
Evidence That Bike Helmet Laws Don't Help Rider Safety - kareemm
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/11/the-latest-evidence-that-helmet-laws-dont-help-bike-safety/415101/?utm_source=atlfb
======
carlob
Two important things about helmets:

1\. Helmets are very very useful if you're riding fast. In fact they are
mandatory in all cycling sports. However most people don't commute to work
going much faster than they would if running, hence they are not very useful
for them.

2\. In countries where helmets are compulsory, the chilling effect of risking
a fine for not wearing a helmet has meant a decrease in the number of
cyclists. Now, since bike accidents are relatively rare, but the health
effects of cycling to work rather than driving benefit every single cyclist,
helmet laws tend to have a negative effect on public health.

This said, whenever I'm going for a sporty ride (longer, or faster than usual)
I usually wear a helmet. When riding 5 minutes to meet a friend for a beer I
don't.

~~~
tetraodonpuffer
helmets are really useful if you are riding slow too, I was pulling out of a
driveway, there was a little bit of black ice that I didn't see, my front
wheel went out from me and before I knew it I was down: could not react, one
second I was upright, the next second I was on my side and yes, my helmet was
cracked by this fall (hit the side of my head on the cement), if I didn't have
it it'd have been a much worse day than the very mild headache I got from it.

I really don't understand all these "helmets don't help" folks, having ridden
motorcycles and bikes all my life you would not catch me dead without a
helmet: a helmet is not an invulnerability cloak but in the end if you fall
down and hit your head and you don't have one, you are not going to be in a
good place, whether you are going at walking speed or 30mph.

~~~
carlob
Then why don't you wear a helmet when you're walking on ice as well?

I'm not saying helmets don't work, I'm saying it's not very likely to hit your
head at high velocity on the ground if you were going 10 km/h. And if that
means you're not gonna ride a bike at all because you forgot your helmet
you're probably having a higher risk of cardiovascular disease further down
the line than you have of breaking your head now.

~~~
wpietri
> Then why don't you wear a helmet when you're walking on ice as well?

Because bikes constrain falls. Millions of years of evolution plus my own
personal practice means I'm pretty good at falling safely. But when I am
wrapped around a bike, a lot of that goes out of the window.

Also, I'd like to see some stats on your "not very likely". In 20 years of
adult riding, I've fallen twice at low speeds hard enough to crack a helmet.
And that's not counting the time as a kid I knocked myself unconscious on a
low-speed ride.

> because you forgot your helmet

Is this a problem people have? When I'm not riding, I clip my helmet to my
bike. This doesn't strike me as a particularly challenging habit to develop.
Maybe just keep necessary equipment together? That sounds easier than trying
to decide whether the odds are small enough to risk traumatic brain injury.

~~~
carlob
> Also, I'd like to see some stats on your "not very likely". In 20 years of
> adult riding, I've fallen twice at low speeds hard enough to crack a helmet.
> And that's not counting the time as a kid I knocked myself unconscious on a
> low-speed ride.

And in 28 years of both adult and kid riding, with some years totaling over
3000 km, I've fallen several times, even cracked a couple of ribs, but never
once hit my head. See that's the problem with anecdotal evidence.

> I clip my helmet to my bike

Do that in Rome, you'll come back to find none.

~~~
wpietri
> See that's the problem with anecdotal evidence.

I'm not the one who said "not very likely". I'm not offering my story as
evidence, just as an explanation for why I'd like evidence.

> Do that in Rome, you'll come back to find none.

I was speaking of the "I am going riding now" case. In Rome can you leave your
bike outside overnight? In SF you can't, so people store bikes and helmets
indoors. In which case, I'd submit that storing them together is a pretty good
idea.

Helmet theft might be a problem here in the "I am already out riding" case.
Where I worry about that here, I clip my bike to my bag, so again it's not a
"I forgot my helmet" problem.

------
biehl
The money quote

 _" [Bike lanes] has dual advantages, both reducing injuries and encouraging
cycling, an important public health goal of its own given the physical
activity and environmental benefits. Comparisons between North America and the
Netherlands or Denmark have long suggested that their route design focus is
better at welcoming cycling and achieving lower injury rates. Many were
concerned that Dutch and Danish infrastructure wouldn't have the same impact
here, but there is more and more research in North America showing that it
does."_

~~~
Ended
Absolutely, infrastructure is the real solution. Even if the full Dutch-style
bike lane is not possible, quite minor things can make a difference.

E.g. around here there are some advance cycle stop zones and advance green
lights for cyclists. Both are easy to implement but make a big difference to a
cyclist's safety and visibility at a junction.

~~~
maccard
We have those advance stop lanes for cyclists here, cars just ignore them even
when there's cyclists stopped in them ...

~~~
Ended
That's a shame. They do require cooperation from car users to be effective.
There are a lot of cyclists where I live which probably helps things.

------
jacquesm
Here is something that _will_ help you as a cyclist, pedestrian or pretty much
anything else except transportation where you're boxed in: learn how to fall.
Take some judo classes and learn how to control how you hit the ground, that's
_everything_ there is to it short of blunt impact against a lamp post or
something like that. If you can roll with a fall rather than simply absorbing
the energy with impact or abrasion then you're much more likely to walk away
from an accident either entirely unharmed or maybe with some minor injuries.
It always surprises me how terribly bad people are at something as basic as
falling, which we all do at least several times in our lives and which when
handled badly can cause injury or death. Falling with some grace is a very
important skill to have.

Also: when you're older your bones will take much less abuse before they break
than when you're younger so be more careful when you get older.

Helmets on bikes: if it makes you feel better: wear one. Don't make them
compulsory because the statistics are not clear-cut that wearing a helmet is a
good thing in more than 50% of the cases. For kids, probably better, if you're
in-experienced or insecure, probably better. If you're an adult, know your
bike and you're not going for some kind of record you should have the option
to cycle without.

~~~
throwaway5752
Helmet laws aside, please look at page 16 of this report before talking about
how effective helmets are:
[http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/episrv/episrv-
bike...](http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/episrv/episrv-bike-
report.pdf)

edit: tl;dr for you obviously, but ~200 people died over 8 years in NYC. Where
helmet use was noted in the police report (~ half), 97% of fatal accidents
involved people not wearing helmets. Someone else can do the Bayes' numbers
but it's pretty obvious. Anyway, I support bike lanes and oppose helmet laws.
But I wear a helmet.

~~~
Natanael_L
97% vs how many that don't wear helmets at all? Also 97%, or 70%, or 50%?
That's pretty important for understanding how much the risk increases.

------
throwaway5752
It's easy: laws or not, wear a helmet if you value your life (or brain). Every
cyclist I know has a story of unexpectedly ditching. Even some of them at a
dead stop, embarrassingly. I personally have cracked a helmet and walked away.

You are higher up, have less stability, and as good as you are you don't
control many types of collisions (negligent/distracted drivers). It only takes
a very minor fall and some bad luck to end up with brain swelling, cracked
skull, or a corpse.

Here is a helment advocacy group's take with links to relevant statistics,
opposing views:
[http://www.bhsi.org/shouldi.htm](http://www.bhsi.org/shouldi.htm)

~~~
teekert
I live in the Netherlands, never ever did I see anyone with a helmet up until
recently (all of a sudden people put them on their kids). I learned to ride a
bike at 4, never with a helmet. I have never seen anyone with head injury.
Perhaps it is because we don't go that fast, a typical bike looks like this:
[0], no gears, relaxed posture. For Mountain biking I do wear a helmet, as
does my 3yr old son, but not for normal biking.

"It only takes a very minor fall and some bad luck to end up with brain
swelling, cracked skull, or a corpse." I really don't believe that, you are
just spreading fud, I have seen people fall but you must be pretty slow to
react or go really pretty fast if you can't just put your arms in front of
your head or step of a falling bike.

It's easy, never force people to wear a helmet, allow them to arrive at work
with hair intact and without hassle, if you value a healthy population that
enjoys bicycling (yes yes our views on that are probably the same).

[0]
[https://www.google.nl/search?q=typical+dutch+bike&source=lnm...](https://www.google.nl/search?q=typical+dutch+bike&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIx_vWjoCLyQIVybsUCh04tAaw&biw=1680&bih=978)

~~~
dmethvin
You've grown up in what is probably the best place in the world to ride a
bike, which makes your experience enviable but not typical. Here in the car-
dominated USA it's a lot more dangerous to ride a bike because we're "sharing"
the streets with fast cars that are sometimes inattentive or even aggressive.
Plus, the maintenance of the streets themselves sometimes conspire against
you, it's easy to lose control on a pothole or slick crosswalk marking. I have
had a couple of falls where my head whacked the pavement, and was very glad I
was wearing a helmet.

Edit: This video says you're 30 times more likely to be involved in an
accident in the US than in the Netherlands:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2THe_10dYs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2THe_10dYs)

------
5h
Statistical significance or not, I have exactly 1 head/brain that has been
saved from significant injury thanks to wearing a helmet.

Happy to ride my anecdotal evidence all the way to the bank.

~~~
lmm
Why not wear it all the time, or at least when travelling? Per minute, the
odds of a helmet saving your life are much higher in a car than on a bike.

~~~
throwaway5752
Because in a car, you are protected by airbags, crumple zones, seatbelts, and
many other safety features that aren't available on a bike.

~~~
lmm
The statistics by their very nature take all that into account. (And very few
cars have ceiling airbags or crumple zones)

~~~
throwaway5752
I don't think the gp post or mine mentioned any statistics so I can't respond.

------
gambiting
There's one problem with all reports like this - people who have a crash in a
helmet and are fine usually don't report anywhere. I flew over the handlebars
and hit the edge of a curb with my head - the helmet split in two but I was
fine. If I didn't have a helmet on, I would be dead, I am very certain of
that. Yet, my accident - like I am sure thousands of other similar - was not
reported anywhere. There is no statistic that measures this. And I think it's
absolutely vital for producing reports like this.

------
DIVx0
Over my lifetime riding bikes I have witnessed two major crashes where both
non helmeted victims survived with life changing traumatic brain injuries.

One fell off a low bridge and the other was riding causally along and somehow
ended up going over the bars and hitting her head on the curb.

Seeing just one of these was all the reason I needed to never ride without a
helmet.

I wear a couple types depending on what sort of riding I'm doing (mountain,
road, racing) they are MIPS equipped when ever available.

------
feintruled
Seems like the UK has it about right then, where wearing a helmet is
encouraged but not compulsory.

I do wear a helmet, even though it's a pain. Reading around I see a lot of
sites claiming they are not effective, but it always seems to be secondary
effects - like, cars will pass you more closely, or you will ride more riskily
due to a false sense of security. Are there any studies on the actual safety
record? Intuitively it seems like of course it will be better for you if you
fall wearing a helmet - is this true?

------
the-dude
From a Dutch perspective the comments are hilarious.

------
alistairSH
What do hospitalization rates have to do with injury rates, with respect to
head injuries?

Totally anecdotal story, but when I had my last major bike crash (20mph crash
during a race), I went to the ER to get checked out. I probably didn't need to
go; I knew I had a concussion and lots of abrasions (and know how to treat
both). This proves nothing about the efficacy of wearing a helmet.

------
Luc
I feel sad for the people on this thread advocating unconditionally for
wearing a bike helmet. They must have to deal with terrible circumstances to
have come to that conclusion. Apparently they can't even imagine how one could
bicycle safely without a helmet.

Keep at it though. It takes a few generations for culture and road
architecture to change.

~~~
dlisboa
I don't understand why advocate against it, which people are actually doing in
this thread. It's baffling. It's like advocating against the seat belt.

It's a safety measure. It doesn't preclude better infrastructure. Yes, there
should be better cycling lanes. Many countries do exactly that whenever
cycling is envisioned, they build better infrastructure. But you don't wear a
seat belt because the roads have potholes, you wear them because they save
your life and prevent injuries regardless of road conditions.

Is it _really_ terrible that people have to wear a helmet? Of course the focus
should be on better protecting bikes (they're vastly different types of
vehicles), but I'm not shedding any tears over people who claim they will stop
biking because helmets ruin their hair. It's simply a basic preservation of
health.

~~~
zeveb
> I don't understand why advocate against it, which people are actually doing
> in this thread.

Because cycle helmets cost money which could be better spent on just about
anything. Because they reduce the number of cyclists (which is the worst
possible thing to do if one wants to make cycling safer). Because they look
stupid. Because forcing people to wear them is flat-out illiberal and hence
wrong.

> It's like advocating against the seat belt.

I wear my seat belt, but I advocate against seat belt laws.

> Is it really terrible that people have to wear a helmet?

Yes.

> I'm not shedding any tears over people who claim they will stop biking
> because helmets ruin their hair. It's simply a basic preservation of health.

Do you wear a walking helmet and a driving helmet too? Have you installed non-
skid in your bathtub? Statistically, those measures are more effective than a
cycling helmet.

------
ebbv
I can't believe this baloney keeps coming up. Bike helmets DO save lives.
There are accidents where they save people's lives. Of course there are
accidents where a helmet can't save you.

Obviously as well, bike lanes are really important. It's not an either or
situation. We can do both.

~~~
_ph_
No this is not a logical argument. Banning biking alltogether would even save
more lives, so by your logic we should ban biking. This an other studies show,
that there is no especial reason to wear a helmet during normal reasonable
biking. The risks for your head are not significantly worse than when walking
or driving a car. You are free to wear a helmet of your choice at any of those
activities, but they are not required by law for any of those.

------
DrScump
"Since helmet laws don’t necessarily mean compliance, they looked at helmet
usage, too, and once again found nothing."

Did the author _read_ the study? I can't find anyplace where it has _any_ data
about usage. In fact, the words "comply(iance)" or "usage" don't appear in the
document once, in any context.

Also, it doesn't distinguish between those who always wear helmets and those
who claim they use helmets at least half the time.

~~~
m0nty
> Data on helmet use in all jurisdictions were available from the 2009/2010
> CCHS via the following questions: "In the past 12 months, have you done any
> bicycling?" and if yes, "When riding a bicycle, how often do you wear a
> helmet?"

> Figure 2 presents the helmet use data in table 3 graphically and illustrates
> that helmet use was higher with helmet laws than without

------
SQL2219
I make my kids wear 'em to bed.

------
leecarraher
i returned my helmet as being defective, since when i fell off my bike it
didn't protect me from breaking my radius, and forcing me to go to the
hospital. Stupid helmet laws, i knew they didn't work...

~~~
yitchelle
imagine if you didn't wear a helmet, would the injury be worst?

~~~
_ph_
As I once broke my radius flying over the handle bars, I can at least stat for
me: it was my broken hand. My head (I was wearing a helmet back then) never
came close to the ground as I landed on my hands. Unfortunately one of them
failed to stand the forces and broke. Perhaps without a helmet I had driven a
bit less crazy and not crashed stupidly.

~~~
leecarraher
i tried that excuse with a cop once after being pulled over for not wearing my
seatbelt... she was not amused.

