On 19/02/2019 5:37 p.m., AMuzi wrote:
On 2/19/2019 12:32 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/19/2019 1:12 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, February 18, 2019 at 7:56:41 PM UTC-8, Frank
Krygowski wrote:
On 2/18/2019 9:08 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, February 18, 2019 at 4:54:54 PM UTC-8, Frank
Krygowski wrote:
On 2/18/2019 7:02 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:

Why are bicyclists singled out as needing to wear
helmets and other,
larger groups, totally ignored. Perhaps because
bicyclists are not
knowledgeable and easily influenced?

Certainly, a lot of them are. It's been shown here many
times.

The helmet wars have changed over the years. It used to
be there were
quite a few people saying "Helmets are really, really
necessary if
you're going to ride a bike" and "Helmets are really
really protective.
They are life savers!"

After reams of data have been presented on lack of risk
and lack of
efficacy, it's now toned down to "Well, they're still
valuable for the
type of macho riding _I_ do" and "I wear one only
because they protect
against minor injuries."

But so many still won't be caught riding without one.

Scalp lacerations can be serious.Â* I'd post some grisly
pictures, but I'll let you do the Googling. Even without
skull fracture, you can get a complex
laceration/avulsion that is like sewing-up a jigsaw
puzzle.Â* Wearing a helmet is a personal choice, but from
a purely biomechanical standpoint, helmets can prevent
injuries that are serious by any standard.

But apparently, that's not true for the populations that
suffer the
greatest number of scalp lacerations or other similar
injuries,
including real traumatic brain injury. Right?

I mean, if they worked for the groups that get the
majority of those
injuries, they'd be promoted for those groups. You know -
motorists,
pedestrians, people walking around their own homes...

We were on a five mile hike in the woods yesterday with
other members of
our bike club. Parts of the trails were treacherously
icy, including
trails next to steep drop-offs 50 feet high or more.
Nobody wore helmets
- go figure.

One woman did fall at one point. She tripped on a branch
and went down
like a ton of bricks. As I helped her up, I quietly said
"Tsk - no
helmet!" One club member heard it and started to chuckle,
then stopped
herself. You're not supposed to joke about helmets!

O.K., I went down in ice on my bike face first and sliced
up my face but not my scalp.Â* The facial laceration
stopped at the helmet line.Â* Are we going to trade
anecdotes?Â* I'm not telling anyone what choice to make,
but wearing a helmet on a bike is not an idiotic or
laughable choice simply because hikers, walkers, gardeners
or showerers don't wear helmets.Â* I don't hike, walk,
garden or shower at speeds above 40mph.Â* When I hike in
the snow, I do wear crampons -- the little ones for my
walking shoes.

You're right that trading anecdotes doesn't have much value.
But please admit that _lots_ of helmet promotion is done by
trading anecdotes. It happens here, and it happens almost
every time helmets are discussed anywhere.

And let's realize that there are roughly 50,000 TBI deaths
each year in the U.S., and far more TB injuries. Each one of
those could generate at least one anecdote. If those were
examined, only a tiny proportion would have anything to do
with riding bikes.

That's one of the main fallacies about the bike helmet hype.
Bicycling is slandered as a major brain injury concern. But
the "cost to society" of bicycling's TBI count is negligible
compared to other TBI sources. It's risk per mile or per
hour is negligible as well, assuming you're not getting
crazy because you're feeling protected by your helmet. It
really is safer than pedestrian travel. Yet helmet promoters
have convinced millions of people that only fools would ever
ride without head protection.

Still, I'm not saying wearing a helmet on a bike is idiotic
or laughable. I've never ragged on any of my many, many
helmet wearing friends because of their headgear.

OTOH, I have had friends, acquaintances, and even anonymous
abusive motorists who have yelled at me, cursed at me, etc.
because I chose to ride a bike without a helmet.

Reread the article by Peter Flax. I'm far from alone.


Out there in Left field, the old LAW, which has been taken over by
communists, says the success of helmet campaigns may be measured by a
25-year high in 'cyclist & pedestrian' deaths:

https://bikeleague.org/content/press...-health-crisis


'cyclist & pedestrian' deaths? Not too much conflation, eh?


Seems a common conflation. We often hear people hear asking why
pedestrians don't have helmets. Especially when gardening...