I'm very glad you ended up more or less alright. I haven't worn a helmet for at least 15 years even when commuting across town on main streets at rush hour (I wore a helmet for 20 years before that). But I often wonder if if I should start using one again -- as I did while riding 1 mile in the narrow lane on 4-lane, 50 mph Montano Boulevard just now.
I share my thoughts below; that's all. I am not urging anyone to do anything that he or she does not want to do. My question is: What is the statistical reduction in serious injury or death, overall, from wearing a helmet? Or to put the same or a very similar and practically the same question a different way: how statistically frequent are such accidents as yours, and what is the statistical frequency of serious harm with, and what without, a helmet? I follow the secondary literature a great deal, and I have to confess that I haven't seen sound statistics showing that they -- statistically! -- make a material difference overall on cycling safety. There are always exceptions; doubtless your accident was one of them. But there are exceptions in every field of activity; high rise fires, tire blowouts at 85 on the freeway, serious food poisoning. And one takes very serious measures against such exceptions, but where exactly does one start to do so? I am still asking myself if I should wear a helmet; I dunno. Perhaps I will. I have kept one for years, just never worn. On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 8:37 PM Mark Schneider <marks...@gmail.com> wrote: > Good evening, > > A recent experience has made me curious on everyones opinion of wearing > helmets. To some, it seems against the standard Rivendell ethos to wear a > helmet. In this case as in others (clipless pedals)I stray from the > standard Rivendell line. I believe in them, I won't get on my bike without > one for any meaningful ride. Last night, I had an experience that made me > damn glad that I do. I was riding eastbound on Pescadero Road right at rush > hour, Butano Creek has been flooding the road for some time now so when > traffic coming from both directions approaches the flooded area both sides > form a cue. I was riding faster than I normally do as it had just started > to pour and I was headed home, as I followed a car across the flooded > section because of the small wake, I couldn't see the fog line which I try > to stay to the left of, also I was watching the cars much closer than I was > where my front tire was going.Well as you probably guessed I crashed hard > when my from tire hit the lip of a pothole at an angle that thru me > sideways off the bike. My helmeted head hit the pavement hard, and while I > didn't loose consciousness I wasn't able to stand on my own or get up for a > minute or two despite laying in 4-5 inches of cold water. There's no > question that I'd have been injured far worse than I was had I not had a > helmet on. I ended up in a ambulance and was taken to the ER. Today, I'm a > bit foggy, and my neck is killing me. I was concussed and have a whiplash, > the doctor told me I was lucky I had a helmet on, I did not go over the > handlebars but fell sideways and hit the side of my head. > I guess my point is I think this accident could happen to anyone, I've > been riding bikes since the early 1960's and I haven't crashed this hard in > decades. I did make some errors, like not waiting for the traffic to pass, > but I've crossed this spot many times this winter as well as turning around > when there's too much water. I'm usually cautious as injuries heal slowly > at my age. > So my question is, helmet or no helmet, and if no helmet why? > > Thanks > Mark > Pescadero Basin > > -- > 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- *------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* *Still 'round the corner there may waitA new road or a secret gate,And though we pass them by today,Tomorrow we may come this wayAnd take the hidden paths that runTowards the Moon or to the Sun.* --- J.R.R. Tolkien ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching Other professional writing services Expensive! But good. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
