those injured while bicycling riding

[metronycguy]

i have a question, how much did a bicycle helmet protect you?
i am also interested if your injury was the result of a vehicle hitting you or a crash not related to a vehicle.
i am one that believes autos should be driven responsible and share the road.
in the biggest bike riding countries such as Holland helmets are unheard of, however the cars always look for bicyclist and they are much fewer auto bike collisions. in NYC the biggest cause of bicyclist death are right turning vehicles , mainly trucks. the bit of Styrofoam doesnt really help in this case as the whole body is usually run over.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Lately I have not been, I figure when my number is up its up. It is much more comfortable not wearing one in the summer time, like you said in a lot of cases a helmet is not going to do a whole lot of good anyhow.

[metronycguy]

i have been hearing a abut quite a few bicyclist that have had serious brain injuries or die while wearing a bicycle helmet. these were injuries sustained when they crashed on the road due to road defect or sand , no motor vehicles involved, and in my opinion, this is pure product failure. if a motor vehicle hits you your usually toast if its in the head area, helmet or no helmet . The bicycle helmet isn't even designed for a impact of over 10 mph.
i have been in factories and seen them assemble bicycle helmets. quality control didn't look exactly tight.
personally i think they are overrated. the cars are the evil doers and to blame for most bicycle related injuries.
i do admit that the alley cat messenger racers are nuts..

[christopher]

Mine saved my life without a doubt. The cabbie hit me from the side at 40 mph, speeding through a yellowy red. My head hitting the windshield is what broke my neck. My head would've splattered like a watermelon. Alot of people don't put their helmets on properly.

[cre8tivestyler]

Mine made a difference, too. I was hit from behind and thrown headfirst into the car's windshield (I believe that's what broke my neck, too.). The whole top of my helmet is smashed in and the outer layer is peeled back. If that had been my head . . . .

In another accident, about 15 or so years ago, a driver turned left in front of me as I was riding down a hill at about 24 mph. My choices that time were to go into oncoming traffic or hit the car turning. I chose the turning car and flipped up and over the car. i landed on my head and rolled to my feet. I walked away from that one, but without the helmet on, I'm sure I wouldn't have.

I did ride for about a week in Holland a number of years ago. I am convinced that if I had stayed much longer, I would have been toast when I got back here because I would have gotten used to the drivers sharing the road.

[Patonb]

Mine kept my head from splitting open..... I cased a 7ft high, 10ft wide stair gap, by about 3in. Rear tire clipped, front end dropped 14in in a heart beat, i was launched over the bars, and landed on the top back of my head, slamming my chin into my chest. C5 burst...... exactly 3yrs ago today, at about 7:45pm EST.

1 thing people assume is that all helmets are the same. They are not! A $20 helmet doesn't provide the protection of say a $75 one. Styrafoam also degrades of a few years, and does provide proper protection. I had 3 types of helmets for the type of riding I was doing, and NEVER rode without one.

And I too believe that Cars are the major cause and drivers need to be more aware, but Bikers need to take responcibility for riding too. Bikers are not the most lawabiding people.

[Chris Chappell]

Yes - bicycle accident
Yes - helmet
No - vehicle hit

[Wise Young]

Originally Posted by Curt Leatherbee

Lately I have not been, I figure when my number is up its up. It is much more comfortable not wearing one in the summer time, like you said in a lot of cases a helmet is not going to do a whole lot of good anyhow.

Curt,

Wear a helmet, please. I even wear one while on my Segway.

Wise.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Originally Posted by Wise Young

Curt,

Wear a helmet, please. I even wear one while on my Segway.

Wise.

I was riding yesterday with four people I met from Saratoga on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, we were racing eachother going over 15 for the most part and up to 40 downhills and all the time I was thinking if I catch a wheel on the side of the pavement and crash with no helmet I am probabley going to be TBI. At least with a decent helmet there is some protection, without one your head is like a coconut shell falling to the ground.

[JustinB]

It was before my spinal injury, but I'm with the group that says a helmet saved them from TBI.

Short version: I was riding at night through a park I'd never been in. I was about 40 miles into the ride, was on a newish bike, so I was riding with no hands to rest.

Rode into a big, long, rolling dip, and as I went for the handlebars, I was going up the other side of the dip. Balance went bad, front wheel went sideways, and I started flying over the handlebars....

But my feet were in clipless pedals. One apparently released before the other, as I twisted while rolling over the bike, landed on my ass, slamming the back of my head in to the ground along with my elbow.

I broke the helmet in about 7 places, but didn't even notice that I had hit my head until I got home and saw the broken helmet.

I did notice the two pulled calf muscles from improperly releasing from my cleats, and the blood pooling in my jacket from where my elbow hit (I didn't look at the elbow until I got home because I was scared I would freak out, and there wasn't anything I could do about it anyways).

Even shorter version: Helmet saved head during bike crash.
I always recommend helmets now, as well as short term disability insurance :P

-- JB