# Why have bike helmets become mainstream? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402 "2009-02-11T18:38:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/41 "2009-02-12T22:35:55Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > What kind of helmets are you wearing? “Road” helmets are designed with a multitude of ventilation holes and air channels to keep the air blowing across your head under the helmet. In the summer I often ride in 90+ degrees (F), and haven’t had any problem with my helmet keeping the heat in. And my helmet wasn’t expensive - it’s a $30 Schwinn helmet. > > Are you wearing a bandanna under your helmet? If so, that could be the problem. I used to wear a bandanna under mine to keep sweat from running into my eyes (and also to make the helmet more comfortable on my shaved head), and my head would sometimes get uncomfortably hot. It turned out that the bandanna was “insulating” my head and keeping the air currents from cooling it. I switched to a headband I found at the bicycle shop, and the difference was dramatic and immediate. That would be my problem. :smack: ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/42 "2009-02-12T22:48:28Z")
I have been in 2 bike accidents–one a simple skid, the other involving me being hit by a car & flying (no exaggeration) over the handlebars–to land head first on a concrete culvert. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=365495&highlight=bicycle](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=365495&highlight=bicycle) Wear the damn helmet! ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/43 "2009-02-12T23:05:54Z")
Yup - it’s pretty safe to assume that a bicycle accident that includes any kind of impact (whether from something running into you or you running into something) is going to result in the rider flying through the air at least a short distance, probably headfirst. Not so much for a car driver. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/44 "2009-02-12T23:25:02Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Sorry, thread hijack… > > What’s the 6th point in a racing harness? I’d always heard racing belts referred to as “5 point”, which I’d understood as: two shoulders, two hips, and one between the legs. Is there now a 6th point, am I misremembering, or has the terminology changed? A 6 point belt adds an additional submarine (“crotch”) belt. There is some belief that the addition of a strap makes the belt stronger and less prone to failure. I agree with this, as the submarine straps tend to be substantially thinner than the other four belt straps, but I have not seen any research that compares 5 vs. 6. ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/45 "2009-02-13T00:13:17Z")
Thanks for the answers everyone. I do see some of the differentiation between a bike and a car so thanks explaining. It always seemed to me the extra safety systems in a car didn’t offset the extra speed of a car. That is why I wondered why people who were staunch supporters of bike helmets weren’t also staunch supporters of helmets in cars. If it is safer on bikes, it will be safer in cars, too. For me, the argument that if you fall on a bike you are going to hit your head is the most compelling difference. From an FMEA perspective, that really tips the scales. That and the fact that more safety can be built into a car but nothing can really be done on bikes, as **Nametag** points out. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/46 "2009-02-13T00:18:03Z")
I feel compelled share a joke. I found this in a list of “Man Jokes” that was going around the 'Net, and despite being a man myself I found this one hilarious: Q: Why are men like bicycle helmets? A: They’re handy in an emergency, but most of the time they just look stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/47 "2009-02-13T01:52:48Z")
> [@Winsling](#): > > The other part that jumped out at me is the mile-to-mile comparison. While walking may be as dangerous on a per-mile basis, I’ll cover five to ten times the distance on my bicycle. Hmm…average walking speed, 4MPH. 10 times that…Damn! Ever think about competing in the Tour de France? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/48 "2009-02-13T02:44:13Z")
My dad was in an accident while biking. A car hit him. He wnt flying, and landed on his head. His helmet cracked down the middle, but his brains were unscrambled. Moral: Always wear your helmets. Even if it looks dorky. ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/49 "2009-02-13T03:23:04Z")
The other thing thats changed is bikes are lighter and higher speeds are more common. Also roads have changed somewhat, and cars are faster and quieter as well. Its probably not the driver for bike helmets, but does mean its more worthwhile considering one than it used to be. As far as accident rates being the same as a pedestrian I find that hard to believe, particularly for anyone using a bike as a commuter, in my neck of the woods anyhow. I ride to work daily but theres no way I’m safer than walking on the footpath next to me. Pedestrians dont cover the same distances, so miles travelled is probably less useful than a time spent measurement, ie your average risk for an hour of walking vs an hour of biking is probably a better comparison point. Otara ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/50 "2009-02-13T03:57:20Z")
One thing I’ve noticed is that younger kids or even teens are willing to wear a helmet if it looks “cool”, ie: like an extreme sports/skateboarding helmet. These are typically smooth with no visor, but I see kids using them on bikes. At least they’re wearing a helmet. I hit a car (yes, it was totally my fault, and yes it was idiot riding) as a teen, and I threw up a few times from the minor concussion. This is why I wore a helmet after that, and I used the accident as an excuse to the kids thought only wussies wore them. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/51 "2009-02-13T06:22:16Z")
> [@Running\_with\_Scissors](#): > > Hmm…average walking speed, 4MPH. 10 times that…Damn! Ever think about competing in the Tour de France? 10x _distance_, not 10x _speed_. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/52 "2009-02-13T12:58:58Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > 10x _distance_, not 10x _speed_. And in any case, 4mph is pretty damn fast walking. 3mph is closer to the speed you’d walk around town. And 30mph is easily doable on a bike, especially downhill, so yeah, it could even be 10x the speed too. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/53 "2009-02-13T13:07:47Z")
I missed the edit window, but wanted to add something that nobody seems to have mentioned when comparing bikes with cars. In car accidents these days, what’s most likely to kill you is not you hitting the inside of the car - modern seatbelts and airbags deal with that pretty well. The problem is that you stop but your internal organs try to keep moving forward at 70mph or whatever speed. That can cause all manner of internal injuries, even if you don’t strike anything hard and pointy with the outside of your body. On a bike, that kind of injury is less likely to happen - you won’t be moving as fast and you likely won’t be stopping as quickly. Injuries are more likely to be impact injuries. (On a vaguely related note, I heard on the news this morning that there is talk of making “airbag jackets” compulsory for motorbike riders.) ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/54 "2009-02-13T15:35:11Z")
Chiming in: a bike a lot and one of the things I really appreciate about my helmet (and shatter proof cycling glasses) is just basic protection from _little_ things like gravel bouncing off my head/face. I had a dump truck go screaming past, too fast for an urban city street IMHO, and almost a handful of acorn-sized pebbles came flying at me. The stuff that bounced off my body didn’t hurt much, but the stuff that bounced off my harder body parts hurt a bit and hit hard enough to nick my chin for a few drops of blood. I don’t really expect my helmet to help too much in a catastrophic accident, but for the run-of-the-mill stuff, it’s saved my scalp more than a few times. Bonking my head on a branch I misjudged, debris tossed up at me by the wheel of a passing car, crap like that. My helmet has justified its cost. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/55 "2009-02-13T15:39:14Z")
> [@](#): > > , talk of making “airbag jackets” compulsory for motorbike riders. And bicyclists and ice skaters and stair walkers? Trampoline users, ice skaters, rollerbladers, skiers and snowboarders? And what about the children … mercy me, what about the chillllldren? If even one unnecessary injury to a poor helpless child could be prevented it will all be worthwhile no matter the cost. ---
**Author:** ![Backcountry\_Medic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Backcountry\_Medic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backcountry_Medic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/56 "2009-02-13T18:37:37Z")
I ride as frequently as the weather allows, probably in the range of 50-100 miles per week from March through October or November, and I’ll admit to only wearing a helmet about 80-90% of the time. Typically I won’t wear one if I’m just running out to the grocery store, as we have a nice urban walkway that I judge to be fairly low-risk (wide, paved, set back from road, regulated crossings, etc). However, whenever I anticipate having to do any ‘aggressive’ riding- negotiating traffic or doing any trail riding- I always wear my helmet. I’ve had several serious crashes over the years, and on multiple occasions I’ve walked out of the woods or off the street carrying my busted bike in one hand and several exploded pieces of my helmet in the other. I imagine that it would be a lot harder to walk away from some of those crashes if I had been trying to hold the pieces of my skull in a similar matter. Someone else had mentioned skiing/snowboarding, which is what I do when it’s too deep to ride a bike, and I’ve recently converted to a helmet-wearer there also. The ER I work at sees CHI’s from skiing and boarding frequently, and I’ve found it’s the best way to smash through thick, frozen tree branches without getting ripped to shreds. As the evidence for wearing helmets becomes more and more concrete, designers are starting to expand their designs, making them lighter, lower profile, ‘cooler’ and more impact resistant. I’d tried some skiing helmets in the past, but they suffered from bowling-ball head syndrome, much like older bike helmets. Once they improved them a little, I seemed silly not to pick one up. 75$ helmet vs. 50,000$ emergency craniotomy and all. Also like someone else had pointed out, when you are biking you are putting on many more miles than any simple pedestrian could do. It’s no challenge to ride a hundred miles in a week, especially if you are commuting, riding to the coffee shop, doing most of your errands on a bike and riding off road for fun in your spare time. Most people would have serious difficulty walking an equal distance in a week, I would estimate a fastidious walker would only manage about a quarter of that. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/57 "2009-02-13T18:59:54Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > And bicyclists and ice skaters and stair walkers? Trampoline users, ice skaters, rollerbladers, skiers and snowboarders? > > And what about the children … mercy me, what about the chillllldren? If even one unnecessary injury to a poor helpless child could be prevented it will all be worthwhile no matter the cost. Who is this one child that is going to get injured and why can’t we just get them to walk? I think it should be mandatory to wear helmets for protection against overblown, bad sarcasm…:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/58 "2009-02-13T23:18:03Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > As an adult living in the city, any riding i’m likely to do involves negotiating multi-lane roads with parked cars and all the other hazards of modern motoring. You can be the most careful cyclist in the world, but you can’t predict what other people, especially people in cars, are going to do. I was sitting on a bus in NYC today. I looked down and saw a bicyclist. Laying on his back. In agony. With 2 people kneeling next to him and a third on a cell phone, hopefully calling 911. He’d clearly been hit. And wasn’t getting up. When I ride, I use a helmet. However, like **mhendo** and other posters, my bike was my life as a kid and teen. ( didn’t drive till I was 22 ). No helmet. Cars whizzing by at 50 mph. on a busy suburban thoroughfare. I suppose I was careful AND lucky. I don’t see this as overly paranoid, in the way that some people see keeping their kids within view until they’re 16 as paranoid. One can suddenly be in a position to be brain-damaged through no fault of one’s own. Helmets. Good thing. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/59 "2009-02-13T23:39:00Z")
> [@Backcountry\_Medic](#): > > Typically I won’t wear one if I’m just running out to the grocery store, as we have a nice urban walkway that I judge to be fairly low-risk (wide, paved, set back from road, regulated crossings, etc). My last bike spill took place right by a nice wide bike path with nary a car in sight. Someone left a shopping cart where it shouldn’t have been and I had a pretty good crackup. Damaged both shoulders, one of which was just healing from an unrelated injury. Got a little scar on my elbow and plenty of scrapes and bruises. Tears in bike clothing. Front wheel bent into a fascinating mobius strip kinda shape. But I got up and walked (limped) away from it. If I hadn’t had my helmet I think I would have been in much more pain. This was not at high speed, just “crash fall down go boom”. I was amazed at how much it hurt and what a low-speed impact did to a solidly-constructed mountain bike. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402/60 "2009-02-14T03:09:49Z")
I found basic training on how to fall more useful than a helmet. Landing on your head is not a game plan in my way of thinking. What I learned taking judo was and still is very useful on a bike. When I was a kid, I averaged a hundred miles a day during summer vacation. I hit cars, was hit by cars and took every conceivable spill on a bike. I don’t see the need personally for most situations with the exception of mountain biking. I tried that once and discovered trees were so close together that I had problems getting my bike through. I would wear a helmet for that. I could see potential dangers in city traffic with a truck driver opening a door next to me at head level. That would be along the lines of a mountain trail hazard. But for normal biking I don’t see a huge advantage to a helmet for me any more than if I was playing soccer (I’ve been scissor-kicked and elbowed in the face to the point of needing stitches). I’m very risk averse but will not wear a helmet on a paved bike trail away from traffic or close proximity to hazards. I have no problem with child helmet laws but don’t even think about mandating it for adults. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-bike-helmets-become-mainstream/485402.md?page=4)