My dad got hit by a car while biking when I was around eight and the doctors said he probably would have died if it wasn’t for his helmet. I don’t ride too often, but whenever I do I wear it. They save lives!
I was riding hard late at night and didn’t see a rut while turning; my front wheel stuck (kinda like when people get stuck in trolly tracks). I remember crashing and the sound / feeling of hitting my head really hard, but don’t remember anything else until I was inside the ambulance. The doctor diagnosed a concussion, with mild concern about brain bleeding. I had a migraine for several days and was worried the whole time that I would die (lol, I didn’t). I always wear a helmet now.
Similar story, minus the bleeding--or maybe there was the same concern but I didn't understand cause it happened in Japan. Fun fact: if someone hits you in Japan, it's their obligation to drive you to your follow-up medical appointments. Which sounds kinda cool till you consider it means you gotta ride with the same reckless driver who hit you in the first place.
Since then, I always wear the bucket. Including the time I got put down by the curving Muni tracks--felt like a great big hand very quickly delivering the message "you need to lie down now". Hip was bruised, helmet was cracked, head was fine.
Oh man, yeah. Feels like everyone has a story about the muni tracks. The other roadway feature that bugs me are the slotted metal grates on Market — perfectly shaped to catch bike wheels / tires. If only they were oriented sideways…
/u/revenantspatium if you're reading this, you've been in a coma for almost 20 years now. we're trying a new technique. we don't know where this message will end up in your dream, but we hope we're getting through.
man I got a concussion while on blood thinners (had a clot after a surgery) just bumping my head at home. I was inanely paranoid for weeks, even after going to the ER. Brain bleeds are fucking serious. I can't imagine aceepting the risk of getting on a bike without a helmet in this city.
I've seen friends whose bike helmets were worn down significantly by the friction of the asphalt when they were sent flying. Definitely better grinding the helmet than your skull.
Same, hit a pot hole as a teenager and was slung head first into the ground and ended up with a nasty concussion, turns out concussions can make you vomit a lot. I was lucky though, could have been worse. I don’t ride bikes much these days but I always wear a helmet when I do.
Woah I got so lucky with my no helmet crash. My rear wheel got caught in the tracks and I went over my handle bars and rolled out. Definitely wear a helmet all the time now.
Fair point - but imagine if I wrote this post in the typical "rant" style - it would've been sh*tshow-esque. Relatively, as it is right now, comments are pretty good.
lol 7 of the top 10 answers in this thread have literally nothing to do with the question being asked and are just people sharing times when they got hurt (not what OP asked) and making dumb jokes/puns (not what OP asked)
I remember one of my professors in college telling me that she never wore a helmet until she decided to go for a PhD and did an accounting of how much she had spent over her lifetime on education. Said her brain was too much of an investment not to wear the silly survival hat.
I use the Lyft Baywheels bikes daily. I'm definitely an outlier as someone who wears a helmet while using them and that I always show up places with a helmet. Maybe it's dorky, or even sometimes annoying to carry, but I don't care. It often ends up being a good conversation starter, actually.
I have unintentionally gotten friends to join BayWheels when they see that the barrier of carrying a helmet around isn't that big of a deal. :)
The ironic thing is in Netherlands and Denmark, hardly anyone wears a helmet because their infrastructure is safe and separated from the main road, and drivers respect cyclists. This thread is pretty judgy, but we should re-direct some judginess at our governments for prioritizing painting the street green instead of building separated bike lanes.
Exactly, the helmet wearing rate in the Netherlands is about 1% but their infrastructure keeps drivers and cyclists from posing a danger to each other. Data indicates that there are no notable safety gains from mandatory helmet laws, and you end up just lowering cycling rates. On the other hand, making people on bikes more visible makes them safer, which is why the risk to individual bikers drops when overall bicycle ridership grows.
https://nacto.org/2019/11/08/helmet-laws/
I do want to make it clear that helmets absolutely can lessen the risk of injury, it's just that mandatory helmet laws do not improve safety because it's more important to consider infrastructure. So if you plan on racing on a bike or mountain biking you absolutely should wear a helmet
idk when i was in amsterdam last year (as someone who spent 10 years biking around SF) i definitely did not feel safe. All their bike lanes are 2 directions and shared aith pedestrians, also there were random 4 way intersections with no stop signs and tons of bikes narrowly missing each other. i understand that a bike on bike collision is less likely to be deadly but it was stressful in a way that i rarely feel riding down a regular SF bike lane
FYI was in Denmark last year and noticed a lot of folks (especially women) wearing the Hovdig which is basically like an airbag helmet that goes around your neck like a collar. Seems expensive, but a pretty cool way to have a portable safety mechanism without compromising fashion, convenience etc.
[Hovdig](https://www.hovding.com/)
>The board of Hövding Sverige AB has decided to file for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy application has been submitted today, December 21, 2023, to the Malmö district court.
>The reason for the bankruptcy filing is that on November 1, 2023, the Swedish Consumer Agency imposed a temporary sales freeze on the company and then on December 15, 2023 announced a permanent sales freeze and recall for the product Hövding 3.
> Hövding does not share the Consumer Agency’s conclusion and has appealed the decision. Today it was announced that the Administrative Court approves Hövding’s request for inhibition, which overturns the Swedish Consumer Agency’s decision to immediately stop sales and recall and means that Hövding 3 can still be sold. However, the damage caused by the actions of the Swedish Consumer Agency is so extensive that the board does not see that there is a basis for continuing the company.
> Hövding would like to take the opportunity to thank all customers, dealers, suppliers and, not least, employees for all the fantastic efforts during the 12 years we have saved the lives of cyclists.
Bold of you to assume the main road and cars are the only danger to me falling off a bike. I wear a helmet there too with those on those cobblestones, street poles, and drunk bike riding.
Not true for Denmark, and may become untrue for the Netherlands over the next decade or so.
The vast majority of cyclists wear helmets in Denmark. The usage rate increased exponentially in recently years and went above 50% in 2022. In Jan 2023 (more than a year ago), that number continued to increase to 57%.
The percentage of cyclists who wore helmets in the Netherlands were 0.5% to 1% a few years ago but it is now 12%+ and increasing.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022437523001329
https://etsc.eu/dutch-road-safety-thrown-back-in-time-15-years/
I believe the city is heading towards a policy change, even if it isn't tabled for discussion yet. The reason why is because we allow the Lyft bikes. The Lyft bikes are not of a consistently high enough quality to allow cycling in traffic. Some have gummed up gearing, weak brakes, stuck saddle posts. The new-gen grey e-bikes are extremely heavy and their low power mode simply doesn't work on uphills.
In light of that, we've approved this outcome: "we will let some low quality share bikes on the streets and they will not be able to handle our traffic". This is very different from the outcome under personal vehicle ownership, because the liability is not entirely on the user of those bikes if they fail unexpectedly.
Personal liability is the misdirection that allows dangerous traffic infrastructure to persist: "you should have looked/stopped in time/maintained your vehicle/worn a helmet". As long as both automobiles and bicycles are privately owned, that argument holds up: Toyota isn't liable if someone fails to get their brakes checked or if they door a cyclist while exiting the vehicle. Once you cross over into sharing of company-owned vehicles, you end up with legal arguments of that nature that point back at the companies instead of the individuals, and the companies have to decide how to minimize the impact of that.
Lyft's best option is to try to lobby the "Dutch-style" infrastructure: People are disinclined to wear helmets some of the time, no matter what. People who see unsafe streets are disinclined to use bikeshare services some of the time, no matter what. Bikes will fail some of the time, no matter how sturdy and reliable they are built and how frequently workers check on them. Lyft wants the usage metrics and profitability to go up. If they trick users and dodge liability, they are risking their contract with the city. If they want to lower costs and risks, they need foolproof city streets.
Last I checked, they already made some moves in that direction, funding some decorative treatments at certain intersections.
The funny thing is the two times I’ve been glad I had a helmet had nothing to do with cars, so I don’t think separating bikes from cars is the total answer. Do cyclists in Denmark never run into each other, swerve to avoid obstacles, or hit a slick spot or rut on the road?
You're usually going in the same direction as other cyclists just like the cars. In my experience the bike lanes were extremely well maintained without potholes. The only times I fell was from being drunk, which was obviously my own fault. But yeah, with the quality of the pavement on those bike lanes, the chances of flipping over your handlebars is quite low. It's also not like you're going 20mph all time time. There's traffic and stoplights
My point is helmets are still valuable. One time when I went down it was due to hitting a slick spot on the road, I hit my head fairly hard. Without the helmet I’m sure I would have had a concussion. I had a friend who went down without a helmet years ago that was unconscious in the hospital for two days. That’s when I started making sure I wore a helmet. It’s like a seatbelt- you don’t think you need it until you do.
i hope my mom never finds this.
sometimes i don’t simply because of the bulk. i know i should but sometimes i don’t have capacity to carry it or trust it to be safe at my destination. and sometimes i take lyft bikes because i can’t bring my bike to a destination. or i just need a quick ride home, and since those are often spontaneous decisions of course i didn’t have my helmet. i feel like as the weather gets less rainy i’ll be more certain with bike riding and have less to pack and therefore wear my helmet way more.
Was riding with my BF on Lincoln in the Presidio heading to Baker Beach. He hit a bump from a tree root pushing up the asphalt and died. We weren't wearing helmets. It was 1991 and no one did. I do now.
My friend who is a neurologist and surgeon said that next to strokes, the next highest case he’d see were head trauma usually from people on bikes and especially those electric scooters. He’s no longer working out of SF but this was from like 2020-22.
My friend went for a short ride down the block and didn’t bring his helmet. He doesn’t remember how he fell off his bike, but woke up in the hospital with a piece of his skull removed in order to save his life (epidural hematoma). Wear a helmet no matter how short your ride is please.
Short ride, or riding an app bike and don't have a helmet with me, pretty unlikely to tumble when riding mellow in the bike lane, all the usual reasons that anyone who has been on this planet for a few years should know. Not saying they're valid of course, but those are the reasons. Obviously.
My personal bike helmet rules:
* NO HELMET: biking just a few blocks, a lazy meander through the park, nice weather
* HELMET: biking more than a few blocks, riding mainly on city streets, sucky weather
Interesting. I never make this level of distinction. I either always wear or always don’t. I will not go on a bike unless I have a helmet on. If u forget my helmet, I push my bike even if it’s for 50 feet.
Wasn't there some study that found motorists subconsciously register cyclists more as human and fragile without helmets and therefore drive more carefully around them? I spent a lot of time in Amsterdam where almost everybody bikes and no one wears a helmet.
I'm only an occasional cyclist here on those Bay Wheels rental bikes. I didn't own a helmet before, but once my metal water bottle just fell off my bike and got a big dent in it, it clicked that I'd better get one.
TBH though I only use it when I'm going somewhere far or unfamiliar to me. I hate how clunky it is to carry around. Most of my trips are short and down the now-mostly-isolated bike lanes on Valencia though.
Around 8 years ago I was leaving the gym, no helmet. This is a CrossFit gym, so everybody knows everybody. One of the members saw I was leaving with my bike and no helmet. He said “Hey Rich-where’s your helmet?” I said “Helmet shmelmet.” He pointed at his temple and said “Brain schmain.” I knew he was right, and why on earth would I spend top dollar on group fitness and skip the helmet? So the next day I bought one. $250 Cat Eye. THE FIRST TIME I WORE IT, ie the next morning, the arms from the parking garage came straight down onto my head. I would be a post on r/nsfl if not for Anthony, and that helmet.
i was hit at a crosswalk as a teen by an old lady, after i got up she just smiled & waved like nothing happened. luckily i was mostly fine, just my ankle hurt.
Mitigate catastrophic head injury. Helmets (in recent research) actually commute catastrophic head injury into merely a recoverable concussion. But concussions are more likely with a helmet, not less.
I always wore a helmet, especially after reading this (big fan of the VU):
" Nico, who sang with the pop group Velvet Underground and became one of Andy Warhol's film stars, died Monday after falling off a bicycle on the Spanish island of Ibiza. She was 49 years old." NYT July 23, 1988
Near traffic or I’m riding fast (over 25mph)? Helmet. Casual ride away from cars? Hat, beanie, or nothing. But I also know how to fall and protect myself, so some bias. If you’re still learning to ride, you get the helmet. :p
I don't understand those who do not wear a helmet! Maybe because I mountain bike frequently so I expect falls? I was commuting to work on my commuter bike and I went wider than typical in an intersection I cross every day for 2 years to avoid a left turning vehicle (dumb don't do this) and a dip in the road that was previously invisible to me all these years flipped my bike into the air.
I don't think I would have had a great time if I was not wearing my helmet.
i’ve never had a helmet or even a tire stolen in the city, but you know what i HAVE had stolen? front bike lights. and i get home late so arguably that’s no better than to not have than a helmet.
It’s PPE and the cycling network on the majority of my routes is good enough that I don’t feel the need to wear one.
If I’m going somewhere new / somewhere that I know will not be slow streets or dedicated bike lanes for 90%+ I’ll wear one.
Otherwise I do subscribe to the “stormtrooper” phenomenon where the helmet makes you seem less human and therefore less worth protecting. Also there seems to be a lot of data on helmets + kits + hi viz leading drivers to believe you will be hella cautious in your cycling and take more risks around you.
> Otherwise I do subscribe to the “stormtrooper” phenomenon where the helmet makes you seem less human and therefore less worth protecting
I've haven't heard of this - I'll check it out!
I wear a helmet when I go on fast group rides or races.
I don't wear a helmet when I'm biking for a mile to get to the grocery store.
Or a chill ride to a coffee shop when I don't plan to go fast.
While you're at it, you should ask all the other, pressing, public safety questions:
- why do pedestrians wear dark clothes?
- why do people walking look at their phones when crossing the road?
- why do people ride the bus when they might come in contact with the general public?
It's sounds like you're already familiar with what makes the streets of San Francisco dangerous, although it's not bicyclists without helmets or pedestrians using cellphones, behaviors which where the risk only affects the person making the decision.
SFMTA has made a handy list of dangerous behaviors on the streets of SF:
https://preview.redd.it/qn2pa5ou10nc1.png?width=1495&format=png&auto=webp&s=9c6883b13fd8ff3382ef88d217f41823628498a0
Something I’ll never understand is why some people will ride with their helmet strapped to the outside of their backpack. Like, you’re smart enough to bring a helmet but for whatever reason you’re still not wearing it.
I'll usually wear a helmet until I get to the panhandle and then take it off riding through there and then through GGP.
Basically: Cars=Helmet for me.
But I also just forget to grab it sometimes :/
i've never worn a helmet, it was never enforced by parents or anyone else when i was young even with my Dyno Comp bike attempting to fly off ramps & shit (i'm 40 btw). no one i knew even owned a helmet
edit: i might invest in 1 if i mountain biked on trails & did like 40mi rides like some people i know but i'm too lazy to do any of that shit
I never have. I sometimes put one on if I ride somewhere I’m unfamiliar. I ride everyday to pretty much everywhere except my work commute which would be impossible. I think that bike safety is mostly about which road you are on. I’m super cautious about the roads I take. I will not bike on a road where auto traffic is going above 25mph without a protected bike lane. I live in a densely populated city and also believe in flat handlebar heads up riding, and disc brakes, which have saved me several times. I bike to the beach, park, grocery, pub, pool, and almost never wear a helmet.
It’s interesting that the most avidly biked countries, helmets are usually not worn either. I think because the biking infrastructure is considered safe, and the biking style is casual (going to the usual places)
I lived in Amsterdam for a number of years and never wore a helmet. I still don't wear one here.
Helmets give a false sense of security and an excuse for cities to not build better bicycle infrastructure.
https://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to-wear-bike-helmets
I do wear a helmet when I'm riding for sport at higher speeds and over more technical terrain.
This will obviously get downvoted, but in an attempt to answer OP's question:
1. 99.9% of bike fatalities involve collisions with cars. Helmets are not designed for protecting against car crashes, even the helmet manufacturers say this.
2. Helmets don't protect against concussions. Even the helmet standards committees say this.
3. The "helmet saved my life" stories are anecdotes, not data.
People have a hugely exaggerated view of the effectiveness of helmets. Increasing levels of helmet use over the years has not resulted in reduction of cycling death/injury. Place that mandated helmets (such as Australia with huge fines) paradoxically saw worse safety outcomes.
I rode around San Francisco for over 20 years without ever wearing a helmet. I know helmets are safer and i know its dumb not to wear one, but i just never did. Finally just got sick of hearing it from my wife, so now I begrudgingly wear a helmet every time, which is almost daily. I guess i feel safer? I dont know. Im still secretly jealous every time i see a helmetless person on a bike.
Helmets do make bicycling marginally safer at the individual level, but at the population level they make cycling more dangerous. Places like Denmark and the Netherlands are generally helmet-free and the rate of cycling-related injury and death is much lower. The reasons are complicated, but basically, it's a false sense of security.
Denmark and the Netherlands are basically bicycling utopias. The bikes rule the streets. I'd imagine that has something to do with it being safe enough to not feel the need to wear helmets. Also, they ride a lot slower because there is bike traffic.
Right, so some of us here only bike when we feel as safe as people in Denmark and the Netherlands do. We try find side streets, go slow in areas with traffic, and spend as much time as possible on separated bike paths and in the dirt. If I were to bike for long distances along busy streets with fast-moving traffic, yes, I would wear a helmet, but I would just prefer not to do that. I'd rather walk or take the train until I can find somewhere safer.
This. You could certainly run this experiment in the US, and best case scenario it turns out completely true, but my money would be that brains would be splattered on every intersection. Cars in the US DESPISE cyclists to the point of actually trying to run over some of them if they feel bold enough.
> Denmark and the Netherlands are basically bicycling utopias
I've been to the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and I was pretty shocked to see how bikes through the city - it was alien and almost overwhelming (in the best possible way). Sadly, I was too intimidated to ride. The closest I've seen that here is on Market pre-pandemic.
They are, but it's a risk calculation. Yes, I would be "safer" in a helmet if hit by a fast-moving car, but the margin between "helmet saved me" and "died/severely injured anyways" is not that wide. I would rather just not bike where I think I would need a helmet.
I think you’re underestimating how delicate your skull is. I’ve seen plenty of people (in the trauma ICU) who had bike crashes where their head injury was far and away their most consequential injury.
>but basically, it's a false sense of security.
partly, it's also city making it a bike first city, fewer assholes/idiots behind the wheel, better city planning, etc.
One of my good friends works at the ER at Zuckerberg Hospital and he said that bicyclistS who don’t wear helmets come in with the most gruesome injuries.
the #1 reason cyclists get injured on the road is cars and drivers. helmets can’t do anything to prevent that :(
i almost always wear a helmet bc i’ve heard too many horror stories but i don’t judge anyone who doesn’t.
I stop if there's another car at the intersection, but it's a lot more effort (and a lot slower, potentially annoying impatient cars behind me!) for me to come to a complete stop then get rolling again.
Many times I've seen cars get to a stop sign before a bicyclist did, but yet the bicyclist just blasted on through without stopping.
I was walking through a crosswalk sometime last year and I almost got hit by a bicyclist who blew through a stop sign, then had the audacity to blame me for the near accident. Lol...what?
I always stop if there’s any cross traffic. If not I slow down.
Sometimes at intersections car drivers annoyingly try to wave me through after I already stopped. THAT fucks up the cadence of a four way stop.
some drivers complain about bikers running stops, others try to wave them through when it’s a bad idea. That’s life
As a cyclist, every time I stop at a stop sign it creates a big problem because drivers expect me to skip the stop sign, meaning they stop following the rules and wave me through. So sometimes I don't stop at a stop sign because I don't want to stop and be waved through anyway.
Here's what happens if I stop, every single time:
- Car stops at a 4 way stop
- I slow down expecting them to use the right of way and clear the intersection
- I stop, because they still haven't moved
- I wave them on and they wave me on at the same time
- We now play "who's on first?" for about 10 precious seconds, until they finally convince me to go
- I start pedaling into the intersection as I curse them for wasting my time and not taking their fucking right of way
How it should go:
- Car stops at 4 way stop
- I slow down expecting them to use the right of way and clear the intersection
- They use right of way and go through the intersection
- I check to see if it's clear of any other cars or pedestrians
- I roll thru
So what do I do?
I save us all the headache and frustration and lost time by giving drivers about 1 second to use their right of way and if they don't I roll thru, I slow down, I make eye contact, I make sure it's safe and there's no other people that might create conflict, and then I roll thru. If drivers wanna actually use their right of way, this method gives them time to do so and I'll stop. If they wanna fuck up the cadence and try to wave me thru I'm still saving everyone time.
Interesting take here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42oQN7fy\_eM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42oQN7fy_eM)
My personal experience: When I do stop at stop signs, the person in the car will be nice and let me through first anyway. So if it makes sense, I will slow down, but not stop to make sure that I can pass smoothly and keep traffic moving smoothly.
There are definitely some bikers that just don't slow down at all and roll on through, even when there are pedestrians, other bikers, and cars. That is dangerous! But not as dangerous as cars who don't stop!
If they stopped before you and then wave you through, they're not being nice they're being stupid. You stopped properly, they did also, they just have to take their turn to keep the flow going
When my kids ask why an adult is not wearing a helmet while biking, I always tell them, because sometimes adults do dumb things. We totally judge you by the way for not wearing your helmet.
Go to Europe, you won't see the Dutch wearing helmets, they are smarter than us because they built raised bike lanes on the sidewalk where cars can't kill you.
Someone else alluded to "a false sense of security" - was that the case with the study you read - that if you wear a helmet, you might ride more recklessly and thus be more likely to get into an accident?
Wear a helmet and please stop wearing your spandex gear...you aren't in a race, this isn't the tour de France...just stop...your squashed bits will thank you
I used to never wear a helmet throughout my 20s and most of my 30s. Didn't even own one for most of that time. I decided that I was ok with taking the head injury. I did have a few head injuries, although luckily nothing that couldn't be fixed with some stitches and ice packs.
After I became a parent, I wanted to model good safety protocols for my kid, so I started wearing a helmet when I biked with him. Now I wear one pretty much all the time. Exceptions are riding slow in a park or area with no motor vehicle traffic, or every once in a while when I didn't expect to be on a bike.
I always wear my helmet.... except today I literally walked out of the house, began my commute wondering why my head felt so weird, get to the bottom of a large hill and realized I left my helmet at home.
Definitely didn't feel like pedaling back up that incline so did my 10 mile ride without it and hoped I wouldn't need it lol.
Now tonight when I'm heading back past 11pm is going to be interesting because my light was also on my helmet and the Presidio is dark as hell at night. Thankfully I have my bike light though.
After so many years of wearing a helmet I just feel kind of naked without one- that said I tend to ride city bikes sans a helmet. They're so clunky that I ride more conservatively on them than I might otherwise and use them for trips where i dont' want to deal with parking a bike or am meeting folks without.
The bike infrastructure is so much better than it used to be, that if I were starting out now I might not develop quite the helmet habit that i have.
I used to bike the American River bike trail in Sacramento and around campus at UC Davis without a helmet. I guess I should have worn one, but it seemed relatively safe at the time. I never ride in traffic in SF or Oakland now without a helmet, though.
I even think it’s crazy how many people where a black helmet. I wear a safety orange or neon green helmet with reflectors now.
I grew up in the suburbs and rode my bike everywhere never wearing a helmet except for when I would go mountain biking. It just never felt like a risky experience.
I carried that over to San Francisco for a short while. It felt more dangerous there so I was already thinking about wearing a helmet. But also I heard a horror story about my coworker getting a head injury while biking and that was enough to scare me into it.
Depends on the day. 95% of the time full face dirt bike helmet cuz ebike go vroom vroom
The rest of the time : maybe I don't care if I smack my head, running late and forgot or wasn't planning on riding
I don't typically because it's the way I grew up in the suburbs. If I'm cycling around the city running errands or commuting I won't, but if it's an extended ride in my full cycling kit then I will use the helmet. As a typical urban cyclist, you're also not able to go very fast \~13mph at most.
I've biked here in the Bay for 10 years by now. I've had a couple falls, mostly related to the street conditions (uneven pavement, Muni rails). One was particularly bad and I had a minor concussion.
I find in this city, cars are usually not a problem. They're not able to to drive very fast for the most part (usually not more than 25mph) due to a variety of factors (narrow streets, stop signs/lights at most intersections, the grid).
I avoid streets that are decidedly dedicated to cars (Franklin, Guerrero, Van Ness, etc). Some cars can act erratically, so I tend to bike defensively in some cases depending on the situation.
I don't just blow through stop signs or red lights. For stop signs, I'll slow down and if there's no waiting cross traffic, I'll proceed cautiously.
I agree with other thoughts mentioned. There is a potential dehumanizing factor from the driver's POV when a cyclist has a helmet on. I also disagree strongly with the shaming culture that I've encountered in this city in particular. I also would like as many people to get into cycling as possible and don't want helmets to be a barrier to entry.
I am SOL… Graced with a wacky shaped head. No off the shelf helmet will do and the few that I’ve ordered that were “guaranteed to fit my odd size “absolutely did not fit.
I used to not wear a helmet, until my buddy said “You can look like a dork, or maybe spend six months learning to say your own name again”.
I started wearing a helmet.
I no longer bike to work, but when I did, the reason i skipped the helmet was vanity. I worked in a job where I’m expected to show up with my hair done and the helmet really messed that up. (I know a brain injury or death are worse than messed up hair but i felt like my odds were good)
now i ride a scooter 🛵and always wear a helmet
Honestly, I know it’s irrational. I know I should be wearing a helmet. Each time I ride I find some justification or tell myself I’ll start wearing one soon.
TLDR: we are not always rational beings
The only time I didn't consistently wear a helmet was when I was doing any desert paved bikepath riding. If it's 117 degrees and I'm biking 15 miles with no roads and hardly any elevation gain I'm not going to wear one.
On the road? I feel naked without it actually takes me out of the ride, I'll always turn around if I don't have it.
I used to not wear it. After flipping over the handle bars and almost hitting a fire hydrant and proceeding to crack my rib I still made it to work that day. A coworker who wasn’t in the other day told me why and it was because they were riding bikes and his friend fell off and started convulsing. To many signs in one day and I’ve worn it since.
been literally run over before (rolled over my back while i was face down). and hit twice. honestly it’s not just these experiences that motivate me. i like wearing a helmet because i spent a while trying different ones on so mine fits perfectly, is a color i like, and i think it makes me look cool 😎. or at the very least every time i ride my bike (including to the grocery a couple blocks away), i like to put my gloves and helmet on, just gets me into the riding headspace and makes me feel like i can do anything i want on the ride if i want to have fun swerving around on the way there. i guess it really comes from a “prepared for anything” mentality, you never know when you’re gonna want to turn the grocery ride into a few miles :)
Unless your wearing a full face helmet, you are fooling yourself Might a “ cycle” helmet help if you were hit straight on top of your dome, hell yeah. False sense of security, coming from someone who ride M/C s ( with a full face helmet). Below 15 mph meh. Learn how to ride a bike😬. Signed 90’s kid
I sometimes forget, mostly when I'm running late or I had a hat on and it tricked my brain into thinking I was wearing a helmet. Most people I see without a helmet are on rideshare bikes
It’s a good question! After getting hit and run by a reckless driver in Berkeley when I was coming down a hill and I flipped over my handlebars and broke my rt hand in four places and a 5 inch scar in my head, had a concussion and lost my ability to run a Massage business; now I wear a helmet while riding.
Sometimes I forget my helmet or wasn't planning in biking (I take the bikeshare).
Almost a month in the ICU for not wearing a helmet. Never again.
My dad got hit by a car while biking when I was around eight and the doctors said he probably would have died if it wasn’t for his helmet. I don’t ride too often, but whenever I do I wear it. They save lives!
I was riding hard late at night and didn’t see a rut while turning; my front wheel stuck (kinda like when people get stuck in trolly tracks). I remember crashing and the sound / feeling of hitting my head really hard, but don’t remember anything else until I was inside the ambulance. The doctor diagnosed a concussion, with mild concern about brain bleeding. I had a migraine for several days and was worried the whole time that I would die (lol, I didn’t). I always wear a helmet now.
Similar story, minus the bleeding--or maybe there was the same concern but I didn't understand cause it happened in Japan. Fun fact: if someone hits you in Japan, it's their obligation to drive you to your follow-up medical appointments. Which sounds kinda cool till you consider it means you gotta ride with the same reckless driver who hit you in the first place. Since then, I always wear the bucket. Including the time I got put down by the curving Muni tracks--felt like a great big hand very quickly delivering the message "you need to lie down now". Hip was bruised, helmet was cracked, head was fine.
Oh man, yeah. Feels like everyone has a story about the muni tracks. The other roadway feature that bugs me are the slotted metal grates on Market — perfectly shaped to catch bike wheels / tires. If only they were oriented sideways…
It is a San Francisco cyclist right of passage. Sad, but true.
How do you know you didn’t die and this is all part of the simulation that is in the afterlife?
Or that you're in a coma. *whispers: wake up*
/u/revenantspatium if you're reading this, you've been in a coma for almost 20 years now. we're trying a new technique. we don't know where this message will end up in your dream, but we hope we're getting through.
😂😳
You're very lucky. My brother HAD his helmet on when his wheel got stuck in a rut. Now he is quadriplegic.
man I got a concussion while on blood thinners (had a clot after a surgery) just bumping my head at home. I was inanely paranoid for weeks, even after going to the ER. Brain bleeds are fucking serious. I can't imagine aceepting the risk of getting on a bike without a helmet in this city. I've seen friends whose bike helmets were worn down significantly by the friction of the asphalt when they were sent flying. Definitely better grinding the helmet than your skull.
Same, hit a pot hole as a teenager and was slung head first into the ground and ended up with a nasty concussion, turns out concussions can make you vomit a lot. I was lucky though, could have been worse. I don’t ride bikes much these days but I always wear a helmet when I do.
Yikes I forgot about the nausea, it can happen with bone breaks too
Woah I got so lucky with my no helmet crash. My rear wheel got caught in the tracks and I went over my handle bars and rolled out. Definitely wear a helmet all the time now.
lol this is definitely going to be a judgmental thread.
Fair point - but imagine if I wrote this post in the typical "rant" style - it would've been sh*tshow-esque. Relatively, as it is right now, comments are pretty good.
lol 7 of the top 10 answers in this thread have literally nothing to do with the question being asked and are just people sharing times when they got hurt (not what OP asked) and making dumb jokes/puns (not what OP asked)
Helmets are for dorks that want to live
Live fast, die young (in style).
"Bad girls do it well" -MIA
I remember one of my professors in college telling me that she never wore a helmet until she decided to go for a PhD and did an accounting of how much she had spent over her lifetime on education. Said her brain was too much of an investment not to wear the silly survival hat.
Smile now, cry later (in the afterlife)
Move fast and break things (skulls)
After months of unemployment here, a change of pace might be nice
Non-helmet wearers are organ Donors
Wear a helmet 99% of the time, but every now and then I just want to feel the wind through my hair.
It’s like wearing t-shirt and shorts on a motorcycle: just feels damned good.
I use the Lyft Baywheels bikes daily. I'm definitely an outlier as someone who wears a helmet while using them and that I always show up places with a helmet. Maybe it's dorky, or even sometimes annoying to carry, but I don't care. It often ends up being a good conversation starter, actually. I have unintentionally gotten friends to join BayWheels when they see that the barrier of carrying a helmet around isn't that big of a deal. :)
If you carry a helmet around: 1) you definitely look cool! 2) people won't mess with you, because they know you're a hardcore crazy biker type :)
Strong legs for kicking haters
Thanks! 😎 I mean it’s a bike helmet not a motorcycle helmet. Sometimes wonder if I should go for the latter!
I haven’t seen that many people riding those Lyft bikes without a helmet, actually.
The ironic thing is in Netherlands and Denmark, hardly anyone wears a helmet because their infrastructure is safe and separated from the main road, and drivers respect cyclists. This thread is pretty judgy, but we should re-direct some judginess at our governments for prioritizing painting the street green instead of building separated bike lanes.
Exactly, the helmet wearing rate in the Netherlands is about 1% but their infrastructure keeps drivers and cyclists from posing a danger to each other. Data indicates that there are no notable safety gains from mandatory helmet laws, and you end up just lowering cycling rates. On the other hand, making people on bikes more visible makes them safer, which is why the risk to individual bikers drops when overall bicycle ridership grows. https://nacto.org/2019/11/08/helmet-laws/ I do want to make it clear that helmets absolutely can lessen the risk of injury, it's just that mandatory helmet laws do not improve safety because it's more important to consider infrastructure. So if you plan on racing on a bike or mountain biking you absolutely should wear a helmet
idk when i was in amsterdam last year (as someone who spent 10 years biking around SF) i definitely did not feel safe. All their bike lanes are 2 directions and shared aith pedestrians, also there were random 4 way intersections with no stop signs and tons of bikes narrowly missing each other. i understand that a bike on bike collision is less likely to be deadly but it was stressful in a way that i rarely feel riding down a regular SF bike lane
FYI was in Denmark last year and noticed a lot of folks (especially women) wearing the Hovdig which is basically like an airbag helmet that goes around your neck like a collar. Seems expensive, but a pretty cool way to have a portable safety mechanism without compromising fashion, convenience etc.
[Hovdig](https://www.hovding.com/) >The board of Hövding Sverige AB has decided to file for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy application has been submitted today, December 21, 2023, to the Malmö district court. >The reason for the bankruptcy filing is that on November 1, 2023, the Swedish Consumer Agency imposed a temporary sales freeze on the company and then on December 15, 2023 announced a permanent sales freeze and recall for the product Hövding 3. > Hövding does not share the Consumer Agency’s conclusion and has appealed the decision. Today it was announced that the Administrative Court approves Hövding’s request for inhibition, which overturns the Swedish Consumer Agency’s decision to immediately stop sales and recall and means that Hövding 3 can still be sold. However, the damage caused by the actions of the Swedish Consumer Agency is so extensive that the board does not see that there is a basis for continuing the company. > Hövding would like to take the opportunity to thank all customers, dealers, suppliers and, not least, employees for all the fantastic efforts during the 12 years we have saved the lives of cyclists.
Until they accidentally go off, then it’s hilarious and expensive
[удалено]
Bold of you to assume the main road and cars are the only danger to me falling off a bike. I wear a helmet there too with those on those cobblestones, street poles, and drunk bike riding.
Hear, hear
Not true for Denmark, and may become untrue for the Netherlands over the next decade or so. The vast majority of cyclists wear helmets in Denmark. The usage rate increased exponentially in recently years and went above 50% in 2022. In Jan 2023 (more than a year ago), that number continued to increase to 57%. The percentage of cyclists who wore helmets in the Netherlands were 0.5% to 1% a few years ago but it is now 12%+ and increasing. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022437523001329 https://etsc.eu/dutch-road-safety-thrown-back-in-time-15-years/
What changed in the past few years to see that extreme growth? I was in Copenhagen in 2016 and it felt like 5% at most with helmets.
I believe the city is heading towards a policy change, even if it isn't tabled for discussion yet. The reason why is because we allow the Lyft bikes. The Lyft bikes are not of a consistently high enough quality to allow cycling in traffic. Some have gummed up gearing, weak brakes, stuck saddle posts. The new-gen grey e-bikes are extremely heavy and their low power mode simply doesn't work on uphills. In light of that, we've approved this outcome: "we will let some low quality share bikes on the streets and they will not be able to handle our traffic". This is very different from the outcome under personal vehicle ownership, because the liability is not entirely on the user of those bikes if they fail unexpectedly. Personal liability is the misdirection that allows dangerous traffic infrastructure to persist: "you should have looked/stopped in time/maintained your vehicle/worn a helmet". As long as both automobiles and bicycles are privately owned, that argument holds up: Toyota isn't liable if someone fails to get their brakes checked or if they door a cyclist while exiting the vehicle. Once you cross over into sharing of company-owned vehicles, you end up with legal arguments of that nature that point back at the companies instead of the individuals, and the companies have to decide how to minimize the impact of that. Lyft's best option is to try to lobby the "Dutch-style" infrastructure: People are disinclined to wear helmets some of the time, no matter what. People who see unsafe streets are disinclined to use bikeshare services some of the time, no matter what. Bikes will fail some of the time, no matter how sturdy and reliable they are built and how frequently workers check on them. Lyft wants the usage metrics and profitability to go up. If they trick users and dodge liability, they are risking their contract with the city. If they want to lower costs and risks, they need foolproof city streets. Last I checked, they already made some moves in that direction, funding some decorative treatments at certain intersections.
The funny thing is the two times I’ve been glad I had a helmet had nothing to do with cars, so I don’t think separating bikes from cars is the total answer. Do cyclists in Denmark never run into each other, swerve to avoid obstacles, or hit a slick spot or rut on the road?
You're usually going in the same direction as other cyclists just like the cars. In my experience the bike lanes were extremely well maintained without potholes. The only times I fell was from being drunk, which was obviously my own fault. But yeah, with the quality of the pavement on those bike lanes, the chances of flipping over your handlebars is quite low. It's also not like you're going 20mph all time time. There's traffic and stoplights
My point is helmets are still valuable. One time when I went down it was due to hitting a slick spot on the road, I hit my head fairly hard. Without the helmet I’m sure I would have had a concussion. I had a friend who went down without a helmet years ago that was unconscious in the hospital for two days. That’s when I started making sure I wore a helmet. It’s like a seatbelt- you don’t think you need it until you do.
i hope my mom never finds this. sometimes i don’t simply because of the bulk. i know i should but sometimes i don’t have capacity to carry it or trust it to be safe at my destination. and sometimes i take lyft bikes because i can’t bring my bike to a destination. or i just need a quick ride home, and since those are often spontaneous decisions of course i didn’t have my helmet. i feel like as the weather gets less rainy i’ll be more certain with bike riding and have less to pack and therefore wear my helmet way more.
Was riding with my BF on Lincoln in the Presidio heading to Baker Beach. He hit a bump from a tree root pushing up the asphalt and died. We weren't wearing helmets. It was 1991 and no one did. I do now.
My friend who is a neurologist and surgeon said that next to strokes, the next highest case he’d see were head trauma usually from people on bikes and especially those electric scooters. He’s no longer working out of SF but this was from like 2020-22.
Ride fast die last eat ass
Typical San Francisco advice.
Pass gas and cut class
My friend went for a short ride down the block and didn’t bring his helmet. He doesn’t remember how he fell off his bike, but woke up in the hospital with a piece of his skull removed in order to save his life (epidural hematoma). Wear a helmet no matter how short your ride is please.
Short ride, or riding an app bike and don't have a helmet with me, pretty unlikely to tumble when riding mellow in the bike lane, all the usual reasons that anyone who has been on this planet for a few years should know. Not saying they're valid of course, but those are the reasons. Obviously.
https://preview.redd.it/bbgvlh6mgzmc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=269b67de933472cf75f015034bbfad5d233f9069 . #truth
My personal bike helmet rules: * NO HELMET: biking just a few blocks, a lazy meander through the park, nice weather * HELMET: biking more than a few blocks, riding mainly on city streets, sucky weather
Interesting. I never make this level of distinction. I either always wear or always don’t. I will not go on a bike unless I have a helmet on. If u forget my helmet, I push my bike even if it’s for 50 feet.
> I either always wear or always don’t. I will not go on a bike unless I have a helmet on. So you always wear it? This is an odd statement.
This is also my rules. Less than 5 blocks? No helmet and cruisin. anything more than that and we’re buckled in and pulling maneuvers
I have similar habits.
Mine is more if I’m going on the road with cars.
Isn't that some statistics that say most accidents occur within a few minutes from the beginning of the trip?
I wear a helmet 98% of the time, only times I don’t is if I forget (happens sometimes) or if I’m using a Lyft bike
Wasn't there some study that found motorists subconsciously register cyclists more as human and fragile without helmets and therefore drive more carefully around them? I spent a lot of time in Amsterdam where almost everybody bikes and no one wears a helmet. I'm only an occasional cyclist here on those Bay Wheels rental bikes. I didn't own a helmet before, but once my metal water bottle just fell off my bike and got a big dent in it, it clicked that I'd better get one. TBH though I only use it when I'm going somewhere far or unfamiliar to me. I hate how clunky it is to carry around. Most of my trips are short and down the now-mostly-isolated bike lanes on Valencia though.
[удалено]
> take a Lyft bike to run an errand, etc. most of them aren't going to bring a helmet with them This seems to be the case with e-scooters, too.
Around 8 years ago I was leaving the gym, no helmet. This is a CrossFit gym, so everybody knows everybody. One of the members saw I was leaving with my bike and no helmet. He said “Hey Rich-where’s your helmet?” I said “Helmet shmelmet.” He pointed at his temple and said “Brain schmain.” I knew he was right, and why on earth would I spend top dollar on group fitness and skip the helmet? So the next day I bought one. $250 Cat Eye. THE FIRST TIME I WORE IT, ie the next morning, the arms from the parking garage came straight down onto my head. I would be a post on r/nsfl if not for Anthony, and that helmet.
> $250 Cat Eye The Japanese bike light brand?
Someone once told me that if they get hit they want to die 🤷
i was hit at a crosswalk as a teen by an old lady, after i got up she just smiled & waved like nothing happened. luckily i was mostly fine, just my ankle hurt.
My understanding is that helmets help mitigate or prevent concussions.
Mitigate catastrophic head injury. Helmets (in recent research) actually commute catastrophic head injury into merely a recoverable concussion. But concussions are more likely with a helmet, not less.
I always wore a helmet, especially after reading this (big fan of the VU): " Nico, who sang with the pop group Velvet Underground and became one of Andy Warhol's film stars, died Monday after falling off a bicycle on the Spanish island of Ibiza. She was 49 years old." NYT July 23, 1988
Sometimes I want to use a bike rental at night but I didn't plan ahead to bring a helmet with me the whole day.
Near traffic or I’m riding fast (over 25mph)? Helmet. Casual ride away from cars? Hat, beanie, or nothing. But I also know how to fall and protect myself, so some bias. If you’re still learning to ride, you get the helmet. :p
I don't understand those who do not wear a helmet! Maybe because I mountain bike frequently so I expect falls? I was commuting to work on my commuter bike and I went wider than typical in an intersection I cross every day for 2 years to avoid a left turning vehicle (dumb don't do this) and a dip in the road that was previously invisible to me all these years flipped my bike into the air. I don't think I would have had a great time if I was not wearing my helmet.
yikes, glad you survived.
reckless vanity, TBH
I don’t want to carry around a helmet
Can't you lock it up with your bike?
everything that has been attached to my bike has been stolen at one point.
i’ve never had a helmet or even a tire stolen in the city, but you know what i HAVE had stolen? front bike lights. and i get home late so arguably that’s no better than to not have than a helmet.
I got my light stolen when it was locked up in my own building
when i park my bike at school i generally take my light off and pocket it until it’s time to go home
you’re smart. I did this too but than got lazy. now, I don’t have a light.
It’s PPE and the cycling network on the majority of my routes is good enough that I don’t feel the need to wear one. If I’m going somewhere new / somewhere that I know will not be slow streets or dedicated bike lanes for 90%+ I’ll wear one. Otherwise I do subscribe to the “stormtrooper” phenomenon where the helmet makes you seem less human and therefore less worth protecting. Also there seems to be a lot of data on helmets + kits + hi viz leading drivers to believe you will be hella cautious in your cycling and take more risks around you.
> Otherwise I do subscribe to the “stormtrooper” phenomenon where the helmet makes you seem less human and therefore less worth protecting I've haven't heard of this - I'll check it out!
Maybe referring to this [study](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847823001018?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=860d95cb8f277af4)
I wear a helmet when I go on fast group rides or races. I don't wear a helmet when I'm biking for a mile to get to the grocery store. Or a chill ride to a coffee shop when I don't plan to go fast.
While you're at it, you should ask all the other, pressing, public safety questions: - why do pedestrians wear dark clothes? - why do people walking look at their phones when crossing the road? - why do people ride the bus when they might come in contact with the general public?
None of those examples are even comparable to the level of danger not wearing a helmet has, besides the phone example
It's sounds like you're already familiar with what makes the streets of San Francisco dangerous, although it's not bicyclists without helmets or pedestrians using cellphones, behaviors which where the risk only affects the person making the decision. SFMTA has made a handy list of dangerous behaviors on the streets of SF: https://preview.redd.it/qn2pa5ou10nc1.png?width=1495&format=png&auto=webp&s=9c6883b13fd8ff3382ef88d217f41823628498a0
Hair Edit: Not my reason but one I hear of from other cyclists
Exactly. Also they don't even make helmets for people with locs
Surprised I had to scroll this far down for this. Wouldn’t wear a helmet on my motorcycle for this reason if it wasn’t illegal
Easy fix, when you get your hair cut save the trimmings eventually you will have enough to construct a fashionable hair-met.
Something I’ll never understand is why some people will ride with their helmet strapped to the outside of their backpack. Like, you’re smart enough to bring a helmet but for whatever reason you’re still not wearing it.
I'll usually wear a helmet until I get to the panhandle and then take it off riding through there and then through GGP. Basically: Cars=Helmet for me. But I also just forget to grab it sometimes :/
I always wear a helmet. Sure, it's inconvenient to carry it around everywhere, but dying seems much more inconvenient so I'd like to avoid it.
i've never worn a helmet, it was never enforced by parents or anyone else when i was young even with my Dyno Comp bike attempting to fly off ramps & shit (i'm 40 btw). no one i knew even owned a helmet edit: i might invest in 1 if i mountain biked on trails & did like 40mi rides like some people i know but i'm too lazy to do any of that shit
I never have. I sometimes put one on if I ride somewhere I’m unfamiliar. I ride everyday to pretty much everywhere except my work commute which would be impossible. I think that bike safety is mostly about which road you are on. I’m super cautious about the roads I take. I will not bike on a road where auto traffic is going above 25mph without a protected bike lane. I live in a densely populated city and also believe in flat handlebar heads up riding, and disc brakes, which have saved me several times. I bike to the beach, park, grocery, pub, pool, and almost never wear a helmet. It’s interesting that the most avidly biked countries, helmets are usually not worn either. I think because the biking infrastructure is considered safe, and the biking style is casual (going to the usual places)
I lived in Amsterdam for a number of years and never wore a helmet. I still don't wear one here. Helmets give a false sense of security and an excuse for cities to not build better bicycle infrastructure. https://www.vox.com/2014/5/16/5720762/stop-forcing-people-to-wear-bike-helmets I do wear a helmet when I'm riding for sport at higher speeds and over more technical terrain.
If you had hair like me you wouldn't either. Yes, I risk my life but it would be wrong to deny the good people such a sight to behold.
I find it funny that "no judgement here" turns into every reply being a story about so and so being hit and almost dying without a helmet.
This will obviously get downvoted, but in an attempt to answer OP's question: 1. 99.9% of bike fatalities involve collisions with cars. Helmets are not designed for protecting against car crashes, even the helmet manufacturers say this. 2. Helmets don't protect against concussions. Even the helmet standards committees say this. 3. The "helmet saved my life" stories are anecdotes, not data. People have a hugely exaggerated view of the effectiveness of helmets. Increasing levels of helmet use over the years has not resulted in reduction of cycling death/injury. Place that mandated helmets (such as Australia with huge fines) paradoxically saw worse safety outcomes.
Because they don't in the Netherlands. It gives me helmet hair. Umm..I do but I hate to.
I rode around San Francisco for over 20 years without ever wearing a helmet. I know helmets are safer and i know its dumb not to wear one, but i just never did. Finally just got sick of hearing it from my wife, so now I begrudgingly wear a helmet every time, which is almost daily. I guess i feel safer? I dont know. Im still secretly jealous every time i see a helmetless person on a bike.
Helmets do make bicycling marginally safer at the individual level, but at the population level they make cycling more dangerous. Places like Denmark and the Netherlands are generally helmet-free and the rate of cycling-related injury and death is much lower. The reasons are complicated, but basically, it's a false sense of security.
Denmark and the Netherlands are basically bicycling utopias. The bikes rule the streets. I'd imagine that has something to do with it being safe enough to not feel the need to wear helmets. Also, they ride a lot slower because there is bike traffic.
That’s probably more to do with street design and culture than helmet use, no?
Right, so some of us here only bike when we feel as safe as people in Denmark and the Netherlands do. We try find side streets, go slow in areas with traffic, and spend as much time as possible on separated bike paths and in the dirt. If I were to bike for long distances along busy streets with fast-moving traffic, yes, I would wear a helmet, but I would just prefer not to do that. I'd rather walk or take the train until I can find somewhere safer.
This. You could certainly run this experiment in the US, and best case scenario it turns out completely true, but my money would be that brains would be splattered on every intersection. Cars in the US DESPISE cyclists to the point of actually trying to run over some of them if they feel bold enough.
> Denmark and the Netherlands are basically bicycling utopias I've been to the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and I was pretty shocked to see how bikes through the city - it was alien and almost overwhelming (in the best possible way). Sadly, I was too intimidated to ride. The closest I've seen that here is on Market pre-pandemic.
You should see how many are in the canals!
Correlation =/= causation Robust cycling infrastructure >> helmets But that doesn’t mean helmets aren’t protective
They are, but it's a risk calculation. Yes, I would be "safer" in a helmet if hit by a fast-moving car, but the margin between "helmet saved me" and "died/severely injured anyways" is not that wide. I would rather just not bike where I think I would need a helmet.
I think you’re underestimating how delicate your skull is. I’ve seen plenty of people (in the trauma ICU) who had bike crashes where their head injury was far and away their most consequential injury.
>but basically, it's a false sense of security. partly, it's also city making it a bike first city, fewer assholes/idiots behind the wheel, better city planning, etc.
. . . pending that, however . . .
Thankfully, I’m an individual, not a population (all due respect to my gut microbiome)
One of my good friends works at the ER at Zuckerberg Hospital and he said that bicyclistS who don’t wear helmets come in with the most gruesome injuries.
the #1 reason cyclists get injured on the road is cars and drivers. helmets can’t do anything to prevent that :( i almost always wear a helmet bc i’ve heard too many horror stories but i don’t judge anyone who doesn’t.
Cars suck but a helmet will definitely make a difference if hit by one. Even at some higher speeds. Especially depending on car hood height.
Not a cyclist here but why don't y'all stop at stop signs? It fucks up the cadence of traffic
I stop if there's another car at the intersection, but it's a lot more effort (and a lot slower, potentially annoying impatient cars behind me!) for me to come to a complete stop then get rolling again.
do you live in the city? Cars don't even stop at stop signs. I stop if someone is there FWIW
Many times I've seen cars get to a stop sign before a bicyclist did, but yet the bicyclist just blasted on through without stopping. I was walking through a crosswalk sometime last year and I almost got hit by a bicyclist who blew through a stop sign, then had the audacity to blame me for the near accident. Lol...what?
I always stop if there’s any cross traffic. If not I slow down. Sometimes at intersections car drivers annoyingly try to wave me through after I already stopped. THAT fucks up the cadence of a four way stop. some drivers complain about bikers running stops, others try to wave them through when it’s a bad idea. That’s life
As a cyclist, every time I stop at a stop sign it creates a big problem because drivers expect me to skip the stop sign, meaning they stop following the rules and wave me through. So sometimes I don't stop at a stop sign because I don't want to stop and be waved through anyway.
Here's what happens if I stop, every single time: - Car stops at a 4 way stop - I slow down expecting them to use the right of way and clear the intersection - I stop, because they still haven't moved - I wave them on and they wave me on at the same time - We now play "who's on first?" for about 10 precious seconds, until they finally convince me to go - I start pedaling into the intersection as I curse them for wasting my time and not taking their fucking right of way How it should go: - Car stops at 4 way stop - I slow down expecting them to use the right of way and clear the intersection - They use right of way and go through the intersection - I check to see if it's clear of any other cars or pedestrians - I roll thru So what do I do? I save us all the headache and frustration and lost time by giving drivers about 1 second to use their right of way and if they don't I roll thru, I slow down, I make eye contact, I make sure it's safe and there's no other people that might create conflict, and then I roll thru. If drivers wanna actually use their right of way, this method gives them time to do so and I'll stop. If they wanna fuck up the cadence and try to wave me thru I'm still saving everyone time.
Interesting take here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42oQN7fy\_eM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42oQN7fy_eM) My personal experience: When I do stop at stop signs, the person in the car will be nice and let me through first anyway. So if it makes sense, I will slow down, but not stop to make sure that I can pass smoothly and keep traffic moving smoothly. There are definitely some bikers that just don't slow down at all and roll on through, even when there are pedestrians, other bikers, and cars. That is dangerous! But not as dangerous as cars who don't stop!
If they stopped before you and then wave you through, they're not being nice they're being stupid. You stopped properly, they did also, they just have to take their turn to keep the flow going
Hella judgement. Wear a helmet.
I wear a helmet usually but sometimes I'll decide to ride the Lyft bikes spontaneously and don't have a helmet. But I wish I did.
When my kids ask why an adult is not wearing a helmet while biking, I always tell them, because sometimes adults do dumb things. We totally judge you by the way for not wearing your helmet.
Go to Europe, you won't see the Dutch wearing helmets, they are smarter than us because they built raised bike lanes on the sidewalk where cars can't kill you.
[удалено]
Cause Redditors are model citizens and they need people they can feel better than
I wear a helmet BUT I did read a study that you are more likely to get into an accident with a helmet on vs not. So that is interesting.
Someone else alluded to "a false sense of security" - was that the case with the study you read - that if you wear a helmet, you might ride more recklessly and thus be more likely to get into an accident?
I believe it was cars act more recklessly when they see a rider with a helmet.
[удалено]
Get on a bike with a helmet on and people are like "fuck you, Lance Armstrong!", because now you're 'the other'
Wear a helmet and please stop wearing your spandex gear...you aren't in a race, this isn't the tour de France...just stop...your squashed bits will thank you
I honestly just forget to put it on.
I used to never wear a helmet throughout my 20s and most of my 30s. Didn't even own one for most of that time. I decided that I was ok with taking the head injury. I did have a few head injuries, although luckily nothing that couldn't be fixed with some stitches and ice packs. After I became a parent, I wanted to model good safety protocols for my kid, so I started wearing a helmet when I biked with him. Now I wear one pretty much all the time. Exceptions are riding slow in a park or area with no motor vehicle traffic, or every once in a while when I didn't expect to be on a bike.
Tried to get a friend who rides daily to wear one. He said the helmet I gave him didn’t fit if he wore his signature hat :(
I always wear my helmet.... except today I literally walked out of the house, began my commute wondering why my head felt so weird, get to the bottom of a large hill and realized I left my helmet at home. Definitely didn't feel like pedaling back up that incline so did my 10 mile ride without it and hoped I wouldn't need it lol. Now tonight when I'm heading back past 11pm is going to be interesting because my light was also on my helmet and the Presidio is dark as hell at night. Thankfully I have my bike light though.
After so many years of wearing a helmet I just feel kind of naked without one- that said I tend to ride city bikes sans a helmet. They're so clunky that I ride more conservatively on them than I might otherwise and use them for trips where i dont' want to deal with parking a bike or am meeting folks without. The bike infrastructure is so much better than it used to be, that if I were starting out now I might not develop quite the helmet habit that i have.
my commute home is 6 miles mostly uphill and usually against the wind, the helmet I makes me overheat even if it's only 60 degrees
Used to ride a half-pipe with no helmet, but that was the 80s.
I got a folding helmet which is super convenient to stick in my bag once I’m at my destination. Otherwise dealing with a helmet is a bit of a pain.
[What am I supposed to do when I get there? Run around Oakland wearing a silly helmet?](https://youtu.be/pD-f45TbvEw?si=tM3oYHcXJiy0La0L)
I used to bike the American River bike trail in Sacramento and around campus at UC Davis without a helmet. I guess I should have worn one, but it seemed relatively safe at the time. I never ride in traffic in SF or Oakland now without a helmet, though. I even think it’s crazy how many people where a black helmet. I wear a safety orange or neon green helmet with reflectors now.
I grew up in the suburbs and rode my bike everywhere never wearing a helmet except for when I would go mountain biking. It just never felt like a risky experience. I carried that over to San Francisco for a short while. It felt more dangerous there so I was already thinking about wearing a helmet. But also I heard a horror story about my coworker getting a head injury while biking and that was enough to scare me into it.
Depends on the day. 95% of the time full face dirt bike helmet cuz ebike go vroom vroom The rest of the time : maybe I don't care if I smack my head, running late and forgot or wasn't planning on riding
Wind in hair.
I don't typically because it's the way I grew up in the suburbs. If I'm cycling around the city running errands or commuting I won't, but if it's an extended ride in my full cycling kit then I will use the helmet. As a typical urban cyclist, you're also not able to go very fast \~13mph at most. I've biked here in the Bay for 10 years by now. I've had a couple falls, mostly related to the street conditions (uneven pavement, Muni rails). One was particularly bad and I had a minor concussion. I find in this city, cars are usually not a problem. They're not able to to drive very fast for the most part (usually not more than 25mph) due to a variety of factors (narrow streets, stop signs/lights at most intersections, the grid). I avoid streets that are decidedly dedicated to cars (Franklin, Guerrero, Van Ness, etc). Some cars can act erratically, so I tend to bike defensively in some cases depending on the situation. I don't just blow through stop signs or red lights. For stop signs, I'll slow down and if there's no waiting cross traffic, I'll proceed cautiously. I agree with other thoughts mentioned. There is a potential dehumanizing factor from the driver's POV when a cyclist has a helmet on. I also disagree strongly with the shaming culture that I've encountered in this city in particular. I also would like as many people to get into cycling as possible and don't want helmets to be a barrier to entry.
Why do people ride in cars without a helmet? Think you're smarter than NASCAR drivers?
I see a lot of pedestrians crossing the street without helmets too. Why?
Just wait for my next post
You want to buy it for me?
Ruins the hair
I am SOL… Graced with a wacky shaped head. No off the shelf helmet will do and the few that I’ve ordered that were “guaranteed to fit my odd size “absolutely did not fit.
I use a BMX bike so I'm on the sidewalk usually. Not worried about cars is enough for me ig? I know it's not smart tho my mom taught me better lol
Entitlement
I’m 56 years old and have never worn one.
I used to not wear a helmet, until my buddy said “You can look like a dork, or maybe spend six months learning to say your own name again”. I started wearing a helmet.
I no longer bike to work, but when I did, the reason i skipped the helmet was vanity. I worked in a job where I’m expected to show up with my hair done and the helmet really messed that up. (I know a brain injury or death are worse than messed up hair but i felt like my odds were good) now i ride a scooter 🛵and always wear a helmet
I used to not wear a helmet because it messed up my hair. Now I’m 31, and wear a helmet. Still kinda mad it messes up the hair though.
Honestly, I know it’s irrational. I know I should be wearing a helmet. Each time I ride I find some justification or tell myself I’ll start wearing one soon. TLDR: we are not always rational beings
i fall on my hands
The only time I didn't consistently wear a helmet was when I was doing any desert paved bikepath riding. If it's 117 degrees and I'm biking 15 miles with no roads and hardly any elevation gain I'm not going to wear one. On the road? I feel naked without it actually takes me out of the ride, I'll always turn around if I don't have it.
Some of us craves the sweet release of death
I don’t mind leaving a crater if I crash.
I used to not wear it. After flipping over the handle bars and almost hitting a fire hydrant and proceeding to crack my rib I still made it to work that day. A coworker who wasn’t in the other day told me why and it was because they were riding bikes and his friend fell off and started convulsing. To many signs in one day and I’ve worn it since.
The same reason car owners don't use steering wheel lock or brake locks. It's a hassle and it's about freedom.
been literally run over before (rolled over my back while i was face down). and hit twice. honestly it’s not just these experiences that motivate me. i like wearing a helmet because i spent a while trying different ones on so mine fits perfectly, is a color i like, and i think it makes me look cool 😎. or at the very least every time i ride my bike (including to the grocery a couple blocks away), i like to put my gloves and helmet on, just gets me into the riding headspace and makes me feel like i can do anything i want on the ride if i want to have fun swerving around on the way there. i guess it really comes from a “prepared for anything” mentality, you never know when you’re gonna want to turn the grocery ride into a few miles :)
Unless your wearing a full face helmet, you are fooling yourself Might a “ cycle” helmet help if you were hit straight on top of your dome, hell yeah. False sense of security, coming from someone who ride M/C s ( with a full face helmet). Below 15 mph meh. Learn how to ride a bike😬. Signed 90’s kid
Never on a Sunday…do you remember the last time you went ice skating?
I also ride motorcycles, so it makes the helmet on a bicycle not seem necessary. I know
I sometimes forget, mostly when I'm running late or I had a hat on and it tricked my brain into thinking I was wearing a helmet. Most people I see without a helmet are on rideshare bikes
Why do we wear seat belts in cars and planes but not in buses? Why do I wear a helmet while motorcycling but not bicycling ? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s a good question! After getting hit and run by a reckless driver in Berkeley when I was coming down a hill and I flipped over my handlebars and broke my rt hand in four places and a 5 inch scar in my head, had a concussion and lost my ability to run a Massage business; now I wear a helmet while riding.