Personal experience on the importance of wearing a helmet while biking: A grad student who worked with my housemate (this happened many years ago) died on the Lakeshore path by University Bay, when she collided with another cyclist. I think this is why there are now lane lines.
Joyce Erdman, late wife of the late Marshall Erdman (this also happened many years ago), died when she rode her bike down their driveway to get the mail - the front wheel quick release was not secured properly and her wheel came off (this is why bikes now have the little tab on the end of the fork that keeps the wheel on even if the quick release is loose). My friend Rick, whose front wheel folded when he turned hard to avoid another cyclist coming around the Limnology building, WAS wearing a helmet and still suffered a concussion - but he believes had he not been wearing it, he'd be either dead or a vegetable. Harry Read ----- Original Message ----- From: John Rider <[email protected]> Date: Friday, June 26, 2009 12:44 pm Subject: [Bikies] Wearing Helmets was: Mod's to Saturday AM Blue Mounds Ride To: 'Ken Livesey' <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] > I mostly agree with what Robbie says below, but I would just like to > add two > things. I know that Ken thinks that this is "Free Country," but medical > costs are not free. When I talk with my friends that do not wear > helmets, I > just ask them to carry two cards in case they have a bad crash. The first > card is an Organ Donor card in case they are one of the rare cases of > a > fatal bicycle crash. Head injury deaths to bicyclist usually leave > most of > the other healthy organs in place and ripe for harvest. The second, > and in > my opinion more important, card is their proof of medical insurance. > So in > case the crash is almost but not quite fatal, my tax dollars and the > rest of > our society's tax dollars are not being spent to keep their sorry ass > (oops, > I meant comatose body) alive. > > Personal freedom is one thing, but not placing an undue burden on the > rest > of society when you die counts for something too. > > Another reason that I wear a helmet is that there are a lot of novice > cyclists that do not have strong bike handling skills, and also a lot > of > drivers that are not paying enough attention. So even though I have strong > cycling skills and a very high level of bicycle safety training, there > are > too many people around me that could do something stupid and cause me > to > fall. To me, a helmet is cheap insurance. I like my brain the way it > is. > Head injuries from bicycling are a "low probability-high consequence" > event, > and it's worth it to me to wear that insurance every ride. But to each > their own, as long as they do not become a burden to society if that low > probability event happens. > > Oh, and if you do wear a helmet, please use a hard shell helmet and > not one > with a mesh cover on it. I had a bad crash 15 years ago that would have > caused a pretty good head injury if I hadn't been wearing a helmet. But > while I was sliding on the ground after the initial impact, the mesh helmet > cover caught on something and flipped me over using my neck as a fulcrum, > and fractured my C3 vertebra. Luckily I had a good surgeon and no permanent > nerve damage. So get rid of those old foam and mesh helmets and get a > hard > shell one please! > > Enough of my soapbox speech, get out there and ride. And either wear > a Hard > Shell helmet or carry your two cards! > > Thanks, > John Rider > The Bike Safety Guy > League of American Bicyclist Coach/Trainer > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robbie Webber > Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 11:12 AM > To: Ken Livesey > Cc: Jim Pingel; David Bell; [email protected]; J.P. Ericsson; Renee > Callaway; Chip Camillo; SVC > Subject: Re: [Bikies] [stotonvc] Mod's to Saturday AM Blue Mounds Ride > > > I know this is a touchy issue with some people, so I will try not to preach. > These are not necessarily in order of importance. > > 1. Sponsored rides probably require helmets as a liability issue. IF you > crash, a helmet will provide some protection against a certain type, but > often quite serious injury. Asking riders to protect themselves also > protects the ride organizer. > > 2. I wish organized rides did more to teach people how to PREVENT a > crash in > the first place, but that's a bit of a different subject. It also > takes more > time, and would probably means that many people wouldn't even end up > on the > ride. > > 3. As mentioned above, helmets don't prevent crashes. However they do > mitigate the consequences of a crash, if you hit your head. In a similar > way, seat belts don't prevent car crashes, but they do mitigate the > consequences. We require seat belt use in Wisconsin because of the > devastating toll that car crashes have on the general public: people > permanently disabled and supported by the public, health costs, etc. I > am > NOT suggesting a mandatory helmet law, simply pointing out that there > are > other "choices" that we enforce either legally or via peer pressure. > > 4. I want my friends to wear helmets because I care about them, and it > gives > me some piece of mind that if they fall or crash, they are less likely > to be > hurt. Don't want to wear a helmet. That's OK, but I'm not going to > ride with > you, because I don't want that concern on my mind during the ride. > > 5. I teach bicycle safety classes. I teach people how to PREVENT and AVOID > crashes. However, I require my students to wear helmets when in my class. > Liability issues again. > > 6. I have personally destroyed a helmet on a very boring, slow, urban > commute. The fall was totally my fault. However, I can pretty much guarantee > that I would have ended up in an ambulance had I not been wearing a helmet. > My head bounced on the pavement. All I ended up with was a sore torso > from > the jolt of falling. I ALWAYS wear my helmet, no matter what. > > 7. Finally, a pet peeve: parents who require their kids to wear > helmets, but > then don't wear one themselves. What sort of message does this give your > kids? I have kids in my neighborhood. My neighbors know "Robbie goes > everywhere by bike." I would like to think I am demonstrating an > example of > healthy, environmentally-friendly transportation choice. I want the > kids to > see that big boys and girls wear helmets too. (My neighbors are very good > examples to their kids, I rarely see them without helmets when riding.) > > > Robbie Webber > Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee > www.bikewalkmadison.org > Join our group on Facebook! > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
