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

From last Saturday's Guardian:

Cycle helmets do offer protection

The Guardian,
[]Saturday July 19, 2008
[]Article history
It's a relief to know that common sense does still have a place. As Claire Armitstead points out (Two wheels, G2, July 17), in the past month or so numerous newspaper column inches have been devoted to the curious aim of trying to persuade people not to wear helmets while cycling. The main argument seems to be that the thought of wearing a helmet puts people off cycling and for the greater good of society we cannot allow this to happen - regardless of the number of people who sustain brain injuries as a result. It is claimed there is no proof that wearing a helmet can actually save your life or prevent you from sustaining a brain injury. As Claire Armitstead says, wearing a helmet must protect one's head more than not wearing one.
To conform to British Standards, a helmet sold in this country must be able to absorb 12mph of energy on impact. Speaking as a cyclist in London, I would much prefer 12mph of energy to be absorbed by my helmet rather than my skull. Every year we help thousands of people who have had their lives shattered as a result of being knocked off their bikes. Some, like 33-year-old Kirsty, were wearing helmets and were told by doctors that wearing a helmet most certainly saved their lives. Others, like Simon, 42, spend every day wishing they been wearing one as they wouldn't then struggle with everyday tasks like counting out change or tying shoelaces.
I offer this invite to the sceptics: come along to a Headway house and see for yourself the damage that a brain injury can cause. Maybe then you will be better qualified to make the decision of whether or not to wear a helmet next time you get on your bike.
Luke Griggs
Headway - the brain injury association

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/19/transport.cyclingholidays

I've been resisting the urge to mention the number of bike-related head injury cases floating around out there. Did some of my clinical placements and voluntary work with a few people, and most recently my friend and neighbour (an ex recumbent world champion) came off and is still in hospital nearly 12 months later. There were other precipitating factors involved, but the upshot is he's going to have to be rehomed, his communication is severely impaired, and he's a bit fucked really.

I think the real damage is done when your frontal lobe takes a whack (my mate needed to have the frontal bone of his skull removed in a hurry due to the brain swelling). The resulting loss of executive function has a massive knock-on effect for the functions centred in other areas of the brain. It's for this reason that I think people who wear their helmets tilted back and exposing their foreheads are misguided enough to need a bit of road-side education.

Anyway, I'm not going to be a helmet fascist, as there are also a lot of pedestrians with brain injury due to traffic-related accidents, and it all seems to get a bit ridiculous. Ultimately we need road users to act more responsibly, and with a level of care appropriate to the size/speed of their vehicle.