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Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

gearfinder.bicycling.com

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Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#91

Post by Rapzid »

Confusion wrote: post #26
Rapzid wrote: post #2

With massive deceleration at the core of the problem I don't see how anything more than incremental improvements in mitigation can be achieved with a sufficiently thin helmet..

The army faces the problem of massive deceleration and new solutions for tank armor are being thought up constantly. Those solutions are also required to be sufficiently light and thin (while stopping the much more massive deceleration of rockets and bullets).

So a cyclist crashing their head into a tank would not suffer a concussion?

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#92

Post by mmariani »

ozten wrote: post #86
3pt14159 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't wear a helmet and I ride in downtown Toronto. Helmets save lives, but they also make motorist treat you differently. Also, they don't really save that many lives. Cycling without a helmet is safer than walking (kilometer for kilometer) and safer than being in the passenger seat while a new driver is driving.

> but [helmets] also make motorist treat you differently. The biggest threats from cars in my experience is when the driver doesn't know you are there.

Not only yours, in my too. That's why I always try to make eye contact with drivers, and when that doesn't work yelling always does the trick. Another thing that improved my safety was installing lights on my road bikes.

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#93

Post by judk »

whyenot wrote: post #66
awjr wrote: post #31

As a space for cycling campaigner ( http://www.cyclebath.org.uk ) helmet articles are an interesting problem that tend to identify cycling as a dangerous activity without extolling the health benefits of cycling itself. In places like New York, where their Citi Bike scheme has had huge success without helmets (23 million miles of riding, no deaths), utility cycling (commuting) has been made safe through a huge invest…

> i.e. It's calculated in the UK, that a helmet law would kill 235 people per year more through obesity related deaths Calculated by whom? Do you have any more information on how the calculator arrived at this figure? To me 235 seems a lot more precise than I would have expected.

Obviously it is a ratio of various factors, and the error bars are not reported. Would you rather see "200"?

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#94

Post by judk »

abalone wrote: post #49

Sounds like many of the commenters here did not actually read the article. It's not about "should you wear a helmet or shouldn't you." It is very strongly pro-helmet. NOWHERE in the article does it suggest you should not wear a helmet. It's about how to make helmets work better, specifically against concussions. Summary: pay more to get a helmet equipped with something called MIPS. "The new rotation-­dampening system…

Another case of a link bait headline undermining the article.

And possibly submarine PR for a patent holder.

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#95

Post by judk »

threeseed wrote: post #85
jdmitch wrote: post #30

As an avid, but fairly aggressive cyclist, I have gotten into a fair number of accidents. Some of the injuries sustained, and the ways in which other injuries would have been likely without a helmet in those situations, have convinced me that many of these studies don't take into account some very common situations in accidents. Direct head impacts are relatively uncommon, due to natural instincts to protect oneself.…

I am surprised people are so flippant about injuries to the head. How many times do we hear stories of people dying from being punched and hitting their head on the curb/ground ? Or the long term effects of concussion. Helmets work. Governments around the world wouldn't be making them mandatory just to screw with people.

I don't know about your general claim. CFLs are highly toxic under non-ideal real-world handling conditions, and governments love mandating those.

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#96

Post by [deleted] »

djeikyb wrote: post #87
spion wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been cycling in traffic for almost 3 years in a country with no bike lanes and pretty bad motorist behavior regarding cyclists. It was scary the first month, but then you get used to it and you learn a couple of rules that reduce your chances of getting into an accident significantly [1] Learning these rules really makes all the difference. Would you prefer to get into an accident and not get killed (thanks to a…

Please keep the blinking reasonable and non-distracting. A lot of cyclists where I am have what amount to high-powered strobe lights aimed at car-driver's faces. I've also been the victim of this while riding my bike down canal paths at night. It's no fun being completely blinded while a fellow cyclist zooms past.

[deleted]

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#97

Post by judk »

sklogic wrote: post #45
jmartinpetersen wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I understand. Exactly what part of the world does your helmet block you from seeing? I can't see mine at all when it's on properly. Considering that a lot of people use in-ear headphones or casually check their texts while biking in Copenhagen, the added distractions of a helmet still seems like a net win.

Helmet reduces the side vision to something that feels like 20% less then normal. And yes, I cannot also tolerate any hats, hoods and such. As for the potential Darwin prize winners with earplugs - this is something that should be a matter of legislation first, not the stupid useless helmets.

Are you talking about motorcycle helmets?

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#98

Post by whyenot »

judk wrote: post #93
whyenot wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> i.e. It's calculated in the UK, that a helmet law would kill 235 people per year more through obesity related deaths Calculated by whom? Do you have any more information on how the calculator arrived at this figure? To me 235 seems a lot more precise than I would have expected.

Obviously it is a ratio of various factors, and the error bars are not reported. Would you rather see "200"?

No. I would like to see the error bars. 235 ± 30 is very different than 235 ± 300. Not including this information or at the very least how this figure was arrived at is dishonest. It's also a pretty clear indication that the person presenting the figure is more interested in promoting a specific agenda that in providing useful information.

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#99

Post by sklogic »

judk wrote: post #97
sklogic wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Helmet reduces the side vision to something that feels like 20% less then normal. And yes, I cannot also tolerate any hats, hoods and such. As for the potential Darwin prize winners with earplugs - this is something that should be a matter of legislation first, not the stupid useless helmets.

Are you talking about motorcycle helmets?

No, I'm talking about bicycle helmets, including the lightest ones. I feel deaf and blind in any helmet - or even in a hat.

Re: Bicycle helmets do almost nothing to prevent concussions

#100

Post by megablast »

danieltillett wrote: post #67
megablast wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In the end if anything goes wrong the driver will feel sad and I won't feel anything. This is pure hyperbole. As someone who has been hit by 6 cars, most accidents are minor. Sure you will end up worse off, but only a couple have I not been able to ride away from, and that was because my wheel was damaged. Of course, I started to wear a helmet after about the 3rd time.

It is not really hyperbole when it come to the consequence of a serious accident. Hundreds of cyclists are killed every year by cars and trucks, but I am yet to hear of even one driver killed by a cyclist - this would be a man bites dog type story. You are far less worried about risk than me - if I had been hit 6 times by cars while on a bike I would not even be able to look at a bike without feeling ill let alone ri…

Sure, what you say is true, but most accidents between cars and bikes are minor accidents. They do not result in death.
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