helmets are not optional

[RoadBunner]

+1

I also think this when I see people riding horses without helmets.

[kerrybelle]

I totally agree!! How can anyone even think they couldn't get seriously hurt on a bike? I went over the bars on my mtn bike a few years back and cracked my helmet and the Styrofoam inside, in several places. Can't imagine what would have happened to my head had I not had a helmet on.

I work for an orthodontist and we see a lot of kids. There was a boy in last week, who rode his bike to his appt, no helmet of course. We always encourage our patients to wear helmets and stress the importance of it.

We talked to this kid and his mom, who came to pick him up and told him to stop at the LBS on his way home and get a helmet. He was in again today and when asked if he got a helmet he said: "No, but I got a new bike" Go figure!

On a side note, my boss knows this family on a personal level.

[KSH]

Oh yea, this past weekend we saw a great Darwin Awards candidate in the making.

So I'm out with my cycling club and we are at a stop light. We see this lady riding (she's going North, we are going East)... on a VERY BUSY STREET! She's riding along, on a cruiser style bike, with no helmet on.

Seriously, this is a road I would NEVER rides on alone. In fact, our cycling club won't even ride on it in a pack.

So we go through our light and to the next one (we are now going North, she is now going East).

She crosses our path again. One of the older fellows in our group yells out to her, "wear a helmet".

To which she politely replies that she has a helmet and points to the bag hanging off her fender.

Apparently the helmet was in a bag on her bike... covered... and being kept clean.

STUPID LADY!

[Trek420]

Folks, along with the normal crew of Darwin Award recipients the spike in gas prices is bringing a lot of newbies out. Some just took the bike down from the garage and thought "here, this will save me a buck or two".

Let's give 'em a break.

Offer suggestions "your helmet is on backwards, can I show you how to put that on?" Worst we can do is yell at 'em which just adds to the whole "cyclists are elitests" thing and may just scare them so much they fall over.

Some may keep riding, that's a good thing.

I sometimes use the "big smile, point at helmet, pat the head" jesture.

OTOH, when my neighbors 70's French-threaded fully lugged steel Motobecane stoped working because they did not pump the tires and they abandon it on the bulk waste pick up in my condo complex, I did not offer "here, let me show you how easy this is"

I'll let them go replace with a box store bike and then we'll educate them from there ;-)

[Grog]

I sometimes can't help it, I just like irony too much sometimes:

"Cool bike! Nice helmet." as I pass someone without a lid on on the road.

[Trek420]

Me too, "nice job of calling out" when racers blow by me

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Me too, "nice job of calling out" when racers blow by me

I usually call after them- "Thanks for the heart attack!"