bike helmets for adults

[oasispaw]

yea or nay?

[Santtu]

yes. Riding with helmet is mandatory in Finland, tho there is no punishment set from not riding with one, except perhaps in a case of health insurance disputes (the insurance company would try to talk out of insurance coverage, or try to reduce the amount of paid, if the driver in a cycle accident wasn't driving as the law dictates)

I use the helmet for maybe 80% of my trips with a bike, and I like having one with me. I drive slower when I don't have one.

When I do have one, I usually ride at the maximum speed allowed for vehicles in some congested areas of my town, which is a ridiculous 30km/h .. 20mph

[spirilis]

Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER put your noggin in danger. Never. NEVER!

[Dark Razor]

yay it's very important. If you commute by bike and/or regularly ride long distances you will understand why. There are a lot of dangerous and near-miss situations, especially if you are navigating heavy rush-hour traffic.

Personally I have had several serious accidents already, at one time I was approaching a busy intersection on a bike path seperate from the road at about 20 mph. My attention was focused on the cars to my left, to see which ones would make a right turn and cross my path. Because of this I did not notice another byciclist coming out of a another bike path to my right that was hidden by some bushes. He sudddenly was directly in front of me and I crashed into him almost at full speed. I was catapulted over the handle bar, met the ground with my hands and tried to roll over, however the force of impact was too great and so I smashed on my shoulder and then on my head. I did suffer injuries of course, such as a dislocated shoulder, however without a helmet I would probably have cracked my skull open and might have been killed. (thankfully I was immediatly surrounded by about half a dozen people, one of which was a doctor, in addition to an ambulance which was also present at the intersection lol.)

I was also hit by cars on several occasions, though thankfully at low speeds so nothing serious happened. The point is though, that on a bike the risk of being involved in a serious accident is very high, and a helmet is absolutely not optional.

[murkrow]

looking like a dork is the main reason to ride a bike.

[aeon]

Absolutely and without fail, a helmet when riding, yes.


cheers,
Ian

[SensEye]

Nay.

[FFF]

Riding at night or next to high traffic areas: yea.

Riding in a neighborhood or on a track: nay.

[file cabinet]

yes..

Bicycle Helmet Statistics

Two percent of motor vehicle-related deaths are bicyclists. The most serious injuries among a majority of those killed are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet [...]

[oasispaw]

i hope he doesn't mind me quoting it, but...

Senator Prozanski, to quote you from bikeportland.org:

"I guess maybe as I get older, I feel there are certain things we can do that enhance safety but at the same time not be over-burdening."

Your age or feelings are irrelevant to protecting the life and liberty of the people of Oregon.

Have you researched the *real effects* of mandatory helmet laws? There is no clear consensus that they are beneficial and there is actually plenty of evidence that they cause greater harm than good. They reduce the amount of cycling people do, which is the last thing we need right now considering the issues of global warming, traffic congestion, and obesity. Moreover, they promote the idea that cycling is dangerous -- it is not. Cycling is no more dangerous than walking or driving a car. Why don't we try requiring pedestrians and car drivers to wear helmets?

And don't you think our police already have enough ways to harass and inconvenience average people? Why should they focus on something that has been shown to be quite harmless instead of fighting crime?

It's also detestable that you are relying on the ignorance of the general public to get this passed. It's clear that you have not studied the issue in depth, and it's certainly common sense to assume that the average Oregonian has not either. From personal experience, I know that most cyclists are even ignorant of bicycle helmet statistics and studies. So why would you provide an opportunity for voters -- most of whom do not cycle much, many not at all -- to cause harm and curtail personal liberty in the name of paranoia and ignorance? This is tyranny of the majority, plain and simple.

We don't need you to harm and harass us with your misguided notions of protection. We don't need you to impose your ignorance upon us. Please inform yourself. Here are some good places to start:

Do helmets save lives? | Life and style | The Guardian

Why I Am Opposed to Mandatory Helmet Laws

Bicycle helmet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you

what are your thoughts on this, folks???