I yelled at a commuter today...

[7rider]

I am coming to the realization that a helmet won't make you "safer" on a bike. Adequate and clean bike lanes, a well-maintained machine, courteous drivers (courteous cyclists), driver and cyclist education....those things can make you "safer." A helmet merely protects your noggin from when an unsafe situation comes home to roost.
I agree with Veronica. There are plenty of folks doing what we would see as jaw-droppingly stupid. I've been criticized far too many times trying to be everybody's mother to bother wasting my breath.
I, too, have seen more than my share of cyclist carrying their helmets - on their handlebars, clipped to a backpack, etc. Often, they are teenagers, and I suspect their folks made them get one, and couldn't leave the house without one, but they're just too "cool" to actuallly wear it. Sometimes, I do remind them "You know...they work better when they're actually ON your head!" I've even stopped and adjusted folks' poorly placed helmets as they sat on their head!
Maybe I need to work on that "I'm not everyone's mother" bit a little more!

[Crankin]

I would have yelled...
I understand that I shouldn't for all of the reasons given, but I always say something to unhelmeted riders. Once, I said something to my neighbor, who was riding down the wrong side of the road, unhelmeted, with his kids.
And frankly, I would like to say something to people engaging in other unhealthy habits (like stuffing french fries into their mouths when they are 100 lbs. overweight). I know I shouldn't be policing other people's bad habits, but I sure feel like it!

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for all the replies, pro and con, ladies. I appreciate them. Just to clarify, the rider was in a safe area when I did yell. He was on the other side of the traffic cones on a fresh new lane (no cars allowed) by then. I did consider where he was before I rolled down my window. Being a cyclist myself, I know how easy it is to be startled by a driver saying anything, and I wouldn't have said a word if I'd passed him on the skinny traffic lane as that would have been way too dangerous.

I have passed lots of non-helmeted cyclists in my time, and have never said anything (other than to my DH or under my breath). I have also seen cyclists riding on the wrong side of the road and have only said something once, when they were coming right towards me. I usually mind my own business. Perhaps I should have this time, but I bet he won't forget his helmet next time!

I've also seen several segments on various news programs where they've staged people being harrassed, robbed, or whatever, and so many people just walk right by and won't get involved. Male bystanders more often just walk by. Women are more likely to get involved and to stand up for the victim. Sometimes getting involved could save someone's life. I am certainly not saying that I saved this guy's life by any means, but as I contemplated saying something to him, thoughts of these types of scenarios ran through my mind. I didn't want to be one of the ones who just "walked by" and let someone get hurt. I hope he pulled over later and put on his helmet.

Thanks about the sticker, Grog, but as a 40-something married woman, I think I'll pass. My DH might not take to me considering the hotness of anyone else on a bike, even if it is said in jest.

Emily

[kfergos]

I totally understand the instinct to reprimand somebody doing unsafe biking activities. When I see people riding helmetless, with iPods, on the wrong side of the street, or in other dangerous situations (sometimes all of those together!), I really want to stop and help educate them. Once I did ride by a couple teens riding without helmets, and I said, "Where's your helmets?" "I dunno," they said, and I rode on. I think most people don't even realize how dangerous their actions are; people take the ped mentality and transfer it to cycling, rather than taking the car driving mentality and applying that to cycling. If everybody thought and acted like a driver on their bikes, I think we'd see many fewer accidents. How many cyclists ride through stop signs or red lights without even slowing? Or don't follow basic defensive driving techniques?

ANYWAY, getting back on topic, although I understand the impulse to shout at somebody, I think as a commuter I'd be more startled than anything else. Even if it was a relatively safe situation, which it sounds like it was, the guy could just jerk his handlebars in surprise and go down. Also I know from experience it's very difficult to understand drivers when they shout something at you; possibly he couldn't even understand what you said, and he'd just get a negative impression from you. I'd have refrained from shouting at him, even though you had his best interest at heart, because: (a) odds are it wouldn't make him change his behavior; (b) it could give him a more negative view of you, and others, in general; and (c) it could have caused him to twitch in startlement and have an accident.

Just my $0.02...or perhaps a bit more...

[NoNo]

I have also seen cyclists riding on the wrong side of the road and have only said something once, when they were coming right towards me.

I've encountered this several times on my commute, most recently yesterday afternoon. I've always wanted to yell something at them, because they absolutely refuse to move out of the way, but it's always a teenage boy, so I doubt it'd do much good. One of these times, though, I'll probably snap.

OOOOH! That reminds me. There are always cars parked on the side of the bridge I have to cross, making it impossible to get past. I was going to write a letter to the state. Better do that now before I forget.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I only make comments to KIDS who aren't wearing helmets. I figure grownups are going to make their own decisions, plus it's only the law here for kids to wear them.
However....if a cyclist is riding on the wrong side of the street it actually puts ME in danger, depending on whether other cyclists and cars happen to be passing all at the same time. It creates a hazardous situation for ME, so I do tell them they are riding on the wrong side of the road and should ride with traffic.
New York State traffic law states that cyclists are not to wear two earbuds while riding....one earbud is allowed. When I see joggers and cyclists with two earbuds in and when they do not respond when I shout out "Hello!" or "Bicycle Behind you" when approaching from behind, then I make sure to BELLOW "Hello!!!!!" at them when I actually pass them. Usually makes them jump but hey, if they can't hear my first friendly holler from behind them, then they should get a clue. People moving in traffic on public roads have safety obligations to others even if they don't care about themselves.

[sfa]

I probably wouldn't have yelled at him, although I would have been seriously tempted. But mostly I wouldn't have yelled because when someone yells something at ME when I'm riding, it just startles me--even when it's something good that they're yelling. If I had been stopped next to him at a light I might have asked him why his helmet was on the back of his bike, though. And I've been known to say something to kids on bikes (it's illegal for them to be without helmets). Last week on my commute home I passed a kid riding on the sidewalk who WAS wearing a helmet--but it wasn't fastened. I wished I had time to give him a brief physics lesson, but instead I just said "the helmet only works right if you fasten it" as I passed. And I think I startled him.

Sarah