helmets

[latelatebloomer]

Your brain can't heal itself when you hurt it.

i work at a brain injury rehab. Wear your helmet. Most of our clients will never return to their jobs, families, relationships, many are incontinent and some will never again have the simple pleasure of drinking a glass of cold water when they are thirsty, due to swallowing problems. Wear your helmet. Our "high" achievers have part time jobs wiping tables at fast food restaurants - with a job coach beside them all the time - whose name they can never remember. Wear your helmet.

A lot of their injuries come from car crashes, true, but some are from astonishingly small hits - a fall while hanging off a basketball rim, or slipping on an icy parking lot. Wear your helmet. The cranium is only designed to protect your brain at human running speed - maybe 8 mph. And your wonderful, wonderful brain does not know how to mend itself. Wear your helmet!

[kermit]

I know of many people who would have been hurt alot worse without a helmet. That being said, people still don't wear them (idiots). I ride jumpers and after many horse crashes, and being kicked in the face and head, it's always been a must. The fact there is no research on cycling helmets is probably that most helmets are and have been made the same. The new equestrian helmets just came about after the standard hunt cap just came off and people started suing. Cycling helmets are all just styrophome/plastic, it's the fit that is important. Protect the melon I say!

[aicabsolut]

I'm an equestrian too, and I've smacked my head on the (relatively softer) ground a few times in the old style helmets over the years (that were basically pretty covered plastic shells). I got a concussion (but didn't need to go to the ER or anything) that was no fun when a horse I was on slipped and fell in a turn.

I wear whatever cycling helmet meets the safety standards we have in this country. I went down hard in a race on the pavement, with my head taking the brunt of my fall. The helmet shattered. My head was bruised, I was dizzy, and I had a killer headache for a while, but it wasn't as bad as that bad fall on the horse. My helmet was completely toast. I'm ok.

Helmet safety has been evolving in both sports in terms of design and materials. Getting something that meets the newest standards is probably best, though I will admit I balked at some of the older safety riding helmets about 10 years ago because of how high they perched up on the head. The fit was so compromised by the design, I figured it wouldn't do me any more good. Obviously, things have come a long way with equestrian helmets in terms of safety, style, fit, and comfort. The same is true for bike helmets. I remember the old thing I had as a kid that seemed like pretty cheap styrofoam. All I can say is that the cycling helmet really saved my skull. You may not be that impressed with how the standards are set here, but I think they're at least as reliable as the testing behind your equestrian helmet.

[7rider]

i work at a brain injury rehab. Wear your helmet. Most of our clients will never return to their jobs, families, relationships, many are incontinent and some will never again have the simple pleasure of drinking a glass of cold water when they are thirsty, due to swallowing problems. Wear your helmet. Our "high" achievers have part time jobs wiping tables at fast food restaurants - with a job coach beside them all the time - whose name they can never remember. Wear your helmet.

A lot of their injuries come from car crashes, true, but some are from astonishingly small hits - a fall while hanging off a basketball rim, or slipping on an icy parking lot. Wear your helmet. The cranium is only designed to protect your brain at human running speed - maybe 8 mph. And your wonderful, wonderful brain does not know how to mend itself. Wear your helmet!

My good friend and bike commuting partner just spent seven weeks in 2 hospitals (5 weeks in ICU, 2 weeks in rehab) after a bike accident WITH a properly fitting helmet strapped to his head. What happened - how fast he was going - is unknown. Without a doubt, he would have been killed without it. As it is, he appears to be making remarkable progress coming back. It's still too early to say if he'll ever be able to perform at the level he was at before (reviewing grant applications, chairing multi-day scientific meetings, etc). But he's home. He's coherent. And he shows that while wearing a helmet won't necessarily protect you from all accidents....yes...it's better than Test B.

[crazycanuck]

I'm an avid helmet wearer...Don't run into another cyclist (with little time to react) and hit your head on the ground..Can you say..ow..Benign positional vertigo..oww..broken helmet..etc etc..

My speed was 27km/hr & the other person..about 35km/hr..

It kinda ruins your weekend

[Eden]

try this web site
http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm

personally I think the table with the number of deaths for helmet wearing riders v/s non-helmet wearing riders speaks volumes. In all of the years no more than 10% of deaths were helmeted riders, in many it was fewer than 5%.

[smilingcat]

Wear ANSI/SNELL approved helmet. They have several test criteria before any new helmet is approved. And yes it has save my life on two separate occasions.

Orange County Classic. Hot summer day and got dropped when I developed a stich in my calf. So turned it into a "fun" ride. Flew over my handlebar from inattention to the road around 30MPH (bit of downhill) Shattered my right collar bone and concussion. Helmet was totally crushed. The hard plastic outer layer was gouged and foam core was crushed and cracked. 20 years ago?? thereabouts.

Second one was about 8 years ago now. Bad training day. have ZERO memory of the day or the week afterward. And sketchy for month afterwards. I was told that I was having a bad day and called it quits early. One of the male rider accompanied me back to the car. I didn't make it. They said I hit a block of black top protruding on the road. They said I was only doing 25-27MPH (bit of downhill again). After 8 years, I still have no memory or how long I stayed at the hospital. I have some recollection of beeping sound when the room was dark and people fussing with me. Neurosurgeon told me to hang up my cleats for good cause no next time for me.

I'm stupid so I still ride. I love my brain bucket!! Will not leave house without one!!

The helmet standards were developed carfully and checked to make sure your head is protected.

I know of several others who are still alive today because their helmet protected them. They were all going near 30MPH when they crashed.

wear an ANSI/SNELL approved helmet. It saves lives. And wear them properly!!

smilingcat