On Jan 12, 2008, at 3:43 PM, Mark Roberts wrote: >> ... I do think their effectiveness is debatable > > Not me. Not since July 26 last year. > Went down hard. 9 stitches next to left eye (just below where helmet > ends). The helmet was crushed in just above where I needed stitches. I > shudder to think what my head would have been like. My personal > physician said, "I used to think bike helmets were just window > dressing. Not any more."
If I had not been wearing full leathers, boots, back protector, helmet and gloves when a deer jumped out of the bushes and dove straight into my motorcycle while I was on a morning ride in 1994, I might not be here today (yeah, that's it, cry crocodile tears... '-). I was only going 45 mph on a road marked for 60. I ended up with my head almost inside a culvert drain pipe, with a dislocated shoulder, four doubly broken ribs and a sprained ankle. $9000 worth of damage to the bike ... yes, it was totalled. The helmet was cracked open. The deer (a juvenile) was split in two. I was knocked out for a moment but didn't even have a concussion. I have seen way too many bicyclists and motorcyclists saved by a helmet. I've seen way way too many end up as a basket case from the lack. If you don't have the sense to wear a helmet and believe all the statistics, well, a helmet isn't going to make you any smarter. It will still help save your life, and wearing one is the law in most places. A good thing. Godfrey -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
