On Wed, 4 May 2011 18:16:16 -0700 (PDT), in rec.bicycles.tech Chalo
wrote:

You ask me to disregard observations I have made directly from
innumerable crashes of my own, and from the crashes of people I
know.

People don't go in for a $10,000 ER visit when they skin up their
hands and knees.

By "relatively common", I mean that for every twenty headers off of
normal bikes, probably eighteen result in some kind of injury to the
hands, from scrapes or bruises on up. On average, I'd guess maybe one
results in concussion. But maybe not that many.

Of the folks who feel like paying extortionist pricing for indifferent/
incompetent medical services is worth it due to the worrisome nature
of their injuries, I imagine a relatively large number of them have
hit their heads pretty hard. And that probably accounts for the
almost uniformly deranged perspective about cycle helmets I have seen
from medical professionals.

I regret your experience with the medical profession; I'm the last
person who would attempt to convince you it's perfect.

On the other hand, if a medical professional is true to his or her
training, that person would not prescribe based on anecdotal evidence.
It does not matter what the behavior is, though; one will always find
someone to argue it either way. For example: if you use tobacco, I
urge you to quit doing so; however, there are simply no experimental
studies that can be cited showing tobacco use causes long-term health
damage. I suppose you will say that medical professionals have an
"almost uniformly deranged perspective" on tobacco use? I'll bet you
know a 50 year, two-pack-a-day smoker who is as healthy as a horse! I
certainly do.

For the same reason there will never be an experimental tobacco study,
there will never be such a helmet study; you'd never get it past your
Institutional Review Board (IRB). You must have your IRB's blessing
for any live experimental subject(s), particularly human ones.

Yet, the evidence is overwhelming: quitting smoking is a healthful
lifestyle choice and helmets reduce head injuries. I agree that
they'll nothing for your hands, though.

And, again... sorry 'bout the ER bills. The problem is that hospitals
are required to treat anyone who staggers in the door, but that's a
whole different discussion.