Does anyone else think bike helmets are stupid?

Question

When I was growing up we didn't have "bike helmets," and we didn't need them. Doesn't it seem like if a kid is riding in such a way as to genuinely risk head injury, that the thing to do is change his riding habits? Kids wearing bike helmets just depresses me. What do you think?

I didn't mean to suggest that I have anything against people who wear them, or that I would belittle anyone..never! I just think the need for these helmets reflects the fact that we're moving so fast, and taking so many risks now, that we can barely remember a time when being a kid was actually kind of a slow and easy thing, and kids were mostly safe and carefree.

Answer 1

I think I know what you mean. when i was a kid i rode all over town.( med sized town) When i was 8 yrs old i rode to the store alone and wherever i wanted really . ( and my parents were very protective) It was the 60's, there was less traffic. less mischief and well, less bad stuff in the world. At that time no one had even heard of a bike helmet. but needless to say if i had had a wreck or collided with a car It probably would have killed me, Now if a kid falls over or gets bumped by a car the helmet will probably save the kid's life
So yeah, it depresses me too but then, it's not the bike helmets...... it's the scary place the world has become... not like when i was a kid and a kid could be a kid.
:(

Answer 2

Let me ask you these qustions:

1) How can something that is purposefully designed be stupid?
A helmet's purpose is to offer protection in the event of a crash, whether the rider is riding fast or slow. The helmet's design doesn't influence the rider to be reckless, rather,it reflects the rider's values of safety and precaution.

2) If helmets are not stupid, then how can it be stupid to use or wear one?
Wearing a helmet is like paying for insurance. You cannot predict when an accident will happen.You will only appreciate it when an accident actually happens. Even if you are very carefull, whether walking, driving, in your home, at work, in school, wherever, accidents can happen.That's why we pay for insurance,it protects us from suffering some of the conseqeunces of an accident. Helmets provide such benefits likewise.

3) If wearing a helmet is not stupid, then how can someone be stupid?
Actually, in some cases, stupidity can cause accidents. But being smart cannot prevent them. Even a stupid person doesn't want accidents. A smart person understands that he/she doesn't have to be stupid to suffer from an accident, this person takes precautions in order not to meet an accident.He/she uses protection so that in the event an accident meets him/her, he/she wont be sorry.

4) If there's no stupidity found in the helmet's purpose, usage, and user, how can it be stupid to ask such a question about helmets and stupidity?
Well, someone asked. But asking a stupid question doesn't spell out STUPIDITY,rather, ignorance.

Ignorance is the enemy here.Not dangers on the road or trail, not helmets, not the use of helmets, not the way people ride or ask stupid questions.

Answer 3

Sorry, we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. The population in the U.S. has grown rapidly in the last 30 years. This means more cars & more bikers on the road. 75% of all bike riders who die, die because of head injuries. Last year EMS treated 230 children for bike injuries in Ohio alone. Also, it is not the one time large head injury that causes the increased amount of dementia seen in those over 50, and the learning disabilities seen today in school age children. It is small repeated bumps that are causing permanent brain changes, not realized until it is way too late. Last, one only has to see a cracked helmet carried by someone walking away from a fall to realize just how important those helmets are for riders. You have to hand it to the person who invented the bike helmet though. It was made to look ugly on everyone.
Ride safe and remember that children will follow examples, not words. Mom & Dad, if your kids wear a helmet, so should you!

Answer 4

If you rode any kind of mileage, you would understand that bike helmets are cheap insurance. All it takes is a moments' lack of attention, and you're a drooling quad in a rehab center.

I ride and race several thousand miles a year, and I've broken a few helmets. If I hadn't been wearing, I probably wouldn't be typing this now. With the helmet, it was just one of those moments where I looked really stupid, got up, picked a little dirt out of the road rash, and moved on.

For the record, my crashes weren't during races when I'm going fast and taking risks, because then I'm 110% focused on what I'm doing. They were just riding around, relaxing, which is how kids ride all the time.

I won't ride without one, and my kids and grandkids would catch holy he££ if I ever caught them naked.

Do I believe in helmet laws? No, but any time I overtake a rider without one, I'm extremely wary while passing because I assume they have nothing upstairs to protect.

Answer 5

Stupid Bike

Answer 6

People who think bike helmets are stupid are stupid.

I'm sorry but whenever I pass some person riding on the sidewalk with no helmet I can't help but think dangit what a freaking idiot!! These types are the ones that make it so hard for real cyclists to gain rights and respect on the road!

Seriously if you want to ride a bike you need to take the responsibility to educate yourself and get a freaking helmet. Besides the helmet sheilds my true identity when I'm wearing my spandex!! Really, when I see my riding buddies in normal outfits just shopping at the store or what not it takes me a while of I know them I think hmmm that voice sounds familiar...ohhh Cathy hey! Didn't recognize you in normal clothes!

Answer 7

I have been a cyclist for 17 years now. The three helmets I have DESTROYED have all been while riding at a slow pace, not doing anything dangerous.

You are making a false assumption that only "dangerous" riders can crash, when the reality is very different.

So that mother of two riding along in the park with no helmet with her kids that are both wearing one? I wonder what a toddler will do when his mother's head is spilled onto the ground like a dropped Slurpee because she believed nothing could happen to her if she was riding slowly?

Or perhaps helmets are MORE depressing than that, right?

Answer 8

I see your point, When I was growing up, helmets were almost never used.

I would agree to teach them to ride safer, however since I work in the ER of a hospital, I have seen many more bicycle accidents where they weren't going too fast, but got hit by a car who wasn't paying attention, and they ended up in the ICU, or at the very least had several stitches and scars.

Even seeing all of that, I still have a hard time making myself wear a helmet =/

Answer 9

My then 13 year old son had a moment's inattention and rode into a drain. His head hit the drain's concrete corner. After I got the call, I went downstairs to find him in a pool of blood. The ambulance took him to the hospital. Fortunately it was not as bad as it looked. I went out and bought him a helmet (Bell) the next day. Now my family all wear helmets when we ride. Nothing like personal experience and lots of blood to make you see sense.

Answer 10

You say "helmets are stupid" and "when I was growing up... we didn't need them. " Here are some statistics for you:

- In 2001, nearly 314,600 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. Nearly half (47 percent) of children ages 14 and under hospitalized for bicycle-related injuries are diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.

- More than 40 percent of all bicycle-related deaths due to head injuries and approximately three-fourths of all bicycle-related head injuries occur among children ages 14 and under.

-Riding without a bicycle helmet significantly increases the risk of sustaining a head injury in the event of a crash. Nonhelmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders.

Source: http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm

I'm sorry to hear that helmets depress you. I can only assume you have similar issues with seatbelts, laws against drunk driving, and other things we "didn't need" in the past. If you insist on discouraging helmet use, please do so only in your own house, and not among other people's children.