If one isn’t racing, trail riding, or riding on a road with cars, it really isn’t particularly dangerous. Better to have everybody on bikes with no helmets than nobody on bikes.
A trampoline is also not particularly dangerous, but it can be.
The Dutch take safety more seriously than the west, and they’ve decided not to mandate helmets. It’s not like they made that decision by flipping a stroopwafel.
Looking at what Oulu accomplishes, even snowy and icy climates aren’t really a cause for mandating helmets. It’s primarily a question of whether or not a place has sufficient or insufficient cycling infrastructure and maintenance.
Oulu packs its pathways with snow that is suitable to walk and ride on, and as a result only sees ridership dip of 20% at temperatures below -20C. In the videos I’ve seen, there are more helmets there than in this clip of the Netherlands, but not by much.
That said, my ski helmet is much warmer than any hat I own and just for warmth alone I wouldn’t ride without it in the winter time.
This happens naturally where I live without having to pack anything, still helmets are just smart. If you have a lapse of judgement, or someone else cuts a corner around a tunnel or something, you collide, you can get some pretty serious head trauma, snow or no snow. I could suddenly have a stroke and fall into someone. Any old shit can happen. 🫤 Wearing a helmet is a good thing, is just my point. No harm can come of it.
Well, sure it can; just like drinking water, walking to work, or taking a dump. But it isn’t dangerous enough to warrant wearing a helmet in the view of many. And anything that discourages cycling has a cost as well.
Those things you listed are surely safer than traveling at relatively high speeds with an unprotected cranium, especially in such a crowded place as this. Perhaps the “walking to work” is debatable. 😅 Sometimes “in the view of many” isn’t the smartest or safest thing, eh.
All I’m saying is, I would wear a helmet. I wear a helmet regardless of where I’m biking. You never know if you suddenly have an aneurysm and just fall head first into the pavement. Shit happens. 🤷♂️
I support that. I generally wear a helmet too, but I think it is good to recognize that per km cycled the incidence of severe head injury on isolated bike infrastructure is pretty low. But of course wearing a helmet is going to make that even lower, which is good. I just think more people on bikes is even better for humanity, helmets or not.
Definitely, I’m not debating more people on bikes is bad, I agree it’s good. Just surprised at how few are wearing helmets. 😅 Even adults.
Our city is quite hilly though so we get up to higher speeds sometimes, perhaps. And e-bikes are a common thing now as well, which increases the braking distance ever so slightly. I see quite a large share of helmet wearing bikers here, in comparison. At least during winter.
you are right to wear a helmet. It is safer.
But you might aswell have an aneurysm walking down the stairs and bump your head. With the speeds we see in the video, i think that is comparable.
The point is: most dangerous for a cyclist by far is the car. Once you have your own lane, everything becomes optional.
I don’t think having an aneurysm while walking has the same level of danger as while cycling, because the speed is greater in cycling. That’s what I disagreed with, which I felt was being implied, that they are equal in some sense. Maybe it wasn’t.
But I feel like I’m in a discussion here in these comments where we’re getting into splitting hairs about a bunch of stuff, from all sides.
My main point is that wearing a helmet is safer regardless, and has/should have zero downsides.
I’m sure there are reasons for any place to not mandate helmets, that’s all fine and dandy. I’m just saying wearing one is smarter than not doing so. 👍
If one isn’t racing, trail riding, or riding on a road with cars, it really isn’t particularly dangerous. Better to have everybody on bikes with no helmets than nobody on bikes.
Of course it can be dangerous?
A trampoline is also not particularly dangerous, but it can be.
The Dutch take safety more seriously than the west, and they’ve decided not to mandate helmets. It’s not like they made that decision by flipping a stroopwafel.
I guess the snowy and icy climate where I live caused us to mandate helmets, because our city is very bicycle friendly as well.
Looking at what Oulu accomplishes, even snowy and icy climates aren’t really a cause for mandating helmets. It’s primarily a question of whether or not a place has sufficient or insufficient cycling infrastructure and maintenance.
Oulu packs its pathways with snow that is suitable to walk and ride on, and as a result only sees ridership dip of 20% at temperatures below -20C. In the videos I’ve seen, there are more helmets there than in this clip of the Netherlands, but not by much.
That said, my ski helmet is much warmer than any hat I own and just for warmth alone I wouldn’t ride without it in the winter time.
This happens naturally where I live without having to pack anything, still helmets are just smart. If you have a lapse of judgement, or someone else cuts a corner around a tunnel or something, you collide, you can get some pretty serious head trauma, snow or no snow. I could suddenly have a stroke and fall into someone. Any old shit can happen. 🫤 Wearing a helmet is a good thing, is just my point. No harm can come of it.
Well, sure it can; just like drinking water, walking to work, or taking a dump. But it isn’t dangerous enough to warrant wearing a helmet in the view of many. And anything that discourages cycling has a cost as well.
Those things you listed are surely safer than traveling at relatively high speeds with an unprotected cranium, especially in such a crowded place as this. Perhaps the “walking to work” is debatable. 😅 Sometimes “in the view of many” isn’t the smartest or safest thing, eh.
All I’m saying is, I would wear a helmet. I wear a helmet regardless of where I’m biking. You never know if you suddenly have an aneurysm and just fall head first into the pavement. Shit happens. 🤷♂️
I support that. I generally wear a helmet too, but I think it is good to recognize that per km cycled the incidence of severe head injury on isolated bike infrastructure is pretty low. But of course wearing a helmet is going to make that even lower, which is good. I just think more people on bikes is even better for humanity, helmets or not.
Definitely, I’m not debating more people on bikes is bad, I agree it’s good. Just surprised at how few are wearing helmets. 😅 Even adults.
Our city is quite hilly though so we get up to higher speeds sometimes, perhaps. And e-bikes are a common thing now as well, which increases the braking distance ever so slightly. I see quite a large share of helmet wearing bikers here, in comparison. At least during winter.
you are right to wear a helmet. It is safer. But you might aswell have an aneurysm walking down the stairs and bump your head. With the speeds we see in the video, i think that is comparable.
The point is: most dangerous for a cyclist by far is the car. Once you have your own lane, everything becomes optional.
Cycling is much faster than walking. Strong disagree. I ride my bike probably 30 km/h on average on flat ground. But that’s just me, of course.
i never said walking was the same speed as cycling. If you ride 30kmh i strongly recommend a helmet.
What are you disagreeing on? That cars are the bigger danger?
I don’t think having an aneurysm while walking has the same level of danger as while cycling, because the speed is greater in cycling. That’s what I disagreed with, which I felt was being implied, that they are equal in some sense. Maybe it wasn’t.
But I feel like I’m in a discussion here in these comments where we’re getting into splitting hairs about a bunch of stuff, from all sides.
My main point is that wearing a helmet is safer regardless, and has/should have zero downsides.
I’m sure there are reasons for any place to not mandate helmets, that’s all fine and dandy. I’m just saying wearing one is smarter than not doing so. 👍
aha ok because i said “walking down stairs”. I never compared just walking to cycling. You kind of missed that.
i agree with everything else.