#HTE

The Argument for How Getting Rid of Bike Helmets Actually Saves Lives

I’ll shortly be moving out of New York City, and one of the things I’ll miss the most is Citibike. I love being able to run quick errands while getting a little exercise; at the supermarket I buy only a few things at a time and go several times a week, rather than stocking up once a week, so that I have more opportunities to burn calories. I’m on a Citibike at least every other day.

I don’t wear a helmet.

I started out wearing a helmet. I’m someone who takes careful steps to avoid injury in most areas in life, whether in martial arts training or when working with tools. I’m super careful with ladders, kitchen knives and heavy objects. When I started cycling four years ago, every cyclist I knew told me that everyone on a bike eventually has an accident and that a helmet is a must, and I listened.

But I quickly came to hate everything about the helmet. I hate wearing it, I hate having to carry it around, and now it’s gathering dust on a peg.

So when I came across this “Should you wear a bike helmet” video by the Guardian, I wondered if I might find some validation for not wearing a helmet:

It hadn’t occurred to me that doing away with helmet laws would encourage non-cyclists to cycle. One hundred on-bike deaths vs. 85,000 sitting-on-ass deaths is a pretty compelling comparison.

As for me not wearing a helmet, the only solace I found in the video is the example of the Dutch. Like them I cycle in protected bike lanes, at least as much as I can; Manhattan ain’t Amsterdam and there are stretches where I have to pedal into General Population, where I’m out in the yard with the animals.

Should I wear a helmet? Yes. But the point is moot, as soon I’ll be living in a rural area with zero cycling infrastructure, and any transportation I use will have four wheels.

Cyclists among you, do you wear a helmet? If so, how do you deal with the hassle?

If you don’t wear a helmet, don’t be afraid to speak up! The awesome thing about the internet is, commenters never judgmentally offer unsolicited safety advice.

http://www.core77.com/posts/78026/The-Argument-for-How-Getting-Rid-of-Bike-Helmets-Actually-Saves-Lives