When I was a kid nobody wore helmets but for the last 30 years or so I have always worn one. Same with motorcycling. So I agree that it's a really good idea. I also like the idea of the two cards and I also do that. The social cost argument is a bit of a slippery slope - it was used heavily in the drive to make motorcycle helmets mandatory - because if applied consistently across all behaviors that potentially cost society dollars we could include requiring people to eat healthily, not smoke or drink, seek counseling for excessive stress or anxiety and in general live in a way that minimizes uninsured risk. It's a tricky issue - if applied to one area for fairness it pretty much must be applied to all areas. Robin A Blog: http://robalex.wordpress.com/ Website: http://www.transthought.org <http://www.transthought.org/> "Live in peace with the animals. Animals bring love to our hearts, and warmth to our souls." Colleen Klaum
________________________________ From: [email protected] on behalf of John Rider Sent: Sat 6/27/2009 6:28 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Bikies] FW: Wearing Helmets was: Mod's to Saturday AM Blue MoundsRide 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 <http://www.bikewalkmadison.org/> Join our group on Facebook!
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