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

I saw the aftermath of a crash involving a cyclist and the rear windscreen of a BMW the other week outside my flat - Polis had blocked off either end of the road, blood everywhere, windscreen completly out.....looks like the car had pulled up at a junction (at bottom of quite a steep hill) and cyclist behind had gone straight over handlebars....

I commented as I went past the PC standing with the driver (ambulance been and gone) that it was a nasty hill to ride down due to the state of the road anyway, massive potholes etc. - and he turned round and asked if I rode with a helmet......

Seems to be their default position, but no way judging by what I saw would a bike helmet have saved someone face planting into windscreen glass......

and this is the kind of accident which can often be caused by poorly maintained brakes or a lack of cyclist competence. which makes you wonder why everyone bangs on about helmets so much and I never see posters from TFL saying 'learn how to look after your bike' or 'learn how to ride' (for example).