Should I wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle?

Factual Questions
1

Should I ever get in an accident while riding my motorcycle, conventional wisdom says I’d have a significantly lower chance of sustaining head injuries if I donned a Snell/DOT-approved motorcycle helmet. The instructor at the rider training class I attended said a person would be flat-out “foolish” to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.

But… a couple acquaintances claim that “wearing a helmet is actually more dangerous than letting your hair flap in the wind.” (I should add that both of these people are experienced riders, and give the impression that they know what they’re talking about.) They claim fatalities/injuries are usually the result of a neck breakages, and a helmet only increases this likelihood. Furthermore, they say a helmet obstructs your field of vision, in addition to making it more difficult to hear sirens and such. I can certainly agree with the latter point.

So has it really been “proven” (as both these gentlemen claim) it is safer to ride without a helmet? My common sense says otherwise. Looking for insight…

2

I remember over hearing a conversation one day about helmet wearing. One guy was saying that he never wears a helmet because he’s been hit 2 or 3 times (I don’t remember) and all of the times it would have been prevented if he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Now I don’t know anymore then that. I don’t know if that means he would have seen a car coming towards him or if it means that maybe he changed lanes into a car he didn’t see (I suppose that makes a difference).

Also something else to mention. My girlfriends brother has the type of helmet that only covers the top of his head (ie not face or back of head and neck protection, kind of like a beanie type of thing). He claims that during an accident a lot of damage can be done to the neck due to the added weight of the helmet on the head. How true that is, I don’t know.

3

Maybe since wearing the helmet prevents death via cracking the skull, the result is that the 2nd way to die, neck breakage, becomes the top killer.

It’s like if 1 the #1 killer is heart disease, and #2 is cancer. Someone makes a wonder drug to cure heart disease, now cancer is #1. Those guys might then say “that wonder drug causes people to die from cancer!”

4

And, in some auto accidents people would have surely been killed if they had they had their seatbelts buckled up and they could have drowned/burned/yadda/yadda since it jammed.

Don’t believe it. While possible, it is extremely unlikely.

People who die from motorcycle accidents and not wearing a helmet should be automatically given an honorary Darwin Award.

5

Your friends are nuts. The conclusions of the definitive study on motocycle injuries, The Hurt Report:

There are those who conclude that a statistically significant trade-off exists between neck injuries and head injuries when helmets are worn; but NO ONE has produced data showing that the risk of neck injury is greater or more serious than that of head injury. The anecdotal BS from paramedics, emergency room docs, biker’s-rights activists, etc. doesn’t make a dent in the facts collected at the scene.

I have been riding most of my adult life, and I have ridden nearly 100,000 miles on urban highways. Anyone who rides without a helmet is an idiot; anyone who rides without a full-face helmet is kidding himself (unless he’s a cop, but that’s another story).

6

In the medical world, the technical term for motorcycle riders who do not wear helmets is “organ donor”.

Regards,
Shodan

7

try this:

run into a wall with your head first. first with a helmet, then without (the order is important). that should give you an idea of where and how a helmet comes into use.

also, wearing a helmet, while restricting some of your hearing/vision, does NOT make you blind or deaf… an aware rider can easily look out for all danger signals, audible as well as visual.

also, don’t wear a helmet that is two sizes big for you… it won’t offer sufficient protection… use a well-fitting helmet…

8

also, if you plan to do speeds over 80kmh, be informed that without a helmet (or other protective gear) your eyes will start to water… this will restrict your vision greatly…

9

Revtim, well put.

10

According to the Hurt Report, a 1981 study of motorcycle safety, helmets do reduce head injuries, do not affect hearing or range of vision, and do not contribute to neck injuries. Since the report came out, people have crunched (cooked?) the raw data and come to the conclusion that wearing a helmet could increase the risk of neck injuries. It’s possible, but if I had a choice I’d rather think than walk.

Some cheaper helmets can put a deafening wind blast into your ear. While this can be fatiguing and keeps you from hearing cars in your blind spot, you will still see the car that sideswipes or t-bones you.

Regardless, the goal shouldn’t be to come out of an accident safely, the idea is to not have an accident in the first place (of course!) The Report found that “the failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents”, also that young or untrained riders were most likely to be involved in an accident and alcohol is involved in half of the fatal accidents. Personally, I’d prioritize staying sober, out of entertainment districts and off the road in the early morning over wearing a helmet.

11

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also has a lot of data on this subject.

FYI, here’s Snopes on seatbelts.

12

I have only been riding for 4 years now but have logged around 80,000 miles in that time. I have only ever heard once in that time where a helmet was believed to have caused more harm but that’s because he landed on his chin.

I do not accept the idea that a helmet affects your vision or hearing. DOT specifies that helmets must have a perifrial vision angle of 210°, or something close to that. That’s a lot more than the 180° or so that people have. If you are not turing your head then yes you may get some blocking of your vision, but that’s why you need to turn your head. I also wear ear plugs when I ride 90% of the time as it causes less fatigue and helps you to hear better because it cuts down on the wind noise. I can still hear other cars around me.

There are other reasons for wearing a helmet as well, I’ve been hit by rocks etc. No, they did not hit me because I was too close either, but were kicked up from the other side and have gotten some intersting cuts in my helmet, I hate to see what it would have done to my head.

We had a debate about this 1.5 years ago or so in GD, but I don’t want to go searching for it now. I personally do not understand the idea of not wearing a helmet, or other protective gear, though I will admit that I have done both. I don’t think that not wearing a helmet is going to save you and the odds of a helmet actaully hurting you are probably pretty small.

13

I have one word, given to me by a friend who was speaking from experience:

Junebugs.

He ran into a swarm of junebugs while doing about 90 mph; the impact just about took him off the bike. If he hadn’t had a helmet on, it would have.

14

Nothing “official” here to post, but I rode a motorcycle for several years while I was in college, and I had a helmet but rarely wore it. I preferred the wind whipping through my hair. I am lucky I did not become an “organ donor.” When I did decide to wear it, I had no problem with the line of sight or anything.

I would still love to ride, but alas, I will not, mainly because I have a son now, and a dear friend perished a few years back (yes, he was wearing a helmet–he hit a raised highway’s guardrail and went over…a 50 ft drop); and you can be the most defensive rider in the world, wear a helmet, and still get killed. However, if I were to get another bike, I would definitely wear one all the time now.

I may not have a lot of brains, so I’d prefer not spilling any of them on the asphalt.

15

here we go again.
Its not a simple yes no question because its not s simple issue

The hurt study is garbage, its been ripped apart a bunch of times, and I posted half a dozen links last time this came up that showed where it was flawed. I will dig them up again if anyone is really interested, but that wont convince anyone anyway

People who dont wear helmets on motorcycles aretn stupid, they have just examined the evidence and come to a differant conclusion than others

A helmet will save you in some accidents, it will hurt you in others. There is a great deal of debate over which way the scales tip, but I suspect it is pretty even.

XASH: I always wear Eye protection, that should be mandatory.

There is quite a bit of evidence that wearing a helmet makes you more likely to get into an accident in the first place. The fatigue, the restriction of hearing and periphreal vision that some helmet designs have. Many states have experianced an increase in accidents per registered bike when the enact thier helmet law.

The fatigue occurs because the wind catches your helmet when you turn to look behind you to change lanes or what have you. After a while, subconciously you start using your mirros more, and turning your head less. Thats a bad thing on a motorcycle.

In hotter climates it intrudces heat related fatigue as well

Hearing is desperately important. When I hear the change in the exhaust note of my bike, I know someone is coming up beside me. It makes me aware of my suroundings. In many states wearing a full motorcycle helmet in a car is illegal because it restricts your hearing.

I know plenty of well edjucated people who dont believe in helmets. Including a couple of EMT’s and a cop or two. Its not a matter of stupidity or ignorance, just a differant interpretation of the benifits and hazards of helmet use

I dont think either side of the argument has proven the case, but heres the conclusion I came to.

Helmets will help you out in some cases, especially in low speed fall downs.
Helmets will hurt you more than help in higher speed accidents, due to neck injures and the tendacy for a helmet to try and roll when it catches the pavement.

I think at best its pretty much even, help as much as hurt.

I think the helmets due to the reasons stated above make me more likely to get into an accident in the first place, maybe slightly but enough to tip the scales in favor of not wearing one, so I dont.

16

Depends if you prefer an open or closed casket funeral.

-Serously, riding is dangerous with or without one. It something that should IMO be a matter of personal preference. Again IMO what is more likely to keep you above ground is good riding instruction and attending motorcycle rider courses.

Just previewed and saw what ** cornflakes ** posted
last sentence pretty much says it…

17

As far as saftey equipment, long pants, boots, and when the temp is low enough, a leather jacket and gloves are much more important than a helmet.

I forgo the jacket and gloves in the sumer here, because at 100+ the heat exhaustion is more of a risk than the bike wreck.

18

In my experience, the same people who say that helmets are dangerous are also the ones wearing full leathers in 90 degree+ weather “for the safety factor” and having louds pipes because “loud pipes save lives, maaaan.”

In other words, they’re the posers. Wear the helmet, unless you don’t value your head.

19

I’ve got friends with bdgr’s preference in gear. They’re usually doing about 180km+ on the highway… shortly before having their bikes impounded.

I wear a full-face helmet, and I’ve never had problems with neck fatigue. Your neck muscles will grow stronger to adapt to the added weight.

Occasionally, in windy weather at high speeds, my head will get blown over doing a shoulder check. This would probably be just as bad if I wasn’t wearing a helmet. It certainly hasn’t stopped me from doing shoulder checks. If anything, it’s a nice indicator for conditions… and a sign to consider slowing down.

I’ve never had problems with visibility wearing a helmet.

I find it easier to hear while wearing a helmet, for the same reason I find it easier to listen to music in a bar or at a club while wearing earplugs-- the random noise gets filtered out.

Admittedly, the Hurt report is two decades old. It’s time for somebody to update it. And time for someone to look at accidents where motorcyclists with helmets have neck injuries, and calculate if they would be alive without the helmet

20

No statistics. No studies. Just a friend/co-worker who was ridding his motercycle when someone ran into him.

He’s happy he was wearing the helmet. I’ve seen the helmet, and I understand why he is happy about it. His right leg will never be the same, but his head came through the accident unharmed, which is more than you can say for the helmet.