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Wear a Helmet

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Comments

  1. Tom Posted

    This video is so offensive on some many levels.

    I used to follow this blog because I saw you as a person who promoted adventure. Not fear. Say hi to Dick Cheney at the fear convention.

    Reply
  2. Baba Blacksheep Posted

    Soon we’ll have a compulsory Bike helmet rule(similar to that existing for Mobikes) and a Riding license which will establish my proficiency in riding a bike. 😛

    Probably makes sense for Racers who go fast as hell.But these things shouldn’t be shoved down people’s throats by the Holier-than-thou people.

    Reply
  3. Daniel Sandström Posted

    I agree, with the video that is. I commute by bike most days and always use a helmet, also when going training. Should wear it in town too though, as that’s where the most accidents happen. Why the angry comments, a helmet doesn’t limit the “adventure”. I know what happens when one get’s hit my a car and it ain’t pretty but really unnecceseary. Wearing a helmet is the smart option.

    Reply
  4. Not sure some of the comments above are particularly considered. Surely a helmet is sensible if the risks are heightened – heavy & fast-moving traffic, high-speed road racing, downhill mountain-biking, etc? Would you equally paddle whitewater without a buoyancy aid and then lambast those who do for promoting fear? Or drive without wearing a seatbelt in the name of ‘adventure’?

    If you’re riding empty rural roads at a casual pace for weeks on end, on the other hand, wearing a helmet is probably about as necessary as wearing a lifejacket in the shower!

    However, this video is a good example of using fear to create action and it does seem to have become a worryingly commonplace technique. It works, undeniably, but at the expense of generating how much anxiety and paranoia? How much does output like this contribute to the startlingly high proportion of London cyclists, for example, who ride as if they’re invincible?

    Reply
  5. Or perhaps another way to see it is that if James Cracknell had not been wearing a helmet he would be dead. And that, perhaps, is a good advertisement to other people about the benefits of wearing a helmet?
    I agree that helmets should not be made compulsory. But I certainly think they’re a sensible option and no deterrent to adventure.

    Reply
  6. I’m 4 months and 12000km into an exped, most of which has been biking so far. I’ve worn a helmet every km of the way and every day is an adventure.

    People don’t like being told what to do, that’s the crux of it. I think James’ video is great if it encourages people to wear a lid or even think about it… If you don’t want to then fine, don’t. That’s your choice and your family being left to pick up the pieces if you get mashed.

    I’m glad JC was wearing a helmet and I’m glad he made this vid…

    And Al, I’m glad you’ve got it on your site. Hats off to you 🙂

    Reply
  7. I always wear a helmet on the bike because for some odd reason, when I fall off I seem to always land on my head.

    I’m glad that James Cracknell is on the mend and I’m glad that in his unusual accident the helmet saved him

    What you have to understand about the anti helmet lobby is

    1) Helmets only cover a tiny part of the body and do not protect against the consequences of most accidents

    2) Helmets are (bizarrely) most effective at lower speeds

    3) Helmets are made from cheap materials like polystyrene but are yet another bit of over priced cycling equipment

    4) Helmets make your head ‘orrible and sweaty

    5) Motorists give cyclists wearing helmets less space when overtaking at speed

    6) For some accidents (I assume unusual ones) the helmet can act as a lever and increase the damaging effects

    7) Your head is designed to withstand impacts anyhow

    That’s why a lot of cyclists don’t wear a helmet and are not in favour of compulsory helmet use.

    Reply
  8. Dan Beeden Posted

    Good advice. A guy on my course at Uni was broadsided by a car on the one day he was rushed and running late, forgot his helmet, and rode on in rather than go back in the house to grab it. He was battered and bruised but that reinforced to me my existing rule; wear helmet at all times – it offers not a single detriment on my rides, be it home to work or UK to Venice 2 years ago.

    Great website Al – keep up the good work

    Reply
  9. Daniel Sandström Posted

    Oh, discussion. 🙂
    I think the primary school helmet-rule and uncoolness off helmets still lingers on. Don’t know about the rest of the world, but in Finland school children must use helmets, which is a good thing. But no, I definately don’t think helmets should be compulsory. One have to take that decision yourself.

    Reply
  10. ian sellers Posted

    I ve got to the stage where if I see someone without a helmet , I think its abnormal , as opposed to a few years ago people were pointed at for wearing one

    Reply
  11. A helmet along with gloves are things I would never go without on the bike, no matter if I was cruising the countryside or commuting through traffic. I have had several falls on the bike where a helmet has definitely saved my life. once I even split the helmet in two (and it wasn’t a cheap one either), I hate to think what would have happend if I was without it.

    I treat a helmet the same way as wearing a seatbelt in a car, 99% it may seem pointless to some people but do you really want to test out that situation where it might just come in handy.

    I am all for personal choice, you just wont find me riding without a helmet if I can help it.

    Reply
  12. ian sellers Posted

    I ve got to the stage where if I see someone without a helmet , I think its abnormal , as opposed to a few years ago people were pointed at for wearing one.

    And in reply to some of the negative comments to Al and James , c mon …….. seriously ????? No seriously ????

    Reply
  13. Baba Blacksheep Posted

    In the end its just a personal choice(depending on conditions).It just shouldn’t be made into a law where cops get another chance to stop and harass people.

    But the thing is spreading the word using fear makes people run out and make more and more rules.

    (I use a helmet when necessary and it has prevented head injury once,and i retract my statement that its only necessary when going ‘fast as hell’,i was doing a steep incline when i fell).I never meant to hurt anybody with my previous statement.Cheers.

    Reply
  14. It would be nice to see a bit more balance and a bit less “heat” in the exchanges. One’s 1st thoughts have to be for James and others who have suffered through serious cycling accidents. My subsequent thoughts were:

    2) Studies comparing Australia and and other places where helmets have been made compulsory with Denmark and other places that show the effect of scaring people has been shown to reduce the number of people cycling, resulting in ill-health and ultimately early deaths potentially greater than loss of life through those instances where a helmet really could have made a difference in an accident.

    3) Campaigns do really need to be intelligent about how people use their bikes. I fully support James’ video being aimed at some riders – fast roadies and those heavily using roads, clipless pedals, forward-positioning geometry etc. But both evidence and common sense say for people chugging along cycle paths in suits on upright machines the helmet is less of an issue.

    It’s a month since I finished cycling nearly 6000km across Europe from Istanbul to Nordkapp and wore my helmet every day. But on my town bike I cycle in a completely different way and don’t wear a helmet. So I can see both sides of the argument. I know for a fact I take fewer risks and am more mindful of safety when my head feels “naked”.

    4) It’s always anecdotes rolled out about helmets saving a friends life. A friend of mine who was badly hurt being knocked off his bike by a car would have been much worse off had he been wearing a helmet. It’s no surprise the medical profession have been very careful about maintaining balance (no pun intended) on this issue.

    I think Mr Cracknell has every right to share his concerns after his experience but I fear the real problem – motor vehicles causing injury and fatalities – could be obscured, that helmets and I also fear putting people off short, life-saving trips to and from work and the shops through making it illegal to cycle without a helmet and through scaring people through indiscriminately targeted campaigns – however valid and important the message.

    Forward the video but do so with thought and care?

    Reply
  15. Geoff Sloan Posted

    Wear a helmet or the kitten gets it!

    Two issues here:
    a) The merits of wearing a helmet while cycling
    b) The merits of using fear as a motivator in marketing/advertising/etc

    a) *warning – anecdotal evidence* As a forty something cycle commuter in suburban London I had two serious encounters with motor vehicles and in both cases dread to think what would have happened to me without a helmet. In the first, I was riding to work when broadsided at a junction. I vividly remember my head bouncing off the bonnet of the 4×4 before I flew across the road and landed 30 feet away. Killed the bike but I was just badly bruised and a little concussed.

    The second time, riding home from work, I cannoned into the side of a car pulling out of a blind side road and left a very impressive helmet shaped depression in the windscreen. Bike less damaged and more concussion for me.

    To me, this just exemplifies why you should always chose to wear a helmet. Worth noting that the video doesn’t suggest making it compulsory.

    b) Having worked in the marketing industry I recognise the sad truth that most campaigns are based on either fear or greed. The assurance/insurance industry is the obvious example of the former, or how about the famous old slogan ‘No one ever lost their job for buying IBM’?

    The greed motivator need not be just for money, it’s anything people can be persuaded they should want more of; pick almost any alcohol, cigarette, cosmetic or scent campaign you like: it’s about getting more fun, cool, youth, sex (individually or in combination). The exceptions are those using humour or wordplay; I can’t think of a greed or fear angle on Fay Weldon’s iconic ‘Go to work on an egg’.

    Like it or lump it, until we as a race stop being motivated by fear and greed campaigns of all kinds will use them to persuade us to buy/think/do stuff.

    Reply
  16. Martin Beetham Posted

    I used to vow I would never wear a helmet while riding on road (although I did off road) but now I’m older, wiser and more cynical (as well as married). I wouldn’t want helmets to be made compulsory but a lot of how I feel is about wishing we lived in a world where drivers all drove in a manner which meant we didn’t feel the need to wear helmets.

    Reply
  17. I wholly support this video and Alastair for promoting it.

    I’m not going to say others are stupid for not wearing a helmet, I firmly believe in personal choice and it’s up to that individual, but I myself feel stupid if I don’t wear my helmet.

    The human body whilst tough is no match to cars, trucks or all the other hazards on the road. And whilst I agree that in some high speed collisions the helmet makes sadly makes no difference, in so many others I absolutely agree it can be the difference between life & death.

    There are so many potential accidents like falling off your bike at low speed and hitting your head on the curb, or like I did – stationary but got my foot stuck in the pedal straps (like a total novice!) – I tipped over and hit my head on a rock lying on the ground.

    My head contains my brain, it’s surely the most important and vital part of my body that it’s sensible to add protection. Not only that, the white shiny coating helps keep the African sun off my head and adds to the reflective high visibility.

    I’m sorry, I simply cannot understand why some people don’t’ wear a helmet – but I’m not forcing anyone else to change, and neither is the video, but for me, it’s simply common sense.

    And as for Alastair who’s blog is clearly regularly read and is inspiring young people to take up adventures; promoting safety is, without question, the right thing to do.

    Reply
  18. Jeff Gardner Posted

    I take exception with both sides of this issue. For those, at least those in America, who favor compulsory govt intervention as the way to achieve some situational benefit — it is unlikely that a discussion here will change your beliefs. “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” SCOTUS affirms that the right to travel is an essential liberty.

    For those who do not favor compulsory govt intervention. (Again, in America.) The question is misconstrued. If there is a law re: helmet use in the nation I am unaware of it. Maybe there is somewhere. What there surely is are a bevy of local ordinances to that effect, and some colorable law statutes. Ordinances are not public law, nor are most statutes. Public laws applicable to all only derive from the legislative body. Ordinances can only apply to those who are employed by, or who do business with, that jurisdiction.

    The important if seemingly esoteric point being, to ‘not favor’ govt compulsion implicitly recognizes that govt has the power to effect such an edict in the first place. I, like so many, ride for the freedom of it. It is a freedom worth protecting and I encourage people who value freedom to do so.

    BTW, I ride with a helmet. Stupidly, I did not do so for many years simply in order to make a point. I came to understand that education was a better way to protect liberty and wearing a helmet was a better way to stay alive.

    Reply
  19. Dylan Posted

    Nothing like the helmet issue to stir up a bit of polarised debate.

    I write this from Australia where it is law to wear a helmet. A lot of people I have spoken to say that this law has resulted in a big reduction in the numbers of people riding bikes. Having had conversations with a lot of folk about the scourge of ‘helmet hair’ I have come to accept that helmets don’t necessarily promote bike usage.

    That said for years I have worked as a bike guide in Europe with predominantly American clientele with whom it is accepted that ‘everyone’ should wear a helmet. Coming from the UK and never having got into the habit of wearing a helmet it took a while to get used to wearing one to the point that now, given the choice, I wear one during daily life.

    The legal thing in Australia has become less of an issue since the ‘hipsters’ decided cycling was cool and don’t wear helmets and so I’m not overly influenced by fear of a fine. I simply choose to wear one more often than not.

    The big point here relates to ‘choice’ and as a keen advocate of cycling I think that it is important to maintain that. This is a bit of a stream of conciouness but I guess my issue with the video that its emotive nature serves to undermine this choice.

    It also serves to scare the bejesus out of anyone who isn’t familiar with riding a bike. Any experienced rider accepts that they are very vulnerable and takes measures to address this with the way they ride etc. A helmet is merely part of that approach. If I wasn’t a regular rider though I would watch this and rather than go out and buy a helmet I would lock my bike a way!

    Reply
  20. Dylan Posted

    Just to clarify one thing. When I mention wearing a helmet in daily life I am just referring to when I ‘m on my bike and not say in the bath ect etc!

    Reply
  21. For me …it is simply a question of assessing the risk and making your own decision.

    I rode motorbikes for years …high risk with huge consequences, I climbed rock in summer and ice in winter …again high risk with huge consequences. Helmets were one of a number of controls to minimise the risk to an acceptable level (acceptable to me that is) …a cycle helmet should be worn (or not) on the same basis – likelihood of a head injury and how serious it would be (personally I consider ANY head injury serious). In short, let those who ride decide.

    Reply
  22. Jonah Posted

    You’ve sparked a great debate here Al.
    Yes Cracknell is using the fear factor but I think he has every right to – without wearing a helmet he would be dead. I cycle to work in London everyday and I wouldn’t get on my bike without wearing a helmet. We are vulnerable enough as it is, so it makes sense to be as protected as possible.
    I am getting more and more irritated by cyclists riding without helmets, and listening to their ipods or on their phones. Surely this has to be illegal?! Of course it is their choice to be reckless, but when they endanger other road users then that is when I would be happy for government intervention.
    BTW, Al, I noticed that you weren’t wearing a helmet on your recent Scotland trip!

    Reply
    • I think of all the places in the world you can be quite safe without a helmet, pootling through the Shetland Isles on a folding bike is quite high up the list…

      Reply
  23. Matthew Traver Posted

    Good video I think. At the end of the day, if people are afraid of their freedom being restricted or being preached to by an opinion they don’t agree with (such as in the video), you don’t have to listen to it… I see the helmet campaigns as being no different than many other similar campaigns, such as with skin cancer (which strangely nobody gets indignant about) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4jgUcxMezM&feature=player_embedded. Personally I don’t fancy my head cracking open and spilling all over the road.

    I had an old family friend a long time ago get smashed in to a car from his side at a cross junction, he hit his head, wasn’t wearing a helmet and was brain damaged and wheel-chair bound for the rest of his life and fully dependent on care… whether or not a helmet would have made a difference, who knows, but I personally don’t see why it’s not worth just strapping one on.

    Reply
  24. Jamie Posted

    I don’t wear a helmet generally. I accept a slightly higher risk for a better experience the same way I do when I walk out of the front door instead of staying in bed. I deliberately plan routes on rural roads and avoid busy traffic times generally. For me, if the traffic is constant and passing me at 55-60mph I am not really enjoying myself and shouldn’t really be on such a major road anyway (unless it is just a short connecting stretch) – appreciate that such an attitude may not make much sense at times when cycling round the world or through a continent.

    I have fallen a few times and never had a serious injury or landed on my head but those were low speed off-road falls. On most falls I know how to fall and would easily avoid landing on my head. I have never been hit by a car but obviously I understand why such “know how to fall” logic would not apply to some faster, heavier, more dangerous falls such as a fast car hit. So if I was on a cycling trip to China including urban areas or commuting through London I would wear a helmet though. Same for high speed adrenalin mounting biking.

    It is a subjective argument and a personal choice and therefore shouldn’t inspire such strong and critical opinions.

    Children need to wear a helmet because they are more likely to fall and less likely to know how to fall, therefore, it could actually make sense to take your kids cycling in a safe location such as a former railway track and insist they wear a helmet but not wear one yourself. Most parents in this situation wear a helmet only to set a good example and to avoid the risk of getting criticised or getting nasty stares.

    Reply
  25. Richard Burton Posted

    A very powerful video indeed, but there’s just one little thing Mr Cracknell isn’t telling you: he’s sponsored by a helmet manufacturer http://www.alpina-helmets.co.uk/athletes.html

    The very same one that he claims saved his life. I wonder how many helmets they’ve sold since this video was released?

    Reply
  26. Raph Taylor Posted

    I do now wear a helmet on each ride, both on and off road. I didn’t used to until a couple of nasty offs changed my mind. When I recently started road riding, I thought about leaving the helmet at home, but didn’t. Had one off where I did most damage to my shoulder, but did hit the helmet on the road too, so was glad of it.
    I used to use the reasoning that as I spent most of my childhood falling off my BMX or my over-sized hand-me-down racer (I didn’t know helmets even existed back then) I instinctively ‘know’ how to fall safely. But I am currently rather overweight, which has implications to my ‘falling’, and as I tend to ride in fairly busy roads I am fully aware that it will only take one careless car/bus/truck to change this.
    I do agree with the above remark regarding cyclists using headphones on the roads – I rely considerably on my hearing when on the roads.
    But I also agree with the concerns about compulsory helmet laws putting cyclists off.

    This helmet design may also go someway towards Lessing the environmental impact of plastics used in helmets:

    http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/cardboard-helmet-fits-like-a-glove/09991

    Reply
  27. Thanks for the vid, Al. Very thought provoking. Great when taken in context (riding a bike in a heavy traffic area at fast speeds), perhaps.

    Just to bring some ‘other-world’ perspective on this discussion: I live in Japan. Some cyclists, who cycle for the sport of it, wear helmets here.

    The rest of the people (most of the population, it seems) who ride bikes (men in business suits, hipsters with gnarly hairstyles, beautiful women with delightful flowing hair, punks with horrid hairstyles, frazzled mothers with three children riding in tandem, etc etc) don’t.

    I’d hate to see the effect on an already congested road system, and on people’s health, if everyone suddenly had to wear helmets (or at least felt that they should).

    That is to say, apart from the frazzled mothers with three children riding in tandem, I would say that the men in business suits, hipsters with gnarly hairstyles, beautiful women with delightful flowing hair, and punks with horrid hairstyles would just up and not bike if doing so meant that their carefully crafted hair styles would be affected in some way.

    Or then again, perhaps if everyone in Japan started wearing helmets, then everyone would start wearing helmets in Japan.

    Reply
  28. Nation Posted

    Personally, I do not like helmets. But I do wear one on occasion, when cycling on dual carriageways and big scary 40/50 mph roads.

    Reply
  29. Chris Whitehouse Posted

    I think if James Cracknell genuinely wants to make cycling safer (as opposed to sell more helmets) he would be more effective using his public profile to campaign for better driving standards and better conditions for cyclists than using one anecdote to push the helmet agenda. I believe pushing the helmet agenda has a negative effect on improving cyclists safety as it distracts from the root causes.

    The root cause for him was that someone drove their lorry into him not whether or not he was wearing a helmet.

    London Cyclist June-July 2011 magazine has an excellent summary of changes required to make cycling safer in London, many of the points can be applied generally. I hope they won’t mind if I quote it:

    -more money for cycle promotion
    -more road space for cyclists
    -lower volumes of motor traffic
    -slower motorised traffic speeds
    -more cycle training
    -safer lorries
    -more cycle awareness training for drivers
    -better wayfinding
    -more segregated tracks
    -more mandatory lanes
    -no one-way streets for cyclists
    -ending rat-runs
    -providing ample and secure cycle parking
    -integrating cycle targets into planning gain
    -zero tolerance cycle theft policing
    -opening up greenways
    -car-free routes, places and/or times
    -integrating cycling into public health
    -air pollution abatement and climate change mitigation strategies
    -stricter liability for insurance claims purposes

    I’m sure James could find several points there that are worth campaigning for.

    Reply

 
 

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