PSA: Remember to wear your bicycle helmet

[tp4tissue]

If you have proper infrastructure chances of crashing are almost nonexistent.
I ride an upright city bike (Dutch bike) and the only times I fall down are in winter on black ice. But even then I have never hit the ground with my head.
Unless the foam in your helmet is compressed or wouldn't have made a difference.

That being said though,
Of you ride a road (racing) bike at speed or a mountain bike on twisty off-road paths the do wear a helmet please. Those are conditions where there is little you can do whenever you fall down.

you mean bike lanes ? why couldn't you fall in a bike lane?

[iri]

Had a motorcycle accident about 10 years ago.  Not sure if the helmet saved my life, but it sure as hell saved my face.  You will never forget what pavement speeding past your face at ~40mph looks like.

Been there, done that. At 40 km/h though. And without a helmet.

[JaccoW]

If you have proper infrastructure chances of crashing are almost nonexistent.
I ride an upright city bike (Dutch bike) and the only times I fall down are in winter on black ice. But even then I have never hit the ground with my head.
Unless the foam in your helmet is compressed or wouldn't have made a difference.

That being said though,
Of you ride a road (racing) bike at speed or a mountain bike on twisty off-road paths the do wear a helmet please. Those are conditions where there is little you can do whenever you fall down.

you mean bike lanes ? why couldn't you fall in a bike lane?

Why do people fall? Bad weather, uneven ground and collisions with other vehicles.
You van eliminate the last two with proper Dutch style bike lanes because they separate cyclists from other traffic. Less potential contact points means less crashing.

For comparison: London cycling paths... are really not that great in that regard. And neither are most North American cycling lanes because the local car drivers don't know how to deal with them.

[tp4tissue]

If you have proper infrastructure chances of crashing are almost nonexistent.
I ride an upright city bike (Dutch bike) and the only times I fall down are in winter on black ice. But even then I have never hit the ground with my head.
Unless the foam in your helmet is compressed or wouldn't have made a difference.

That being said though,
Of you ride a road (racing) bike at speed or a mountain bike on twisty off-road paths the do wear a helmet please. Those are conditions where there is little you can do whenever you fall down.

you mean bike lanes ? why couldn't you fall in a bike lane?

Why do people fall? Bad weather, uneven ground and collisions with other vehicles.
You van eliminate the last two with proper Dutch style bike lanes because they separate cyclists from other traffic. Less potential contact points means less crashing.

For comparison: London cycling paths... are really not that great in that regard. And neither are most North American cycling lanes because the local car drivers don't know how to deal with them.

Hrrrmmm..

well... America in particular will never bother with proper bicycle lanes..

I drive to anything over 150 meters.. 


London is narrow, so it's not like they're gonna widen all the roads..

[JaccoW]

If you have proper infrastructure chances of crashing are almost nonexistent.
I ride an upright city bike (Dutch bike) and the only times I fall down are in winter on black ice. But even then I have never hit the ground with my head.
Unless the foam in your helmet is compressed or wouldn't have made a difference.

That being said though,
Of you ride a road (racing) bike at speed or a mountain bike on twisty off-road paths the do wear a helmet please. Those are conditions where there is little you can do whenever you fall down.

you mean bike lanes ? why couldn't you fall in a bike lane?

Why do people fall? Bad weather, uneven ground and collisions with other vehicles.
You van eliminate the last two with proper Dutch style bike lanes because they separate cyclists from other traffic. Less potential contact points means less crashing.

For comparison: London cycling paths... are really not that great in that regard. And neither are most North American cycling lanes because the local car drivers don't know how to deal with them.

Hrrrmmm..

well... America in particular will never bother with proper bicycle lanes..

I drive to anything over 150 meters.. 

London is narrow, so it's not like they're gonna widen all the roads..

Come on TP, challenge the statuts quo.

[HoffmanMyster]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

[digi]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

Yea JD did a great job on that one..If he's trolled before that post, I've never seen it!

[hwood34]

God damnit I'm an idiot. Oh well, can't get it right every time...

[iri]

If you have proper infrastructure chances of crashing are almost nonexistent.
I ride an upright city bike (Dutch bike) and the only times I fall down are in winter on black ice. But even then I have never hit the ground with my head.
Unless the foam in your helmet is compressed or wouldn't have made a difference.

That being said though,
Of you ride a road (racing) bike at speed or a mountain bike on twisty off-road paths the do wear a helmet please. Those are conditions where there is little you can do whenever you fall down.

you mean bike lanes ? why couldn't you fall in a bike lane?

Why do people fall? Bad weather, uneven ground and collisions with other vehicles.
You van eliminate the last two with proper Dutch style bike lanes because they separate cyclists from other traffic. Less potential contact points means less crashing.

For comparison: London cycling paths... are really not that great in that regard. And neither are most North American cycling lanes because the local car drivers don't know how to deal with them.

London doesn't even have many cycling paths. Most of the cyclists here are on the roads. And every bicycle rental point advises them to take the middle of the lane to avoid collision with cars.

[Leslieann]

If you have proper infrastructure chances of crashing are almost nonexistent.
I ride an upright city bike (Dutch bike) and the only times I fall down are in winter on black ice. But even then I have never hit the ground with my head.
Unless the foam in your helmet is compressed or wouldn't have made a difference.

That being said though,
Of you ride a road (racing) bike at speed or a mountain bike on twisty off-road paths the do wear a helmet please. Those are conditions where there is little you can do whenever you fall down.

I feel more safe going down a fire road at 45mph than I do riding through some areas without bike lanes.

The sad part is, if you wear a helmet on these roads, the cars just come closer. A recent study showed cars avoided bicyclist by an extra foot and a half if they were not wearing a helmet. Also guys... If you look like a woman riding from behind, cars will notice you more, unfortunately, not a joke.

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

Montana only 74% of people wear them, South Dakota can't even break 70%, and for teens, subtract another 15-20%. By comparison, California (highest in the country) is almost 98% seatbelt use.*  So while he might be trolling, there is a hell of a lot of people who don't use them.

*based on 2013 study, rates have been trended up but these were the latest I could find easily.

[iri]

there is a hell of a lot of people who don't use them.

To die quickly and easily, avoiding getting bankrupt over hospital bills.

[Leslieann]

To die quickly and easily, avoiding getting bankrupt over hospital bills.

Not one study I've seen has put what you said in the top 10.

The most common reasons: comfort, being thrown clear, "seatbelts hurt in a crash" (wtf), "airbags protect me", not going fast enough (25mph can kill you), "I'm a safe driver" (forgetting the other person is not, and that they actually suck), fear of being trapped, "my parents never wore them", "Messes up my clothes"(seriously?), and of course the obligatory "BIG GUBMENT!".

[vivalarevolución]

If you have proper infrastructure chances of crashing are almost nonexistent.
I ride an upright city bike (Dutch bike) and the only times I fall down are in winter on black ice. But even then I have never hit the ground with my head.
Unless the foam in your helmet is compressed or wouldn't have made a difference.

That being said though,
Of you ride a road (racing) bike at speed or a mountain bike on twisty off-road paths the do wear a helmet please. Those are conditions where there is little you can do whenever you fall down.

you mean bike lanes ? why couldn't you fall in a bike lane?

Why do people fall? Bad weather, uneven ground and collisions with other vehicles.
You van eliminate the last two with proper Dutch style bike lanes because they separate cyclists from other traffic. Less potential contact points means less crashing.

For comparison: London cycling paths... are really not that great in that regard. And neither are most North American cycling lanes because the local car drivers don't know how to deal with them.

North American cycling lanes are terrible.  We slap most of them next to busy traffic lanes with only a solid lane line, and it does not make the cyclists feel safe.  In order to increase cycling, the lanes need to be built in a manner that make cyclists feel safe.  It's almost like the cycling infrastructure was designed by people that never ride bicycles.

Now I'm probably not giving the city enough credit, because I live in a place that has roads solely built for cars, not cyclists or pedestrians, so it is difficult to implement this stuff after the fact in very spread out metropolitan areas.  Most of our cities just were not built for cities.

[iri]

North American cycling lanes are terrible.  We slap most of them next to busy traffic lanes with only a solid lane line

There's often not even a line on the British cycling lanes.

[engicoder]

Going back the original vein of this thread, the cousin of a close friend was recently taking a casual ride on his bike without a helmet. He hit a hole, went over the handle bars and hit his head. He died in the hospital 3 days later. He was the father of 2 you children.

[jdcarpe]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

Actually, I wasn't trolling. I would never wear a bike helmet, but I don't do anything risky on a bike, either. Commuting on a bike in West Texas would likely get you killed, so no one would even think about it. I always wore a full face helmet when I rode a motorcycle, because it just makes sense.

And I don't wear a seatbelt, because I refuse to do something just because the government tells me to do it. It doesn't hurt anyone else for me not to wear the seatbelt, so stay the **** out of my business, government. I've been in several automobile accidents, both while wearing a seatbelt, and not. The one time I was slightly injured was from the seatbelt tightening and bruising my chest.

[HoffmanMyster]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

Actually, I wasn't trolling. I would never wear a bike helmet, but I don't do anything risky on a bike, either. Commuting on a bike in West Texas would likely get you killed, so no one would even think about it. I always wore a full face helmet when I rode a motorcycle, because it just makes sense.

And I don't wear a seatbelt, because I refuse to do something just because the government tells me to do it. It doesn't hurt anyone else for me not to wear the seatbelt, so stay the **** out of my business, government. I've been in several automobile accidents, both while wearing a seatbelt, and not. The one time I was slightly injured was from the seatbelt tightening and bruising my chest.

:|

So when you go flying out your windshield all to make a statement, you're not worried about the family you're leaving behind?

[demik]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

Actually, I wasn't trolling. I would never wear a bike helmet, but I don't do anything risky on a bike, either. Commuting on a bike in West Texas would likely get you killed, so no one would even think about it. I always wore a full face helmet when I rode a motorcycle, because it just makes sense.

And I don't wear a seatbelt, because I refuse to do something just because the government tells me to do it. It doesn't hurt anyone else for me not to wear the seatbelt, so stay the **** out of my business, government. I've been in several automobile accidents, both while wearing a seatbelt, and not. The one time I was slightly injured was from the seatbelt tightening and bruising my chest.

:|

So when you go flying out your windshield all to make a statement, you're not worried about the family you're leaving behind?

Literally cringed at that.

But hey, you can't ever say jd isn't consistent with his government hate (well at least not the government he wants).

[beehatch]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

Actually, I wasn't trolling. I would never wear a bike helmet, but I don't do anything risky on a bike, either. Commuting on a bike in West Texas would likely get you killed, so no one would even think about it. I always wore a full face helmet when I rode a motorcycle, because it just makes sense.

And I don't wear a seatbelt, because I refuse to do something just because the government tells me to do it. It doesn't hurt anyone else for me not to wear the seatbelt, so stay the **** out of my business, government. I've been in several automobile accidents, both while wearing a seatbelt, and not. The one time I was slightly injured was from the seatbelt tightening and bruising my chest.

L M A O

You complain over the seatbelt injurying you because of the force it applied to you to keep your ass from being ejected. I mean, if you would rather be ejected from your car, please carry on not wearing a seatbelt. Please don't act like it doesn't save lives though, my god man.

Government doesn't want me dead?!!? Well **** you government! Not wearin' meh seatbelt!

[Fire Brand]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

Actually, I wasn't trolling. I would never wear a bike helmet, but I don't do anything risky on a bike, either. Commuting on a bike in West Texas would likely get you killed, so no one would even think about it. I always wore a full face helmet when I rode a motorcycle, because it just makes sense.

And I don't wear a seatbelt, because I refuse to do something just because the government tells me to do it. It doesn't hurt anyone else for me not to wear the seatbelt, so stay the **** out of my business, government. I've been in several automobile accidents, both while wearing a seatbelt, and not. The one time I was slightly injured was from the seatbelt tightening and bruising my chest.

:|

So when you go flying out your windshield all to make a statement, you're not worried about the family you're leaving behind?

Everything Hoff said.

And in my own words

U dumb JD this time, you get a darwin award for that sound logic

[beehatch]

Serious question...outside of racing or off road riding, why would your head ever come in contact with the ground? If my body ever approached the ground, I think my neck would keep my head from slamming into the ground. I'm not a rider of bikes since I was young, but I never wore a helmet.

FYI, I don't wear a seatbelt in the car, either.

JD pls

HE. IS. NOT. SERIOUS.

I know.    That's why I gave a half-hearted "joking" response rather than a big explanation about how important those things are, etc. 

It was more "JD pls stahp trolling" than anything else.

Actually, I wasn't trolling. I would never wear a bike helmet, but I don't do anything risky on a bike, either. Commuting on a bike in West Texas would likely get you killed, so no one would even think about it. I always wore a full face helmet when I rode a motorcycle, because it just makes sense.

And I don't wear a seatbelt, because I refuse to do something just because the government tells me to do it. It doesn't hurt anyone else for me not to wear the seatbelt, so stay the **** out of my business, government. I've been in several automobile accidents, both while wearing a seatbelt, and not. The one time I was slightly injured was from the seatbelt tightening and bruising my chest.

:|

So when you go flying out your windshield all to make a statement, you're not worried about the family you're leaving behind?

Everything Hoff said.

And in my own words

U dumb JD this time, you get a darwin award for that sound logic

To be fair, we should really wait until he's ejected to give him the Darwin Award.

(Not to be mean, but technically...)

[jdcarpe]

I will wear a seatbelt when the government repeals the law requiring it. Until then, my silent, deadly protest continues unabated. My family will understand in the event of a tragedy.

[Fire Brand]

I will wear a seatbelt when the government repeals the law requiring it. Until then, my silent, deadly protest continues unabated. My family will understand in the event of a tragedy.

Rebel

But seriously are you that hung up on the fact that your ruling body requires you to wear it by law

[jdcarpe]

But seriously are you that hung up on the fact that your ruling body requires you to wear it by law

Yes

you can't ever say jd isn't consistent with his government hate

[iri]

I will wear a seatbelt when the government repeals the law requiring it. Until then, my silent, deadly protest continues unabated. My family will understand in the event of a tragedy.

What if your government told you not to jump in a well?

[jdcarpe]

I will wear a seatbelt when the government repeals the law requiring it. Until then, my silent, deadly protest continues unabated. My family will understand in the event of a tragedy.

What if your government told you not to jump in a well?

Ask Baby Jessica that question.

[iri]

I will wear a seatbelt when the government repeals the law requiring it. Until then, my silent, deadly protest continues unabated. My family will understand in the event of a tragedy.

What if your government told you not to jump in a well?

Ask Baby Jessica that question.

Oh dear, her story is a smaller version of the Oak Island treasure hunt.

Anyway, I hope you stop depending your actions on what your government does.

[jdcarpe]

Anyway, I hope you stop depending your actions on what your government does.

Honestly, it's not something I even have to think about. Opposition to Big Government is my natural state of being, and Semper Paratus is my motto.

[demik]

Anyway, I hope you stop depending your actions on what your government does.

Honestly, it's not something I even have to think about. Opposition to Big Government is my natural state of being, and Semper Paratus is my motto.

lmao

[jdcarpe]

Anyway, I hope you stop depending your actions on what your government does.

Honestly, it's not something I even have to think about. Opposition to Big Government is my natural state of being, and Semper Paratus is my motto.

lmao

Laugh it up, fuzzball.

[tp4tissue]

Anyway, I hope you stop depending your actions on what your government does.

Honestly, it's not something I even have to think about. Opposition to Big Government is my natural state of being, and Semper Paratus is my motto.

lmao

Laugh it up, fuzzball.

carpe for Trump 2016 ?

[jdcarpe]

carpe for Trump 2016 ?

#NeverTrump

[tp4tissue]

carpe for Trump 2016 ?

#NeverTrump

Bernie is good for everything  except a smaller government..

If anything, they're all still pro-big-government..  but IMHO bernie is more so.. than trump / hillary.

[xtrafrood]

carpe for Trump 2016 ?

#NeverTrump

Bernie is good for everything  except a smaller government..

If anything, they're all still pro-big-government..  but IMHO bernie is more so.. than trump / hillary.

#BuyTrumpPotatoChips2017

#BernieIsTheManHeDoesntKnowItYet

#HillaryLaughsAboutTheMostRandomStuffAllTheTime

[27]

With multiple (7) concussions, I can attest to the fact that helmets are essential.  My life is much harder than before I suffered my 6th and 7th injuries two years ago.  Don't turn you brain into mush like mine, wear a helmet.



I should mention that I was wearing a helmet in all of mine and would likely not even be here if not for that.

what caused all these concussions ?

1. Biking, front wheel caught in a hole and I flipped the handlebars.
2. Snowboarding, caught an edge and smacked the back of my head on an icy patch.
3-5. Not really sure, but probably hockey.
6. Hockey, slid into the boards going way too fast.
7. Hockey, I was hit and was down.  Got clubbed in the side of the head with a hockey stick, and that's what I remember for the next week or so.

[xtrafrood]

With multiple (7) concussions, I can attest to the fact that helmets are essential.  My life is much harder than before I suffered my 6th and 7th injuries two years ago.  Don't turn you brain into mush like mine, wear a helmet.



I should mention that I was wearing a helmet in all of mine and would likely not even be here if not for that.

what caused all these concussions ?

1. Biking, front wheel caught in a hole and I flipped the handlebars.
2. Snowboarding, caught an edge and smacked the back of my head on an icy patch.
3-5. Not really sure, but probably hockey.
6. Hockey, slid into the boards going way too fast.
7. Hockey, I was hit and was down.  Got clubbed in the side of the head with a hockey stick, and that's what I remember for the next week or so.

Your biking incident is exactly what happened to me on my road bike. I had a basket on the back of the bike. Damn thing hit me in the back of my head.

[27]

With multiple (7) concussions, I can attest to the fact that helmets are essential.  My life is much harder than before I suffered my 6th and 7th injuries two years ago.  Don't turn you brain into mush like mine, wear a helmet.



I should mention that I was wearing a helmet in all of mine and would likely not even be here if not for that.

what caused all these concussions ?

1. Biking, front wheel caught in a hole and I flipped the handlebars.
2. Snowboarding, caught an edge and smacked the back of my head on an icy patch.
3-5. Not really sure, but probably hockey.
6. Hockey, slid into the boards going way too fast.
7. Hockey, I was hit and was down.  Got clubbed in the side of the head with a hockey stick, and that's what I remember for the next week or so.

Your biking incident is exactly what happened to me on my road bike. I had a basket on the back of the bike. Damn thing hit me in the back of my head.

Show Image

Ouch, even worse than mine.  I just landed hard and at a weird angle.

[xtrafrood]

With multiple (7) concussions, I can attest to the fact that helmets are essential.  My life is much harder than before I suffered my 6th and 7th injuries two years ago.  Don't turn you brain into mush like mine, wear a helmet.



I should mention that I was wearing a helmet in all of mine and would likely not even be here if not for that.

what caused all these concussions ?

1. Biking, front wheel caught in a hole and I flipped the handlebars.
2. Snowboarding, caught an edge and smacked the back of my head on an icy patch.
3-5. Not really sure, but probably hockey.
6. Hockey, slid into the boards going way too fast.
7. Hockey, I was hit and was down.  Got clubbed in the side of the head with a hockey stick, and that's what I remember for the next week or so.

Your biking incident is exactly what happened to me on my road bike. I had a basket on the back of the bike. Damn thing hit me in the back of my head.

Show Image

Ouch, even worse than mine.  I just landed hard and at a weird angle.

I wouldn't say that. I flipped over the handlebars after my bike stopped but I someone managed to not hit my head. The basket was the worst part of my incident. Damn basket.