I (a helmet wearer) think of wearing helment in 3 different ways. 1. it has proven working for me personally in 2 occasions; both times the helmet cracked but my skull remained intact; they were medium-speed collision, once when I ran into the back of a dump truck and fell to the ground, second time when I flipped over the handlebar descending a trail and broke my arm. Both times I sustained a concussions that were minor. Because I survived these two accidents while wearing helmet, but not without serious injuries elsewhere on my body, I am pretty cautious even if I wear a helmet.
2. the social factor. No matter how safe not wearing helmet is, or how inconsequential statistically to safety it is (i grew up in Taiwan and admire Amsterdam; both places people ride bikes almost all the time without helmet), most of my friends and family (including both cyclists and non-cyclists) perceive not wearing a helmet to be dangerous behavior. The price to pay (wear a helmet) for not engaging in endless discussion and justification for why I don't wear helmet, or why I do or don't part of the time is small enough that I just wear it 3. the Insurance mentality. Sure one has to pay a price for insurance, but one would pay it if the price is pretty low. Insurance is a hedging activity, and in some culture this type of hedging is actually considered unethical, but that's another discussion. I pay floor insurance on my house, even though I live ~ 100 ft above sea level and there is no significant non-sea water body around me. The cost is low enough that I pay just in case. I however, choose not to pay earthquake insurance even though the likelihood of earthquake-induced damages might be higher than flood-induced damages on my house. The cost of insurance premium is too high for me because of my family's income level. So, since I deem the cost (wearing a helmet) of paying for this "insurance" for head injury or death by head injury is really low when I am biking, I wear it. best, Franklyn Berkeley, CA On Monday, May 19, 2014 8:06:04 AM UTC-7, Shoji Takahashi wrote: > > Patrick, thanks for bringing up skiing/snow sports: > > From NYT ( > http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/sports/on-slopes-rise-in-helmet-use-but-no-decline-in-brain-injuries.html?_r=0 > ): >> >> Although skiers and snowboarders in the United States are wearing helmets >> more than ever — 70 percent of all participants, nearly triple the number >> from 2003 — there has been no reduction in the number of >> snow-sports-related fatalities or brain injuries in the country, according >> to the National Ski Areas Association. > > > The article goes on to discuss higher-risk behaviors in which skiers and > snow boarders are now engaging (e.g., faster speeds, higher jumps, back > country areas). Some researchers are looking at "P.S.H.I.’s, for > potentially serious head injuries, a classification that includes > concussion, skull fracture, closed head injury, traumatic brain injury and > death by head injury", of which there does not appear to be a decline. > > > > On Monday, May 19, 2014 10:43:13 AM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote: >> >> I think Edwin is on the track of the right question: exactly how >> dangerous is cycling? From the statistics I've read, not that dangerous, >> less dangerous than walking, IIRC. >> >> Is cycling more dangerous than skiing? Do skiiers wear helmets? What >> about people showering in poreclain-covered bathtubs? Or climbing ladders >> to change light bulbs? Or crossing urban intersections on foot? Or running >> cross country? >> >> A helmet will make all the difference in the world, perhaps, if you fall >> in one of these situations, but is it worth our while to wear helmets for >> them? >> >> >> >> >> On Mon, May 19, 2014 at 5:25 AM, Edwin W <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I would love to see the same chart for car wrecks. Walking deaths. Stair >>> falls. For biking in the Netherlands. >>> I know a guy who was in a bike crash. He lived, with no head injury. He >>> was not wearing a helmet. I'm not convinced that is why he lived, with no >>> head injury, but it is a correlation. >>> >>> Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, >>> >>> Edwin >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
