Remember kids... always wear a helmet. (The almighty bikeradar helmet thread)

Maybe everyone should wear helmets all the time?

I gave a presentation to a group of driving instructors (ADIs) promoting a course where ADIs get on a cycle in order to improve how they communicate to learner drivers about cycling.

One bloke shouted out when I showed a slide of a helmetless rider saying that he couldn't take anything I said seriously after seeing that slide. The presentation after mine was from a paramedic who described the common head injuries drivers receive when they crash, especially what he called a 'bullseye' - where a drivers head hits the windscreen, their hair forms the dark centre and surrounded by a circle of blood...

https://www.anderson-cummings.com/blog/5-types-of-head-injuries-you-can-suffer-from-a-car-accident.html

http://drivetoworkday.org/2012/10/26/better-safe-than-sorry/

Well I'm glad my amusing little story was taken in the spirit it was intended.

but I'm here to police the geometric accuracy of idiots

ftfy

Have you considered helmet thread training?

I've not been in this thread for a good few years.

Can anyone let me know if there has been any change on the reputable evidence position around helmet wearing being net beneficial at preventing injury and death?

(I've always sworn to be led by the evidence and, as such, have advocated a pro-choice position to date, given the equivocal nature of the evidence.

It is beholden on me to update my position at timely intervals....)

helmet wearing being net beneficial at preventing injury and death?

I've always been of the mind that all head injury that aren't superficial are caused by the brain moving inside the skull, which as far as I'm aware, no helmet can do.

I was also informed that anything that would crack a skull would quite easily make it through a bit of foam.

But helmets do stop surface damage, cuts etc.

That's my view, others exist. I wear one though 95% of the time because if I ever have an accident, I don't want anyone to say I wasn't wearing a helmet etc etc.

Helmets are supposed to slow the rate of sudden deceleration by compressing, so lessening the impact between brain and skull.

That's my view, others exist.

I probably should have been clearer.

I'm after evidence based on data that bears scrutiny at the peer review, academic level. Like a meta analysis, randomised controlled trial etc.

But <anecdote>!

Indeed

Here's my anecdote.

I rode my bike and fell over and didn't hurt my head or die.
I rode my bike and didn't hurt my head or die.
I rode my bike and didn't hurt my head or die.
...
...
...
x 1000
....
....
I rode my bike and fell off and don't hurt my head or die.
...
....

Rinse. Repeat.

Funny that you don't hear these kind of anecdotes too often. I presume that means that my experience is rare and unusual.

Can anyone let me know if there has been any change on the reputable evidence position around helmet wearing being net beneficial at preventing injury and death?

I'm sure somebody will be on here pretty promptly to let all of us know in the very unlikely event that such a change ever happens.

At a population level, pro-choice remains absolutely the right position because the cost of compulsion so massively outweighs any benefit.

At a personal level, you are likely very slightly safer on net if you choose to wear a helmet, but it's such a small effect that it's perfectly rational to value the feeling of the wind in your hair above that.

Pubmed link to a large, frequently cited study, Bicycle helmets - To wear or not to wear? A meta-analyses of the effects of bicycle helmets on injuries

If you're going to cycle drunk, consider wearing a helmet.

use of bicycle helmets was found to reduce head injury by 48%

So down from 3×10^-7 head injuries per trip to 1.5×10^-7. If 6 million people cycle to work one morning and none of them wears a helmet, two of them will require hospital treatment for a head injury. If all of them wear helmets, only one person will require hospital treatment for a head injury.

This is worth a read, I think you’re right

https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/what-is-mips/

Yeah, your maths check out. Presumably that's one of the reasons the NIH doesn't push helmet mandates.

Anyway, I've removed my post because it wasn't helpful.

I've removed my post because it wasn't helpful

There is nothing wrong with posting good information about the real world effectiveness of helmets, I just wanted to remind people of the context. It's like these tabloid headlines "Doing X halves your chance of dieing of Y"; even if the study actually bears out the headline, it's of limited utility to the average punter if his whole life probability of dieing of Y was already 10^-5 or less.

Very informative, thanks

Yeah, agreed. Ultimately I think mashton was looking for more a crash-test dummy impact study than a meta-analysis of data from crash outcomes.

I left the important bit about drunk cycling in though. Just might save a forumenger's life.

Nope, I was looking for real world data.

This has been most useful.

I will continue in my pro-choice stance, choosing myself to not wear a helmet. Even when drunk.

I cycle so infrequently and am drunk so infrequently that the set intersection of the two is very rare.

Having said that, I did actually cycle drunk on Tuesday. I did not suffer a head injury. Which is useful anecdata.

I plan to cycle home while absolutely cunted tonight. Will let you know how it goes.

Better safe than sorry

I only ride my bike drunk and helmetless, never not done me no harmings.

Endura, are you OK?

https://twitter.com/PentlandBrands/status/1635308957161111552?t=0UJsV3xOPlgxyICRa_Qyzg&s=19

That's pretty shit. Assume someone thought they'd bring over the fag packets idea?