Thoughts on Bike Helmets and Cities
Should you wear a helmet while biking around in cities? I've been hassled on this one for time immemorial and I wanted to share my honest opinions on this one.
First off, I rarely do wear a helmet when biking around towns or cities. I always wear a helmet mountain biking and on huge road biking ventures. Probably the #1 reason I don't wear a helmet is because it prevents me from immediately getting on my bike and going off to wherever. The second reason, and a damn good one for cities, is that I'm worried about me losing it or it being stolen (has happened before to me). Lastly, I just love the feel of wind rushing through my hair. Sounds stupid, but the best way for me to get my hair to look good is to take a 15 minute bike ride.
Now the arguments for the helmet are always about safety. However, I think to place all of your safety trust in a device around your head is quite stupid. Instead, you should learn how to bike well, which really sums up to two things:
1) Avoid crashes. Being fully aware of the surroundings is key, and I find that I'm able to do so easier without a helmet. Either way, good bikers will crash a lot less than inexperienced ones
2) Learn how to crash well. Since undergrad, I've biked a lot without a helmet and I've had my share of crashes and falls. Outside of mountain biking, I've never hit my head. There were periods in undergrad while I was learnign rule #1 where I'd never have an scar-free knee or something, and that was because I could manage any crash, even the 15 mph ones with bad brakes.
So I do believe that biking with a helmet is safer than without, but I think that learning to bike without a helmet will make you much safer whether you don it or not. Also I think the benefits for city biking do not outweigh the problems.
First off, I rarely do wear a helmet when biking around towns or cities. I always wear a helmet mountain biking and on huge road biking ventures. Probably the #1 reason I don't wear a helmet is because it prevents me from immediately getting on my bike and going off to wherever. The second reason, and a damn good one for cities, is that I'm worried about me losing it or it being stolen (has happened before to me). Lastly, I just love the feel of wind rushing through my hair. Sounds stupid, but the best way for me to get my hair to look good is to take a 15 minute bike ride.
Now the arguments for the helmet are always about safety. However, I think to place all of your safety trust in a device around your head is quite stupid. Instead, you should learn how to bike well, which really sums up to two things:
1) Avoid crashes. Being fully aware of the surroundings is key, and I find that I'm able to do so easier without a helmet. Either way, good bikers will crash a lot less than inexperienced ones
2) Learn how to crash well. Since undergrad, I've biked a lot without a helmet and I've had my share of crashes and falls. Outside of mountain biking, I've never hit my head. There were periods in undergrad while I was learnign rule #1 where I'd never have an scar-free knee or something, and that was because I could manage any crash, even the 15 mph ones with bad brakes.
So I do believe that biking with a helmet is safer than without, but I think that learning to bike without a helmet will make you much safer whether you don it or not. Also I think the benefits for city biking do not outweigh the problems.