No Helmet

[two_dogs]

I commute 3 days per week on my roadie. I left my helmet on the bench in the changeroom and got halfway home. I freaked out a bit when I realised. It was as far back to work as home and most of the rest was on cycle paths so kept going. I was more uncomfortable about lack of protection than the fine (but didn't get picked up)

Andrew

 

[D_Nine]

I know 3 guys that would likely be dead or wearing nappies now if not for helmets,one of them can't driver for 6mths due to a brain hemmorage (spelling ?). You may only need it 0.0000000000000000001% of the time but shit you better hope it's a good one ! My cars got airbags but I still wear a seatbelt.

 

[Dozer]

If it can be shown that more people would ride bikes if the mandatory helmet law were repealed, then why not? It's not like you still can't wear your helmet and I suspect many people would still choose to wear one (myself included).

More bikes on the roads would mean greater awareness of bikes from other road users, more pressure on governments to improve bike related infrastructure (bike lanes etc.), less traffic congestion and improved health for the former driver or pedestrian who now cycles more. The benefits of repealing the law outweigh the disadvantages IMO.

Also, an interesting article on helmets attracting cars if anyone is interested.

I'm finding it hard to believe that some people do not ride bikes because of the helmet law but if that is the case and people take to the road without a helmet because the law is thrown in the bin then I reckon it would attract a massive backlash from other walks of life. Motor bike riders would claim their helmet use law is stupid and get on the bandwagon, people driving cars would claim their seatbelt is useless....the list goes on. This country is already massively over padded with rules and liabilities, undoing any of the seemingly over the top laws would give so much ammo to the do gooders out there who think it is their given right to make some noise via social media and create more ridiculous issues for crap newspapers to publish.
More bikes would be great but educating the non bike riders will be and still is the major problem. More awareness would be generated with more bikes but it would also mean more accidents as some people just don't get it and will still drive around with their pecker heads up their arse and not respect other road users.
As for that article, his findings are showing a result but seriously, do you picture people driving around and subconsciously driving closer to a bike rider because he has a helmet on? Surely the guy doing the research has a few roo's loose in his top paddock.................

 

[MTB Pilot]

I know 3 guys that would likely be dead or wearing nappies now if not for helmets,one of them can't driver for 6mths due to a brain hemmorage (spelling ?). You may only need it 0.0000000000000000001% of the time but shit you better hope it's a good one ! My cars got airbags but I still wear a seatbelt.

Well said! I wasn't going to wear my helmet when I was about to go on a long ride one day years ago (before I became a Paramedic), because it was too hot. My Mum caught me about to ride out the gate without it on, and insisted I wear it. Less than an hour later, I was hit from behind by a driver doing 80kph by his own admission. I ended crashing into his bonnet, going up onto the windscreen and knocking his sun visor off and going over the ute and onto the road behind. I only broke two back teeth, lost a lot of skin, had an a tear in a ligament in a knee and had migraine headaches for about four years after.

Having an accident never occurred to me that day, and the benefits of wearing a helmet never crossed my mind, but having seen what I've seen as a Paramedic for nearly twenty years (mentioned for those who may not have caught an earlier reply of mine to this post), I'm so thankful my Mum caught me before my ride.

If someone survives an accident and they do unfortunately acquire a brain injury, life is going to be forever changed for them, depending on the degree of their injuries. My experiences of dealing with post brain injury patients, and how their lives are post accident means the subject of helmets is one I'm very keen to talk to people about.

I'm really sorry if reminding people of my job and experiences, makes people roll their eyes, but I'm really convinced of the value of helmets. Yes people can choose to break the law and ride without a helmet for whatever their reasons are for not wearing one, but they need to ask themselves whether their reasons for not wearing a helmet is worth the potential outcome of not wearing one! Untidy hair compared to be being fed, washed, not moving properly (if at all!) talking through a computer, years of therapy, having their house adapted to cater for them, financial hardships for peoples families, not being able to play with their kids and the list goes on and on. Is it really worth not wearing a helmet for sake of untidy hair etc?

The experiences of my job will stay for me for life, and I can recall actual jobs like they were yesterday. Driving past scenes where I've attended accidents doesn't mean anything to others, but they do to me. Please! Please! Please! for those of you who don't believe in helmets, can you please have a re-think about wearing them. They may not save you every time, but like D_Nine said, you may only need it 0.0000000000000000001% of the time.

I'm not an alarmist, just a realist!

 

[akashra]

I'm finding it hard to believe that some people do not ride bikes because of the helmet law ...

You know what stops me riding more?
Getting my jeans/trousers stuck in the chain.

You know how often that is a bigger concern than the decision of whether or not to wear a helmet?
Always.

Not wearing a helmet isn't even a consideration. I just don't do it. And I'm pretty averse to getting on a bike without gloves, to be honest.
Not getting on the bike because I don't want to destroy another set of pants, or get thrown over the bars when everything gets caught in chainring teeth? That's a problem someone needs to solve.

 

[Dozer]

You know what stops me riding more?
Getting my jeans/trousers stuck in the chain.

You know how often that is a bigger concern than the decision of whether or not to wear a helmet?
Always.

Not wearing a helmet isn't even a consideration. I just don't do it. And I'm pretty averse to getting on a bike without gloves, to be honest.
Not getting on the bike because I don't want to destroy another set of pants, or get thrown over the bars when everything gets caught in chainring teeth? That's a problem someone needs to solve.

Duct tape. It's fashionable and it's a big hell yeah to society saying to them that yes, you do carry duct tape and because I do so in public it clearly shows I am not the man suspected of muting people and kidnapping them. Seriously, would I show my duct tape wares in public if I was a kidnapper?

 

[MARKL]

+1 to Dozer and MTB Pilot's comments.

The arguments for no helmet are about as good as the arguments I remember hearing as a kid about seatbelts 'ya stick ure arms out an brace for tha impauct, its tha same...'

 

[Hamsta]

Wear a helmet. It may save your life and other people a lot of heartache. I had a huge crash, on the road, quite a few years ago and the specialists. were adamant my helmet saved me from becoming permanently brain injured. I wasn't 'riding to the shops 200m away' however you never know the how/what/when/if's in life. Bad stuff can happen in the blink of an eye.

Consider wearing a helmet the same as locking up your bike when you ride 200m to the shops, or riding with correct tyre pressure. I shudder most times I notice someone riding without a helmet, especially when I see parent's who fit a helmet on their kid but neglect to wear one themselves.

$176.00 is probably going to sting the bank account, but it is designed to send a message.

 

[Johnn]

$176.00 is probably going to sting the bank account, but it is designed to send a message.

Proves that if you ride a bicycle without a helmet you could be fined. So don' t piss off a cop or come across a pissed off cop while not wearing a Helmet.

In NSW you could take it to court but if you can't get off under a Section 10 (proved but no conviction) you would end with a fine, court costs and a government imposed levy used for compensation for the victims of crime. If the beak reduced the fine to $50.00, court costs and Victims Compensation Levy will take it over $200.00 in addition to transport to and from court and loss of salary or wages while you're there.

If you decide to take the high moral ground, or you are too poor to pay, the unpaid amount will be sent to the State Debt Recovery Office and an extra $50.00 added and if you have a drivers licence , it will be suspended until it is paid or when the SDRO says you are making a real effort to pay it off. If you still want to remain on the hight moral ground, it can get very uncomfortable.

So don't be poor or be prepared to suffer for what you believe.

 

[MARKL]

Ooohh look it appears helmets may help...who'd of thunk it? From Bike Radar...

"A new study from Illinois Neurological Institute and Bradley University found what most cyclists probably already knew — bicycle helmets are effective to prevent or minimize injury in a crash. Scientists found that helmets can reduce acceleration of the skull in a crash by as much as 87 percent."

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/new-study-details-why-helmets-prevent-injury-35498/

 

[Hamsta]

You know what stops me riding more?
Getting my jeans/trousers stuck in the chain.

You know how often that is a bigger concern than the decision of whether or not to wear a helmet?
Always.

Not wearing a helmet isn't even a consideration. I just don't do it. And I'm pretty averse to getting on a bike without gloves, to be honest.
Not getting on the bike because I don't want to destroy another set of pants, or get thrown over the bars when everything gets caught in chainring teeth? That's a problem someone needs to solve.

Could you tuck your pant leg into your sock? If your socks of choice are not 'long' enough, wrap the bottom of your pant leg tight around your shin and secure with a simple velcro strap above the ankle. This method works a treat for me when I am riding in cargo pants. I used the velcro strap off a roll of combination spanners that went into a toolbox.

 

[driftking]

Could you tuck your pant leg into your sock? If your socks of choice are not 'long' enough, wrap the bottom of your pant leg tight around your shin and secure with a simple velcro strap above the ankle. This method works a treat for me when I am riding in cargo pants. I used the velcro strap off a roll of combination spanners that went into a toolbox.

Could just change pants....

 

[Hamsta]

Could just change pants....

Oh...yes you could. I like riding in cargo pants if commuting in Autumn and Winter as they are 'loose' and reasonably durable in the event of a crash.

Pants in chain ring, is this part of the reason why I see riders wearing girls black jeans?

 

[driftking]

Oh...yes you could. I like riding in cargo pants if commuting in Autumn and Winter as they are 'loose' and reasonably durable in the event of a crash.

Pants in chain ring, is this part of the reason why I see riders wearing girls black jeans?

Haha. No idea how people ride in those jeans. Have you seen the pIcture of the the bmx rider who tore his sack? It's so messed up his jeans were tight and it created some pulling/friction. His testicle is hanging out its so messed up I almost threw up.

Lucky for me I ride dh so I wear my pjama tld's

 

[Hamsta]

Ouch. No, I haven't seen this photo and by the sounds of it that is a good thing.

 

[dunndog]

Not the greatest analogy. Bring your own gear and dive without a suit. You have a choice still. It's not law. The dive crew just don't want to be sued.

Yeah, I know that. Not sure if you got the jist of my post. anyway.Good article from bikeradar, I can't believe people get paid to do research on these kind of topics to reveal results like 'if you eat heaps of potatos you will get too full to eat any more'.