Are Bike Helmets Safe?
bike helmets
Thanks to Caley for forwarding me an article entitled Why It Makes Sense to Bike Without a Helmet. It is from Howie Chong’s blog and makes a good argument that bicycle helmets may actually make bike riders less safe. It cites interesting studies and makes a good case for biking without a helmet. But more than anything else, it causes readers to think about an issue that, for most is at least a foregone conclusion and at most, sacred. I’m a huge fan of questioning the status quo. And personally, I wear a helmet about 90% of the time. I always wear a helmet when I’m riding a mountain bike or a road bike. That is because, when I’m riding those two bikes, I’m either on a mountain bike trail or on the open road. When I ride my cruiser bike, I seldom wear a helmet. To be honest, until I read the Why It Makes Sense to Bike Without a Helmet article, I wasn’t totally sure why I chose this course of action. Now, however, the article seems to justify my actions. When I’m riding my cruiser, I’m either on a bike path (remember, these are not the same as mountain bike trails) or on local 25 mph roads or on sidewalks.
Biking Wisdom
As today’s selected blog post, Why It Makes Sense to Bike Without a Helmet, suggests, bike helmets are not always the best option. It would make just as much sense to require pedestrians and automobile drivers to wear helmets as it would to make duly cautious recreational bike riders to wear protective head gear. In other words, if there’s good reason to believe that you may crash your bike, then a helmet is probably a good idea. But if you are a safe bike rider operating in generally safe conditions, then a helmet may not be necessary. As with most situations, common sense should prevail over over-encompassing rules. It is similar to the ridiculous rules that ban bicycles from sidewalks in many places. Dangerous bicycle riders (fast, reckless) should not be on sidewalks whereas slow, cautious and careful riders have just as much right on the sidewalks as pedestrians. Punishing good people for the actions of bad ones is never a good idea. Discouraging bike transportation is not a good idea either.
Your Opinion About Bicycle Helmet Requirements
As always, your comments, opinions & rebuttals are welcome in the comments section below. And, on a final note, you may have noticed the new banner for Trailsnet.com. That’s small potatoes compared with what is coming up next. A huge change is just around the corner, so stay tuned. Hopefully, it was money well-spent.
