaign promoting helmets, rather than the evidence and the data. cyclehelmets.org
I was one of the first people to wear a helmet where I live, but then someone suggested that I check the evidence, and I've never worn one since. Helmet laws and propaganda have two effects: a reduction in the number of cyclists and obscene profits for those making and selling them, there is no safety benefit. All the long term, large scale, reliable evidence shows at best no reduction in risk from mass helmet wearing, and at worst an increase in risk. Helmets are a tax on the gullible.
Richard, you sound exactly like those who were against seat belts and airbags and your arguments have no merit except that is does indeed provide profit to those who make safety equipment. In return, consumers get something to help reduce the risk of injury. No, I don't think bike helmets should become mandatory since the overall rate of injury is very low, but to say they don't help with individual protection is just plain wrong.
I hate wearing a bike helmet. But I do. Because I've got a family depending on me. And I'm haunted by Michael Schumacher surviving years of helmeted 200mph F1 racing only to be stricken by a brain injury from falling over and hitting his head on a rock.
Believe it or not, Schumacher always wore, and was wearing, a ski helmet. His GoPro attachment perforated the helmet (and his skull) upon impact, by concentrating the blunt force in one spot.
Dan, you may think that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of cycling, but the evidence shows that they don't. cyclehelmets.org
Btw I grew up riding my bike all over town in the suburbs and a fair bit at college in a small city, and NEVER wore a helmet. Only started when I moved somewhere it's legally required and became a parent.
Same here. Not sure how I made this far 🙂
You can bubble wrap yourself all you want.
I don't wear helmets. Or steel toe boots. Or seat belts. Safety devices can create complacency. Stay sharp and never live in fear. Your time is coming.
I smashed a helmet in half with my head against a tree and walked it off, so yes, I always wear a helmet.
Helmets are designed to work by absorbing energy by deformation of the lining, and a helmet which has split has absorbed almost no energy and hence had very little effect. Take some polystyrene packing material and try crushing it with your fingers, difficult isn't it? Now try snapping it, easy isn't it?
@David Beck,
Why am I such a zealot? Because there are many times more zealots promoting helmets with myths, lies and propaganda. Get them to stop and I won't need to respond to their drivel. Did you actually watch the video?
There are hundreds of studies on cyclehelmet.org so unless you're a bit more specific, I'm afraid I can't comment on anything you've skimmed through without understanding it.
Your comparison of skull bone and polystyrene packing is possibly the most facile thing I've ever read by someone promoting helmets. Congratulations.
Why are you such a zealot?
Unlike running red lights through active traffic, skipping the helmet only risks the rider themselves, so I say skip if it if you want. Getting needlessly concussed to death just strengthens humanity's gene pool.
Actually, people who ride bikes regularly live on average two years longer and suffer less from all illnesses, so they are much more likely to pass on their genes than the rest of the population.
I had my one free head shot years ago while riding my bike. Since then I've always worn a helmet. It's no hassle as I leave it on my lock when I lock up my bike.
Ridiculous arguments against a proven method of lessening injuries. It's inconvenient - grow up. Falling from a stationary bike can result in injury. A moving one, anywhere, magnifies this. Free choice? Seat belt laws, drink driving laws, speed limits.
You might consider valid, scientific, evidence based position "ridiculous" but some of us prefer science and data to opinion. Cycle helmets have never been shown to reduce the risks of cycling, despite more than twenty years of data from Australia and New Zealand helmet laws.
If it is a question of making helmets mandatory, I will side with people having the right to choose. Like our no helmet laws for motorcycles, it is a law for people with nothing to lose. People with sense will realize that it doesn't take a vehicle involved to have a life altering crash. Other cyclists, inattentive pedestrians and one's own carelessness can cause a crash just as easily. As for me and my brain, we like a good, sturdy helmet.
While I can only agree with your position on compulsion, your assumption that helmets save lives is mistaken, and all the long term, large scale, reliable, scientific evidence shows that they don't.
I always wear a helmet in NYC and practically ride Citibike everyday. The helmet I use is a foldable one (Overade) which I acquired online (made in France).
All of you are completely wrong. Even though I wear a helmet always because I bike on roads with cars here in Texas where cycling infrastructure is non existent and cars hate you. I don't own a car even though I'm an Automotive Technician lol. I also live in the Houston suburbs, one of the most spead out places on Earth it seems lol. That being said the only reason I wear a helmet is because of cars. When I travel to Europe with my bike, the helmet stays at home. That's because if you are traveling at leisurely speeds, which I do while bike packing, you are more likely to sustain a neck injury with a helmet than a head injury without. Helmets are only necessary because of all you dumb cars. That's why less the 1% of Dutch cyclists wear helmets. All of you are clueless. Obviously descending wear a helmet, MTB probably wear a helmet lol, congested US city streets probably a helmet, but quit judging others for not wearing one or their choice for doing so because all your baselines for cycling saftey are based on complete misconceptions to begin with.
Did you really suggest that cycling is safer because fewer people die than in car accidents?
Perhaps you ought to do some research? Cycling has about the same risk as walking, and there is no scientifically valid evidence to show that helmets reduce that risk.
I think your argument of having to lug one around is part of why many don't wear one. Also I hear many say that if the accident is bad enough to need one do I really want to walk away. There are helmets now that have a slot for your ulock, which is what I use. I cycle from Brooklyn to Manhattan 6 days a week and I enjoy wearing a helmet. Even at low speeds hitting a pedestrian or getting door'd could cause me to miss some serious time at work and not having a helmet would make it worse. The bike lanes in NYC are almost pointless given the amount of trash, pedestrians not looking, and taxis/rideshares popping into them for pickups and dropoffs. It's much safer to hold your own and take a lane for yourself at a moderate pace. The law technically considers you a vehicle and you do not at any point need to be in bike lane.
In the city, I do not wear a helmet. First off, I think it is up to the person riding if he/she wants to wear a helmet. Its their life in their hands and if they want to ride without for whatever reason that may be, then let them have that choice. Don't yell out "wear a helmet" or "where's your helmet?". When I ride on the trails on my mtb, I always wear a helmet, when I ride my road bike, I always wear a helmet. But for me, riding in the city is my transportation choice. I ride everywhere I need to go. For me, I choose not to ride a helmet when riding to and from work because its a lot lower risk. I am on a bike path and going lower speed. The bigger thing behind my reason is similar to the dutch way of thinking. If everyone had to ride a helmet, there would be even less people riding bikes. Its one more reason to keep someone off a bike is the danger factor. By wearing a helmet, its putting this picture out to the public that this is an unsafe activity. Meaning, you want to try this? Because if you do, you WILL get hurt. But that's just not true. Yes, accidents happen, but they do with everything we do. Driving, walking, running. Biking should be portrayed as an "everyone can do it" mode of transportation. This is just the case in Europe, where bikes are not all about sport, but for a mode to get from A to B in the fastest way across the city. If more people didn't wear helmets, I think it would give the impression to more people that its something they could do as well!
Would a 3d printed helmet be better ventilated on low resolution print settings. I always sweat so much under the helmet, that I feel like a wet seal.
So again, this is about real safety education (for both cyclists and vehicle drivers, considering the Risk topic) versus having to carry around your helmet and mess a little with your hair. I would really like to ride without it for comfort and looks, but I´ll wear it anyway, even on the safest road in the world.
I'm really interested about why you would wear a helmet where riding is perfectly safe, when helmets don't reduce risk?
If I went on rides around my neighborhood, I used to not wear a helmet. Then I got into Mountain Biking and you have to wear a helmet. Then shortly after that a friend died in a mountain biking accident, while wearing a helmet. Now it's hard to ride around my neighborhood and not wear a helmet. Cities are great for bicycling; suburban areas not so great. Everything is far, and streets are congested. I ride on sidewalks a lot.
I wear a helmet anytime I ride but I do agree that bike helmets aren't the most attractive thing to wear and can be bulky. My helmet is strapped to my backpack or on my bike when not in use.