Becoming a Biker, Part 3: Instant acceptance to the club

Union Leader ^ | June 16 2002 | JEANNE MORRIS

[sneakypete]

I'll be sure to pass that nugget of wisdom along to all the professional motorcycle racers that wear, and swear by quality helmets.

And that relates to street accidents in WHAT way? You may not have noticed this,but there ain't too many curbs,steel mailboxes,trucks pulling out of sides streets,etc,etc,etc on a race track.

You don't like to wear a helmet? Fine, but please keep your misinformation to yourself.

If you want to wear one,fine. Just don't try to sell that HorseHllary here to people who know better. Or are you going to try to tell me helmets protect your head from anything BUT a glancing blow at speeds over about 10-15 MPH?

I've personally seen guys walk away from accidents after sutaining damage to their helmet that would have been real messy if it'd been their head instead.

I have too,on the race track. Never PERSONALLY seen them do anything but kill or hurt people on the street.

[-YYZ-]

I said: I'll be sure to pass that nugget of wisdom along to all the professional motorcycle racers that wear, and swear by quality helmets.

You said: And that relates to street accidents in WHAT way? You may not have noticed this,but there ain't too many curbs,steel mailboxes,trucks pulling out of sides streets,etc,etc,etc on a race track.

Well, let's see. Race tracks are made of asphalt, as are roads. The helmet is there to protect you against impact with the road more than anything. As I said above, they may not be able to save you from every impact, but they can certainly help absorb some of the blow.


I said: You don't like to wear a helmet? Fine, but please keep your misinformation to yourself.

You said: If you want to wear one,fine. Just don't try to sell that HorseHllary here to people who know better. Or are you going to try to tell me helmets protect your head from anything BUT a glancing blow at speeds over about 10-15 MPH?

If you fall off a bike at speed, what is the relative speed with which your head hits the ground? No more than that. The vertical component is what counts. And as far as glancing blows go, I'd rather have some protection in the case I hit my head than none at all. You've apparently decided that you WILL be killed in any bike accident where you hit your head. I've decided to try and avoid that, if possible.


I said: I've personally seen guys walk away from accidents after sutaining damage to their helmet that would have been real messy if it'd been their head instead.

You said: I have too,on the race track. Never PERSONALLY seen them do anything but kill or hurt people on the street.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, that might be true for those crappy half-helmets and beanies that some people wear. Those things are ideally designed to present a nice grabby edge to the pavement if you fall. That is not true of a proper full-face helmet. I have personally seen helmets from riders who went down, ON THE STREET, where the helmet sustained damage that clearly would have been very nasty if it had been their skull that hit the pavement instead. I knew only one person personally who died in a bike accident, from internal (ie not head) injuries. I know many others who have gone down and their head was probably the best protected part of them. Not one has been killed or injured by their helmet. What do you propose is the mechanism of street accidents that causes helmets to injure their users, when this is not the case on the track?

Honestly, I can understand being anti-helmet-law, but not anti-helmet. The only place I've ever seen any anti-helmet information is at places like ABATE.

[sneakypete]

What do you propose is the mechanism of street accidents that causes helmets to injure their users, when this is not the case on the track?

Whiplash resulting in broken necks is the actual injury caused by helmets worn by street riders. The bigger concern is the restricted vision and hearing make it more likely you will have the accident in the first place.

Honestly, I can understand being anti-helmet-law, but not anti-helmet.

It's all part of the same statist package. Remember "All we are asking for is a small section of restaurants be set aside for non-smoking. Is that too much to ask for? It's not like we are going to demand anybody quit smoking." The next thing you know,they are telling lies about second-hand smoke dangers,and getting away with it. My all-time favorite lie was the one where they claimed second-hand smoke was actually more dangerous than actually smoking.

The only place I've ever seen any anti-helmet information is at places like ABATE.

Think about this carefully,ok? ALL the other sources or places for information about helmets are somehow connected to the helmet industry,and want to sell more helmets. Either that,or they are connected to the gooberment.

[-YYZ-]

The bigger concern is the restricted vision and hearing make it more likely you will have the accident in the first place.

I might agree with that to a certain extent, particularly for riding in traffic. I do find full-face helmet limit vision a little, some more than others. Not usually an issue, but possibly in traffic. I don't do much riding in traffic, personally - just not enjoyable usually.

Think about this carefully,ok? ALL the other sources or places for information about helmets are somehow connected to the helmet industry,and want to sell more helmets. Either that,or they are connected to the gooberment.

I don't believe that statement is completely accurate, but there is some truth in it. I still believe, from my and many other's personal experience, that helmets do provide useful protection against many impacts that would otherwise cause serious head injuries. I think there is good evidence from racing that they do provide useful protection on the racetrack, and good reason to believe that they will provide similar protection in a variety of circumstances on the street.

As I implied, I'm in favour of freedom of choice in this issue, I just don't think the protective abilities of a good helmet should be discounted, or their possible risks overstated, when making the decision whether or not to wear one.

Enjoy the ride man, whatever your choice in bikes and gear. We've got that in common, anyway.