Helmet Safety Poll

[Patchelicious]

Lets try this again.

 

After the TheBikeHub poll flop from yesterday, that admin didn't respond too, I ran a small poll on Twitter.

 

Results where interesting:

 

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a632/patchelicious2/Twitter_zps9anuht81.jpeg

 

 

Twitter doesn't give much options when it comes to polls, but the results justified a slightly more detailed poll.

 

 

 

 

 

[shaper]

I crashed 2 years ago at a Carnival City race, broke 4 ribs and had 3 staples in a hole in my head, Helmet pretty much saved my head and it came apart in pieces when the medics removed it... so yes it reduced my head injury.

[Skylark]

This will be a more accurate indication of helmet usefulness.

[jimmycool]

Nice poll Patch

[eccc whippet]

1 of many accident on a bicycle...no helmet...hit a motor vehicle at around 60 km/hr flew over the motor vehicle and landed on the other side of it...lots of road rash no head injury (didnt hit my head on anything) 

 

1 of many accidents on a motorcycle..wearing a motor bike helmet...hit a motor vehicle flew over the vehicle...but hit the roof with my head...was taken to hospital out cold...woke 3 days later...not a scratch on my body.

 

motor bike accident wearing a helmet...fell and slid about 200 m on my helmet...thank goodness i was wearing a helmet...the helmet was totally F&%*&.

 

2 mates riding bicycles behind me...hit by a motor vehicle from the back...both dead...one straight away and the other 20 minutes later...i dont believe the helmet made any difference.

 

this is a typical friday thread...i wouldnt even consider riding my mtb at giba on the trail or any other trail without a helmet...nor my road bike on the road...my policy...if i put cycling kit and shoes on...i wear a helmet...if i wear slops while riding the bikes i dont wear a helmet...tata ma chance.

[dave303e]

You know what has saved me a lot more than but still in conjunction with a helmet, a neck brace, followed someone over a jump on an old unused mx track, landed outside of the person I was following and I ended up in an erosion ditch. front wheel stuck and I went over the bars and hit the ground like a lawn dart, top of head first...

Walked away with a stiff neck and a mild headache, went to see a doc cos neck was still stiff a few weeks later and doc reckoned that without the neckbrace and helmet I wouldn't be walking.

[New2tri]

Have hit my head quite a number of times in falls, mostly MTB related. At times wished that the helmet was a bit bigger, as I have cut myself just below where the helmet ends on two separate occasions.

 

Also had a bike accident where the helmet saved my face....so I also believe in wearing one at all times. My kids don't get on a bike without one either.

[Fisan]

Eh, cast my vote. My only gripe with this poll is: it's very difficult to say (at least in my case(s)) how the absence of a helmet would have affected the outcome of the crash(es). Maybe in a multiverse study...

[Pure Savage]

Where is my pic patch!!

[MrJacques]

Not sure about helmets, but I'm pretty sure GoPros cause crashes

 

I rode my bicycle to school, in traffic, for +-10 years without a helmet. Looking back I can't believe I did that. I had a crash or two and a helmet wouldn't have made a difference in those cases. In the one crash I chipped my front teeth - a full face helmet would have prevented that, but that's generally not the type of helmet you wear when your on n Makro special just riding in the neighborhood, or even if you are riding XC. XC helmets won't really protect you from facial injuries. I do want to get a more trail oriented helmet with better back of the head protection.

 

Maybe a heavy full face helmet could cause neck injuries during a crash?

[bertusras]

Every time this topic comes up I post these photos as a reminder to myself. I'm pretty convinced I would have been dead, or seriously disabled had I not worn this helmet on that day.

 

http://i.imgur.com/9sMrusU.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/AKYXgit.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/eFFNKz5.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/h9joQX8.jpg

[carbon29er]

Every time this topic comes up I post these photos as a reminder to myself. I'm pretty convinced I would have been dead, or seriously disabled had I not worn this helmet on that day.

I do chuckle every time I see a post on twitter or facebook thanking the helmet maker for saving the crashees life. But I guess everybody knows.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IfmiKnZi3E

 

Here's an example. One of many.

 

[bertusras]

I do chuckle every time I see a post on twitter or facebook thanking the helmet maker for saving the crashees life. But I guess everybody knows.

 

http://i.imgur.com/vzxQ5yO.jpg

[Letum911]

To do the poll in 2 separate parts:

 

1. Yes the helmet has prevented serious injury. On a trials ride a did a 2+m drop and my back wheel slipped out from under me. If not for the helmet I reckon I would have off worse than the slight concussion I had.

The 2nd part: I would add a third option here, which is the false surety and comfort level a helmet gives you to attempt bigger obstacles etc.

1. Whilst wearing a helmet, I tend to be a lot braver and attempt higher drops, bigger gaps and on the Mtb I will attempt bigger jumps and push the limits a lot more than if I were riding without the necessary protection.
2. So yah, the helmet is not necessarily good for my safety, but merely due to the fact that I have become so use to riding with it that I'm uncomfortable to push myself on the bike without it. I'm sure that after some time riding without the helmet I would start doing stupid things again.

[HdB]

I know three guys who, given the extent of their injuries, would at a minimum have had lasting brain injuries had it not been for their helmets.

My friend's head went through a car's window, cut arteries in his neck. Woke up in hospital.

A teacher of mine crashed at high speed in a race, multiple fractures including vertebrae. Had to wear this cast thing for months for his spine.

And the other crashed while riding, and had to learn how to walk again.

 

Presumptuous to assume the helmet saved their lives? Who knows, perhaps they would have survived anyway. But their lives would have been very different.

[Pah Bear]

Came off my bike while riding hands free, wiping my face and drying my specs. Lost the front wheel and whoosh, down I went. Got up and wiped away the dust. Some bruising but no worse for wear. In the shower I noticed a small bump on the outer cover of my Giro and on closer inspection, had three cracks on the inner casing.

 

I would have sworn I never knocked my head during the crash, but I obviously did and although I felt no discomfort on my head at all, I can only conclude that the helmet took the smack. So ... helmet forever.

 

Friend was involved in a crash when the group went down. Bruising and all and only later discovered he's helmet was cracked. Also did not realise he knocked his noggen, so I think anyone still wanting to argue the necessity of wearing helmets are just plain ... headless.