I yelled at a commuter today...

[tpage]

the first week I started commuting to school I did not wear my helmet. It was just too hot. August in Mississippi is unbearable even when you are aclimated. Anyway I was reading a magazine about head injuries associated with cyclists and I began to think about just one small hit on the head and I might not be able to remember or recognize my children. So if nothing else moves you to wear a helmet, just think about the thought of not remembering the people you love, and it is because you were too lazy to put on a helmet.

[Tri Girl]

I have a friend who rides a recumbent trike. He never wears a helmet. His opinion is that he's so low to the ground that a fall wouldn't be very far (and his trike is quite stable). When I asked about a car hitting him, he said "if a car hits me, a helmet won't help me much when I'm barely above their tire height- I'll more than likely be dead anyway." He does occasionally get yelled at to put a helmet on anyway.
I can see his point. There is an old man in my neighborhood that rides his bike around without a helmet. He's never going more than 5-10 mph and has the best time tootling around. I'd like to see him wear a helmet, but it's his choice.
I'll always wear a helmet. After taking a spill at almost 20mph and going down head first, I know how important it is to protect my noggin. But it's still my choice in the end.

What makes me want to yell at bikers more than anything is the ones who ride on the wrong side of the road. I want to tell them to get on the other side, because I fear for their safety. I never do, but I want to at least educate them.

[fatbottomedgurl]

On Wednesday I waited at an intersection where a woman on a beach cruiser rode from the sidewalk into the street, across the crosswalk, and up to the sidewalk on the other side. She didn't look to see if it was clear, she had no helmet, she had a chihuahua in her handlebar basket and she was texting on her cell phone the whole time. She was absolutely oblivious. I didn't say a word. Obviously she had no brains to protect.