Helmets, like seat belts, are not designed to prevent accidents. They are designed so that when accidents happen, and they do (people bump into each other just walking) risks are minimized. Not eliminated, minimized. To what degree will depend on many factors. But basic physics combined with basic biology says that a helmet will prevent more damage from happening when there is an accident than it will cause, and will prevent more damage than not wearing a helmet. <br>
<br>Balancing risk is always an art, but generally if I slip and fall down I'm not likely to do it with a force that will break my skull or spread my brains on the pavement. People with balance or movement problems who do fall down repeatedly are known to wear helmets, and sturdier ones than bike helmets (designed for one use, really), and they're not doing it to look good. But combine falling down with the momentum of travelling on a bike and the kinetic energy of a car, and a helmet is a cheap (yes, cheap, particularly when compared with the cost of a bike) way of minimizing a lot of risk. There was even an old slogan years ago, which I can't remember exactly, but from before helmets were more of a standard than they are now, where Bell suggested that you use a "$20 helmet to protect your million dollar head."<br>
<br>I cannot think of one single thing that isn't occasionally dangerous, even when used as directed or acting normally. That doesn't make things like earthworms, banana peels, the morning newspaper or your living room furniture likely to kill you. But just because it could, if you accept Turtle's argument, then you should never leave the house and you shouldn't have anything in the house. Except that the house could collapse and kill you. Hey, it happens. <br>
<br>And yes, Turtle's never fallen on her head. That 90 year old grandma that everyone seems to have that never died of smoking will tell you smoking is good for you - all that coughing clears the lungs. But the numbers will disprove that, and the numbers will prove that helmets are better than not, particularly in a collision. In the Netherlands, there are set bike lanes, many of those bike lanes are off road, even in major cities like Amsterdam, lights are mandatory (and generated automatically through a little spin wheel against the front tyre, so not the battery issues), and it is flatter than a flat pancake, giving great visibility. That's a big reason why the Dutch don't wear helmets - collisions between cars and bikes are far rarer than in the US and particularly in Boston as they're not sharing the road in the same way. But when there are the collisions, the Dutch without helmets die at the same rate as those without helmets anywhere else. <br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">2009/8/2 Alek Shapiro <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:alshapiro@clarku.edu">alshapiro@clarku.edu</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Yes, flying over handlebars at 20 mph and landing on an unhelmeted skull is<br>
always a safe event.<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: "Spike Mccue" <<a href="mailto:spikemccue@gmail.com">spikemccue@gmail.com</a>><br>
To: "Boston Critical Mass" <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>><br>
Cc: "Boston Critical Mass" <<a href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>><br>
Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 2:33 PM<br>
Subject: Re: [*BCM*] grim scenes saturday... any news?<br>
<br>
<br>
> There is never a point when you're on a bike that you don't need a<br>
> helmet no matter the traffic. Saying otherwise is absurd.<br>
> Sent from my iPhone<br>
><br>
> On Aug 2, 2009, at 1:52 PM, Turtle <<a href="mailto:turtle@thewiseturtle.com">turtle@thewiseturtle.com</a>> wrote:<br>
><br>
>> And I hope that you wish, as I do, that the real causes of crashes is<br>
>> paid attention to, so that in the future we might be able to prevent<br>
>> it from happening again, because for all we know a helmet might<br>
>> actually cause a crash (again limited visibility, improper wearing,<br>
>> more weight on the head, etc.). My goal is for no one to feel they<br>
>> need a helmet, like is the case in the Netherlands, safe, biking<br>
>> capital of the world.<br>
>><br>
>> Peace, Love, and Bicycles,<br>
>> Turil<br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Anne M. Wolfe, LL.M.<br>Mobile: ( 07805) 456901<br><br>Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. - Garrison Keillor<br>