How many people actually make their children wear helmets when riding a bike?

Question

My husband and I never wore them as a child (nor any of our siblings and friends)and we all turned out fine.

For the ones that make their children wear them, do you wear them too?

I'm not against it. We had a discussion about it with some other parents and wanted to know other people's opinions. We found that a lot of the parents that make their children wear them, won't wear them because they're "dorky".

Answer 1

Haha. I Never wore helmets for anything when I was a child. Dirt bikes, quads, whatever. A bicycle was the least of my parents worries. I will not make my child wear a helmet. If he wants to fine, but I will not force him. I think it would be completely hypocritical to make him. Honestly what is a little half helmet going to protect if he gets hit by a car? Not a damn thing. Or if he falls on his face? Again, it will protect nothing.

Answer 2

No, not all of the time. For me, it's very circumstantial. We live in a 5ish acre subdivision (6 houses and two empty lots) with a gravel "road" and "lane". (They're pretty short, only about a block each.) A helmet for riding around here seems pretty overkill, unless the kids start setting up ramps and jumps and all of that fun stuff. The same goes for the paved path around the perimeter of the parks and down the sidewalks by Grandma's house. I figure that if he's riding not much faster than walking speed, away from vehicle traffic, there's just not much reason to justify "wear a helmet." Under other conditions, though, I'll enforce helmet wearing until he's old enough to evaluate the situations himself and decide.

Answer 3

My younger son's birthmother lost her best friend to a bicycling accident, that likely would have been preventable if the friend had worn a helmet. She made us promise we would never let him ride a bike without a helmet, and after a few accidents where the kids have been hit by cars, we're glad to have extra authority, of sorts, on that rule. We never wore helmets, or seat belts, or any of those kinds of things when we were growing up, either, and we came out all right, but it was a different town, slower drivers, several feet of grassy space between the sidewalk and the road, more caution exercised all around, and there was a good bit of dumb luck that figured into that, too. Where we live now, it's not like that.

Answer 4

I never wore a helmet as a child either but I definately make my children wear them. Of course where I live it's the law. I've seen first hand what can happen to a child not wearing a helmet verses a child who is wearing one. I think it all depends on the way you feel about the topic but in my house helmets are a rule. My kids don't ride without one.

Answer 5

It doesn't matter if helmets are "dorky" if you're ok because you didn't wear them or if you don't wear them when you ride your bike.. It's our job as parents to protect them and sometimes that means doing things that don't seem fair. I'd rather my child feel dorky or think im a hypocrite than get her skull crushed.

Answer 6

I do. I know there are people who turn out find when they don't wear them, but I don't take that chance. I make my kids wear one especially since I have rode my bike and fallen on my head, if I hadn't been wearing a helmet it could've turned out much worse than just a headache. It's always a good idea to make them wear one. Kids may not think it's cool, but being safe is cooler than falling and hurting your self.

Answer 7

My husband and I bought my son a helmet and pads to wear, he wears them about 50% of the time. We aren't super strict, but if he's going to ride off with his friends down the street where we can't see him he needs to wear at least the helmet. Basically if we can't see him to say "watch out" or "stop" he should wear it. And I don't have a bike to ride, so I obviously don't wear one. Neither does my husband.

Answer 8

I have explained to my almost-three year old son that if I see him riding his two-wheeler without his helmet, then the bike is locked up until tomorrow. As he gets older, he will be taught that if I see him riding the bike without a helmet, it will be locked up until next birthday.

It only takes one accident to have a child whose brain is damaged from a very simple fall. I don't want that to happen, and my son, if he were able to speak in real sentences, would agree.

Answer 9

Yes, all four of my children wear a helmet when riding their bike, or on longer trips if they are in the bike carrier/seat. Yes my husband and I wear our helmets too. Dont want to take ony chances on anything happening to them, it only takes one bad accident for something to happen. good luck

Answer 10

I never wore them either, but my parents also never used seat belts with me. I've learned that it's always best to err on the side of caution, and do the safe thing. My son was hit by a car on his bike when he was 12, luckily, he suffered no brain injury. I'd rather listen to my kids BMG, then have to visit them in a brain injury facility for the rest of their lives.