tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post8342600999151903355..comments2023-11-05T01:50:47.040-07:00Comments on Bike Commute Tips Blog: Study: More cyclists means safer cyclistsPaul Dornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03893190816290007375noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-57799766342238494842008-09-19T15:25:00.000-07:002008-09-19T15:25:00.000-07:00I'll add my voice to the litany of people disturbe...I'll add my voice to the litany of people disturbed by the idea of leaving your helmet at home. I'm assuming some of this advice was inspired by the recent Bath University study that suggested that motorists provide more room to people who aren't wearing helmets (link below). Even if that's the case (and I'm a tad skeptical), it's an issue of driver education: anyone giving a helmeted cyclist less room than an unhelmeted one is ignorant of the effects of any car-bike collision. We need more cyclists on the road, and those cyclists need to be wearing protective headgear. The idea of facing Atlanta drivers without a helmet terrifies me.<BR/><BR/>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/5334208.stmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-44331304034673420912008-09-16T16:20:00.000-07:002008-09-16T16:20:00.000-07:00I'm sorry, but I think the 'researcher's' conclusi...I'm sorry, but I think the 'researcher's' conclusion about helmets is off. I don't wear a helmet to keep me safe from cars, I wear it in case I dump my bike cornering at 15 mph because of a patch of gravel. Seatbelt use in cars, doesn't deter people from driving because it increases the apparent danger of a car accident. It's just a good idea to wear a seat belt. No less so with a bicycle. My helmet may not do me much good if I get hit by a car, but if I go over the bars, it might keep me out of the ER.SingletrackM1ndhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11213140649542131333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-14493172026839984352008-09-10T22:12:00.000-07:002008-09-10T22:12:00.000-07:00I've been a bike commuter for several decades. Eve...I've been a bike commuter for several decades. Ever since I fell, in an accident that <I>didn't</I> involve a car, and suffered a fairly serious concussion, I wear my helmet. I've had, on average, about one serious fall every three years or so (slipping on ice, or wet leaves, or, most recently, stupidly hitting a road turtle at high speed in the wet) and have NEVER suffered any sort of head injury while wearing a helmet.<BR/>Advising people not to wear helmets in order to encourage the belief that cycling is safe is like encouraging your kids to ignore crosswalks and walk/don't walk signs to spread the idea that being a pedestrian is safe. <BR/>(I'm not Heidi, I'm Heidi's husband)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285880767097363576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-30120683342243721262008-09-10T15:43:00.000-07:002008-09-10T15:43:00.000-07:00Unrelated to helmets, but I just wanted to say how...Unrelated to helmets, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy bicycling when cars and bikes are working together, rather like we're all participating in a collective ballet. I had just such a commute this morning -- cars yielding to me in places where they should yield, bikes stopping where they should stop, people signaling or waving to each other as they communicated back and forth from behind the handlebars and the steering wheel -- it was all so very satisfying on a lovely Seattle morning. Every so often, the stars line up, everyone is on their best behavior, and it's just an absolute joy to ride in to work!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-52803748809792504262008-09-09T17:49:00.000-07:002008-09-09T17:49:00.000-07:00I took a little time at the university library and...I took a little time at the university library and looked at helment studies. The bottom line is that though imperfect, they do lower the extent of severe head injuries.<BR/><BR/>bottom line: wearing the syrofoam hat will keep your brain intact in many biking accidents.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13940604655376353136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-74188861638553744902008-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:002008-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00Leave your helmet at home? Paul, that's troubling...Leave your helmet at home? Paul, that's troubling "advice"...<BR/><BR/>I don't wear a helmet because I think of cycling as a dangerous activity. I wear it because I value the accumulated memories, pop culture factoids and experiences I've been collecting between my ears since 1969.<BR/><BR/>Frankly, I'd rather "have it and not need it than need it and not have it", to dust off an old chestnut.<BR/><BR/>The bottom line is, wear a helmet if it makes you feel better or if you value your memories. It's not a magic bullet that will miraculously save your life in every possible encounter, but it's a small piece of "potential" safety that makes sense to me.GhostRiderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09987949431503645433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-4025972497382025922008-09-08T13:03:00.000-07:002008-09-08T13:03:00.000-07:00Something else that happens is that as cycling bec...Something else that happens is that as cycling becomes safer, and especially as it becomes more subjectively safe, people simply don't feel the need to wear helmets and other protective gear.<BR/><BR/>We've seen this with foreign visitors to our home in the Netherlands. They arrive with reflective clothing and helmets, but over a few days will realise that it simply feels safe here and they'll start to dress more normally, as the locals do.<BR/><BR/>The same can be seen in reverse when Dutch cyclists visit hostile environments <A HREF="http://www.cyclingnorthwales.co.uk/pages/fr_groning.htm" REL="nofollow">such as the UK</A>.<BR/><BR/>We've a <A HREF="http://hembrow.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">blog</A> which covers some aspects of how why the Dutch cycle so much and various photos and videos linked from it.David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36250316.post-77077774889275408592008-09-08T05:10:00.000-07:002008-09-08T05:10:00.000-07:00Paul: while I see your point about discouraging th...Paul: while I see your point about discouraging the perception of cycling as a dangerous activity, I can't agree with the advice to "leave your helmet at home." It makes about as much sense to me as concluding that the (even lower) rate of automobile fatalities means it's time for us all to cut off our seat belts.<BR/><BR/>It <I>does</I> mean that any policy program designed to draw in more participants should not emphasize helmets, reflective clothing, etc., which I can certainly live with. And it's one more piece of evidence in favor of bike lanes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com