No Helmet

driftking

Wheel size expert
I personally know two people who stopped riding bikes when the mandatory helmet laws came in.
Mandatory helmet rules do and have discouraged the healthy activity of cycling.
What was the reason?
I'm going to bet it was stupid like a looks issue.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
IMO the people that say 'I would ride to the shops, get a coffee etc but I don't cause I have to wear a helmet' are talking complete crap. Given that people who regularly ride have their helmet somewhere accessible, putting the helmet on takes seconds. The people that use the mandatory helmet excuse are just looking for an excuse and will replace that excuse with another one - 'its hot', 'its raining', 'its cold', 'my hair gets messed up', 'i just had a shower'. Truth is only one excuse applies. If you can't be bothered to put on a helmet it is unlikely that you can be bothered to get on the bike ride it regularly.
So if someone else's POV differs from yours, its just bullshit right?

195 countries in this world, 2 of them think mandatory helmet laws are a great idea for adults.
 

ADD

Likes Dirt
So if someone else's POV differs from yours, its just bullshit right?

195 countries in this world, 2 of them think mandatory helmet laws are a great idea for adults.
Of course it's bullshit. Otherwise you'd be agreeing with them instead of having your own opinion.

All I know is a helmet saved my life and that's not just an opinion, it's fact.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Bullshit. More people riding bikes than ever. I find all this banter quite ridiculous, and agree with an earlier statement made - if it's too hard to put a bloody helmet on, you more than likely couldn't bebothered riding a bike anywhere anyway.
Out of interest though, i'd like to hear reasons why some are so passionately against wearing a helmet? aside from your pride as a free thinking adult being hurt, what is the big deal about slapping a lid on your head, even if it is just to go get some milk?
Can I take this as a serious request?

More people are riding than ever, BUT less were riding after the introduction of the laws.

Its way hotter in a helmet than without - in summer, when a group ride stops at our normal spots - easily more than half take off their helmets. thats a hassle, so people must be getting some benefit from removing them.

being treated as an adult isnt "pride". Personally, I work professionally, and immediately after take a helmet off, I look like thats exactly what i've done - and no combing or brushing will fix it- i'd love not to care, or to have different hair, but thats the way it is, so i wouldnt countenance a ride to anywhere before work.

Final - heat - it makes a huge difference - i am seemingly one of the rare, that go out on a hot day and take off my helmet offroad - rare in that i dont see many others out there above 30c - but heat is a very real stress on your body in mountain biking
 

MTB Pilot

Likes Dirt
Did the number of people driving cars drop when the compulsory wearing of seat belts became law? Did people not gain their drivers licence when they had to start wearing seat belts? Is this academic serious? I suppose he could find surveys to say that seat belt legislation and peoples vanity combined to stop people driving!
 

PINT of Stella. mate!

Many, many Scotches
Can I take this as a serious request?

More people are riding than ever, BUT less were riding after the introduction of the laws.

Its way hotter in a helmet than without - in summer, when a group ride stops at our normal spots - easily more than half take off their helmets. thats a hassle, so people must be getting some benefit from removing them.

being treated as an adult isnt "pride". Personally, I work professionally, and immediately after take a helmet off, I look like thats exactly what i've done - and no combing or brushing will fix it- i'd love not to care, or to have different hair, but thats the way it is, so i wouldnt countenance a ride to anywhere before work.

Final - heat - it makes a huge difference - i am seemingly one of the rare, that go out on a hot day and take off my helmet offroad - rare in that i dont see many others out there above 30c - but heat is a very real stress on your body in mountain biking


I ride quite often without a helmet. Particularly whenever I'm back home in the UK. Unfortunately, I've found that the added wind leaves my hair looking anything but carefully sculpted, so your 'perfect hair forever' argument fails.

Do you know what gets me hot? The sun (and pigtails).
Do you know what keeps the sun off my head? A helmet. It does quite the job at keeping me cool. Sure it gets stuffy but I find myself in no immediate danger of keeling over with sunstroke.

In fact. As soon as I've finished typing this post I will be going back outside into the roasting Kimberly sunshine where I shall be working in the sun, wearing a helmet. for the next couple of hours. Whilst it would be nice to work without it, it's probably going to help a fair bit if someone drops a spanner on my head. That's a fair trade off if you ask me...

Anyway, at the risk of stating the bloody obvious. You got your arse handed to you on a plate last week and managed to get the last thread locked when this argument reared it's head. it's probably not a good idea for that to happen again so don't go provoking another shitfight or you'll be copping a ban!
 

madstace

Likes Dirt
Personally, I work professionally, and immediately after take a helmet off, I look like thats exactly what i've done - and no combing or brushing will fix it- i'd love not to care, or to have different hair, but thats the way it is...
Wow, I can't believe we're here again, and considering it's only just related to the OP, it's bloody ridiculous. The quote above is a perfect summation of the "intelligence" behind the no helmet argument, and I hope this is the last we see of it. Only yesterday I had a big one, and while I thankfully didn't hit my head, the speed and damage elsewhere makes me bloody glad it was on my head. Again, there is no argument to the contrary, and I second the call to start banning those who suggest it, as they're only out to cause trouble.

To the OP, fines suck, and I definitely agree some fines are harsher than others, but I'm glad the law exists. It's weighty enough to convince those on the fence, or remind most of it's importance. To those it doesn't get through to, please stay off my favourite trails.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
I ride quite often without a helmet. Particularly whenever I'm back home in the UK. Unfortunately, I've found that the added wind leaves my hair looking anything but carefully sculpted, so your 'perfect hair forever' argument fails.

Do you know what gets me hot? The sun (and pigtails).
Do you know what keeps the sun off my head? A helmet. It does quite the job at keeping me cool. Sure it gets stuffy but I find myself in no immediate danger of keeling over with sunstroke.

In fact. As soon as I've finished typing this post I will be going back outside into the roasting Kimberly sunshine where I shall be working in the sun, wearing a helmet. for the next couple of hours. Whilst it would be nice to work without it, it's probably going to help a fair bit if someone drops a spanner on my head. That's a fair trade off if you ask me...

Anyway, at the risk of stating the bloody obvious. You got your arse handed to you on a plate last week and managed to get the last thread locked when this argument reared it's head. it's probably not a good idea for that to happen again so don't go provoking another shitfight or you'll be copping a ban!
So its been quite civil until this post, no?

Generally, very little sarcasm, no personal attacks - in fact,possibly this is the first post of the thread directed at an individual?

So if i'm provoking anyone, point it out, moderate it, and when personal attacks appear, delete them.

In the mean time, play the topic - I am.

madstace - its answer to a question - that is all, its a nice part of living in a democrcay, we can disagree - we can even argue, the reason there is another thread maybe reflects there are plenty of other people apart from myself who arent too fussed on the laws - feel free to disagree
 
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driftking

Wheel size expert
Can I take this as a serious request?

More people are riding than ever, BUT less were riding after the introduction of the laws.

Its way hotter in a helmet than without - in summer, when a group ride stops at our normal spots - easily more than half take off their helmets. thats a hassle, so people must be getting some benefit from removing them.

helmets have vents when you ride the air flow's through them. when you are stationary they don't get the same ventilation.Taking the helmet off is just a nice way to free up the hair a little, while it gets ventilation it still succumbs to the sweat. More so how much effort does it take to take off a helmet, I ride dh and with the D-ring style, now that takes what 3 times the effort of a click and a dh helmet still takes no time.

being treated as an adult isn't "pride". Personally, I work professionally, and immediately after take a helmet off, I look like thats exactly what i've done - and no combing or brushing will fix it- i'd love not to care, or to have different hair, but thats the way it is, so i wouldnt countenance a ride to anywhere before work.
Fair point, I can see the professional argument but if you get on a bike without a helmet your hair will still be messed up.

Final - heat - it makes a huge difference - i am seemingly one of the rare, that go out on a hot day and take off my helmet offroad - rare in that i dont see many others out there above 30c - but heat is a very real stress on your body in mountain biking


So by the same logic does a hat also make your head hotter? There are some style of helmets that do create more heat but these are the BMX bucket style, most other helmets like road or off road are light weight, plenty of vents and some have a small visor.

I'm not trying to start a e-fight or attack but the reasons here seem like lazy responses with a few minor weak statements thrown in to make it sound plausible
 
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hiredassassin

Likes Dirt
I told an old guy off this morning on my way to work about not wearing his helmet... he had it in a basket on the back of his bike... wasnt doing much good there i told him... he told me to do bad bad things to myself... which was expected i guess... some of them actually sounded a bit of all right !!!

I hope i see him again tomorrow too.... will give him another serve... helps to break up the morning commute ! i
Where's the 'like' button whne you need it?

I see this more and more these days in Syndey - people riding with helmets hanging on their bars or in a bag or not clipped-on(!). if you've got it, why not wear it!? Not to open a can of worms, but I also find these kinds of riders to be more likely to run red lights, talk on mobiles, swerve accross multiple lanes etc.
 

Trigger02

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I have to wear a helmet, it is really dangerous bunny hoping over cars at red lights, wall riding semi trailers and fighting cops with my num chuks
 

Ridenparadise

Likes Bikes and Dirt
While I like wearing my helmet (years on moto - it's no biggy to change to a MTB helmet), truth is there are stats showing people have stopped riding when helmet laws came in. There are also stats showing bike helmets don't protect against high impact trauma. As far as the personal issue of comfort and hairstyle, these are also valid points, if totally pathetic excuses. Perhaps the best argument for helmet use is the added safety in low-level trauma, like not getting your foot unclipped when the punter in front stalls on the downslope of a big log-over and you are up their clacker, or stalling and falling over in a really slow rock garden.

I prefer to wear mine, but I still don't support the nanny state enforcing helmet use.
 

dunndog

Eats Squid
Personally, I find it absolutely ridiculous to to use your hairstyle as an excuse to compromise safety. I went diving on the great barrier reef in september, and had to wear a stinger suit with my pregnant wife incase there were stingers. No suit, no dive. This selfish and statistically unfounded law was brutally imposed on us - free thinking adults living in a so called democracy mind you - brutally and without compromise. We looked pretty silly, and so did everyone else, so we didn't feel like we looked so silly. Didn't see a single one, but were we prepared to compromise the safety of ourselves and moreso our unborn child? Nope. There is no argument that you are safer with your helmet on than without it. What's the stat on crashes caused by having a helmet hanging on your bars vs. not?After all we we need hard proof that this is a silly idea and that the helmet would be serving you better on your head.
 

Fisher

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Personally I think the fact that it is law that we have to wear helmets is just the gov nannying us again. I'm entirely for helmets but entirely against the laws for them. Let people make up their own mind, or what's left of it if they decide to do any real riding without a helmet.
The amount of people I get coming in to buy a bike that don't know of the helmet laws or are put off when buying a helmet (or simply don't buy one at all) is surprisingly high. Hearing them complain about wearing a helmet shits me to tears.

Myself being the hypocrite I am wear a helmet entirely based upon the situation. For instance test riding a bike for 2 minutes at work I won't bother, sure I could come off at 5km/h riding around the shop or out the front and bang my head but I could just as easily trip and do the same thing. Most riders who would be doing any sort of offroad riding I would think would use a helmet out of common sense, I cant speak for road riders, not being one myself, but from the ones that I know I'd expect the same. And let's face it, we're never going to get BMX kids to wear helmets :crazy::crazy:.

Let us make up our own minds based on the riding situation and not slap a blanket law over everything.

Not to mention the cops who pick on mountain bikers at my local trails for not having a bell or reflectors due to more bullsh*t laws.
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
Let me put this to you all

If someone is on a bike and a drive hits them and they are killed.
Now if a helmet would have saved that person from the injury is the driver still sentenced for manslaughter or what ever the appropriate crime may be.

I mean by not wearing a helmet you are endangering your self but you could potentially be making a situation worse for someone else.

What happens in that situation?
 

Art Vanderlay

Hourly daily
Let me put this to you all

If someone is on a bike and a drive hits them and they are killed.
Now if a helmet would have saved that person from the injury is the driver still sentenced for manslaughter or what ever the appropriate crime may be.

I mean by not wearing a helmet you are endangering your self but you could potentially be making a situation worse for someone else.

What happens in that situation?
They won't ride without a helmet again......
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
They won't ride without a helmet again......
not sure if you are joking or miss read the questions. So to confirm what happens to the driver? If it would be a case of dangerous driving and bodily harm vs possible causing death. The issue is the deciding factor is the helmet. The driver cannot be at fault of the riders decision, but yet they must be accountable so how does the law now deal with these situations.
To further the complication, these things may be difficult to prove in some serious cases, Where the helmet may or may not have saved the life. In that case someone else's life (the drivers) could be ruined due to suspected injury without 100% proof and sentenced to a crime that may or may not have eventuated from the helmet.

Im curious to hear from the experts or those who are pro no law on this situation.

DK :)
 
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