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Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

bikebiz.com

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Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#481

Post by stjohnswarts »

somewhereoutth wrote: post #71
throwawayhelmet wrote: post #44

Okay, true story. Years ago I struggled with this exact logic regarding skiing with helmet. After serious consideration I decided to start skiing so carefully that I do not need a helmet. As you may guess at this point, The very first day I left my helmet home, I got into an accident and got a skull fracture. I started using my helmet again after that. (But another safety related thing I have started to really doubt.…

I suspect skiing was invented to cull the clumsy (and the simply unlucky) from the ranks of the rich.

I had this exact talk with my rich buddy in high school once 15 years ago :) . He was heading for a ski trip that my family couldn't have afforded in my wildest dreams.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#482

Post by watwut »

nerdponx wrote: post #263
alephxyz wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not if a car hits you head on, but if a car cuts you off or clips one of your wheels a helmet will be useful.

A bike helmet has literally saved my life in multiple such occasions.

No post body was provided.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#483

Post by watwut »

GuB-42 wrote: post #99
wzdd wrote: post #20

This is a pedicab service. A cynic would assume that Pedal Me is mandating this (and thus putting their drivers at risk) because passengers are more nervous about taking a service where the driver wears a helmet and they do not.

So why not do the reasonable thing and provide passengers with helmets, like they do with motorbike taxi?

It makes the activity look dangerous. I do perceive motorbike taxi as more dangerous then, say, car.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#484

Post by yucky »

progman32 wrote: post #470
yucky wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>...we take their board from them, until they show up with one. I'm confused what this means. So you steal their board? Or are they borrowing/using someone else's board and they forfeit the right to use it?

Presumably, like stealing someone's car keys if they're trying to drive drunk, or taking someone's stick on the city streets if you're one of Louis Rossman's crew in NYC and the perp is going around smashing stuff ;)

I think your presumption is illogical, since you take someone's car keys to stop them from committing a crime and harming/killing others.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#485

Post by progman32 »

ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #461
pengaru wrote: post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> then why are helmets not recommended for car passengers, people showering, changing a lightbulb etc Strawman much? car passengers: airbags and seatbelts are in direct conflict with and superior to helmets. people showering and changing lightbulbs are not traveling at speeds exceeding a walking pace in an orientation predisposing them for a head/facial impact for hours at a time. The full-face helmet I wear is heavi…

People do still receive head injuries from car collisions even with airbags and seatbelts, so it's reasonable to think that wearing a car helmet would provide additional head protection - it's certainly common in motorsport. I'm trying to compare activities that have a significant risk of head injuries (and deaths) with cycling and yet PPE is very rarely mentioned for them.

Perhaps those activities _should_ be discussing helmets.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#486

Post by pengaru »

ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #461
pengaru wrote: post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> then why are helmets not recommended for car passengers, people showering, changing a lightbulb etc Strawman much? car passengers: airbags and seatbelts are in direct conflict with and superior to helmets. people showering and changing lightbulbs are not traveling at speeds exceeding a walking pace in an orientation predisposing them for a head/facial impact for hours at a time. The full-face helmet I wear is heavi…

People do still receive head injuries from car collisions even with airbags and seatbelts, so it's reasonable to think that wearing a car helmet would provide additional head protection - it's certainly common in motorsport. I'm trying to compare activities that have a significant risk of head injuries (and deaths) with cycling and yet PPE is very rarely mentioned for them.

Motorsport doesn't use airbags and has a steel tubular cage exposed directly to the occupants, the helmet is mostly for protecting from impact with the cage AIUI.

All those grease monkeys driving around with aftermarket cages in their cars and not wearing helmets are actually less safe for it. The last drag strip I was at wouldn't even let you run if you had a cage and no helmet to accompany it.

Airbags and no steel tubes next to your head change the calculus completely.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#487

Post by rhinoceraptor »

ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #367
323 wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the polystyrene which cracks, but the plastic shell holding it in place. The separation will happen after the compression force is removed, because the compression will keep the split parts close together. Meaning that the helmet falls apart after it's done the job. Also, there are various degrees of helmets, from a simple polystyrene to a mountain bike one to a motorcycle helmet. You can always go to the ne…

The pictures that I've seen of the various "saved my life" destroyed helmets have the polystyrene split apart - it's usually quite easy to split polystyrene if the force is applied the right (wrong) way. I don't like the concept of requiring PPE for a relatively safe activity as cycling as it makes cycling seem like a far more risky activity than it is and there's also the problem of "helmet hair" which can dissuade…

Also, the average person likely drives much more than rides a bicycle, so they're much more likely to be injured in a car accident. But no one would suggest mandatory helmet use for drivers, even though that would likely prevent many times more deaths and injuries than mandatory bicycle helmets.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#488

Post by bagels »

rhinoceraptor wrote: post #474
spankalee wrote: post #272

I once saw an accident where a cyclist going straight through an intersection was hit by an oncoming truck turning left that was impatient, didn't see the cyclist and gunned it between cars. The cyclist was launched headfirst into the bumper of a car stopped at the light and her helmet loudly cracked in two. She was still hurt, but I'm sure she would have died without that helmet. If some riders choose to not wear a…

Should drivers also be required to wear helmets? Driving a car is itself unsafe, motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of TBIs.

That's what airbags are supposed to help with, thankfully.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#489

Post by toast0 »

shkkmo wrote: post #453
toast0 wrote: post #437

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Race car drivers are at a lot higher risk of a collision, spin, vehicle fire, or rapid disassembly in general than general traffic. And in many forms of racing, they usually go significantly faster than general traffic too. Helmets, neck restraints, five point harnesses, and flame retardant suits all reduce risk of injuries, and would likely reduce risk in general traffic as well, but the risks seem low enough that t…

> And in many forms of racing, they usually go significantly faster than general traffic too. Yet, lethal TBIs are more likely to come from motor vehicle accidents than from bicycle accidents. > the risks seem low enough that the expense (including time to equip) of that additional equipment is too much to justify its general use. Yet, somehow this argument is deemed irrelevant when helmets for bicycles are discussed…

> Yet, lethal TBIs are more likely to come from motor vehicle accidents than from bicycle accidents.

Is that per mile, per minute, or per lethal TBI? Also, is a collision between a bicycle and a motor vehicle a motor vehicle accident or a bicycle accident?

Of course, bike helmets protect against more than just brain injury. They also protect against road abrasion of some portion of the head, which is not usually a factor for car occupants, except if they're ejected or they're in a car that rolls over and doesn't have an roof or an effective roll bar.

Bike helmets are much lower expense and hassle than car helmets (which are mostly motorcycle helmets) and neck restraints, etc. If it's a public use bike system, especially the leave anywhere bikes, the expense and hassle gets overwelming, and helmets for customers of a pedal cab would be similar.

I've got a bike helmet with integrated lighting, which adds functionality and is kind of neat, although it was much more expensive than a good enough helmet.

Re: Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons

#490

Post by Widdershin »

jasonkester wrote: post #475
rollcat wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Background: I do downhill longboarding as a hobby. > If some riders choose to not wear a helmet [...] ...we take their board from them, until they show up with one. This sport is almost completely unregulated (outside of official events), but somehow the community has developed an incredibly strong culture of keeping both yourself and the others around you safe. I guess something about being a niche sport, perhaps a…

What do you suppose happened to the rest of skateboarding that pushed it in the opposite direction? Watching the olympics this summer, it was amazing to watch the street skating events with none of the competitors wearing any sort of protective gear. And it’s not like they didn’t need it either. They were getting wrecked in falls to the point where some of the couldn’t even finish the competition. It was nuts watchin…

You wouldn’t generally exceed 15mph street skating. Competent downhill skaters can reach 50mph+, with world record speeds exceeding 80mph.

That alone makes safety gear much more essential for downhill.

In addition, if someone shows up to a spot without adequate gear, crashes and badly hurts themselves, it can cause the spot to be blown for other riders. Downhill skateboarding is much easier when you’re on the good side of local residents and police.

Also, since DH communities tend to be very small and tight-knit, if someone gets hurt you hear about it. I’ve personally witnessed multiple incidents leading to broken spines, countless minor injuries, and have had one friend die while skating. Either you take safety seriously or pay the piper.

There are more factors than this, would probably make for an interesting sociology dissertation.

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