🚀 go-pugleaf

Garry Lee <glee@iol.ie> wrote:
>The quoting of opinion from one country which is supposed to supplant
>the evidence from numerous other studies is itself dodgy science.
>
>Sometimes humans have to forget statistics and use their heads.
>
>Why do jockeys wear helmets?
>Why do motorcyclists wear them?
>If you are heading towards the ground in mid-air would you prefer to
>be wearing one?
>
>I would say read the opinions from ALL studies before making up your
>mind.

As a motorcyclist I mainly wear a helmet because the visor keeps grit, dust,
win and rain out of my face.  But in some types of driving the security of a
helmet can make the rider take more chances eg off-roading, and also allows the
rider to drive faster (assuming their bike lets them). I feel that the eye
protection does far more to keep me safe (by keeping me out of accidents) than
the head protection, although that said I've no intention of wearing a helmet
that won't give decent protection in an accident.

When I went horseriding I wore a helmet because the ground is so far away the
impact would be high, and horses can be unpredictable.

As a cyclist I don't wear a helmet because at my level of risk (as I see it - I
don't cycle fast or on busy roads) current helmets don't seem worth the effort
as an adult (they should provide some decent weather protection as well)
although if I was 10 again and learning to cycle I would wear one because
that's a riskier age.

With any helmet however there is going to be a compromise between full head
protection and keeping it light enought and allowing proper hearing/sight/head
movement. And in some accidents the weight of the helmet might contribute to
the injuries.

I think really we need to have some sensible helmets available that provide
some benefit besides impact-protection.  And some _real_ cycle training and
education for vehicle drivers. I do think children should wear helmets while
cycling on the road, for a variety of reasons.

Jo

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