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Bicycling without a helmet.


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I'm no Lance Armstrong and I don't ever intend on competing. So eventually when I get better on the streets I want to be able to ride without a helmet. And that will go double when I get my new hat next month( Because otherwise no one will be able to see the my cool hat )

 

My question is. Is it illegal to ride casually on a bike without a helmet or is that rule targeted for children?

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Its not illegal but it should be. Its incredibly stupid to ride without a helmet. I'm a very good cyclist and I've shattered 4 helmets. Each time I didn't even know my head hit the ground until I took my helmet off at home. That means I went from not feeling any head impact at all to possibly being dead/getting brain damage. Nobody should ever ride without a helmet...you never know when a car may hit you. I get nearly get hit at least once a weak thanks to moronic drivers that don't pay attention...today I almost ran into some dumb old fart riding on the wrong side of the road taking a tight turn on the street.

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I should definetly wear a helmet but I never done it, except when I was a kid. I had a few accidents with stupid car drivers and I'm lucky it didn't hit the head. Cycling in city is very dangerous. Even if I ride fast, I'm quite careful. I go on red lights but I check on both sides before, which some idiots pedestrian don't seem to have learned from what their moms teached them.

Now I'm living outside big cities, there's less cars, it's less dangerous... but I ride even faster for those reasons, because there's more space... so if I hit a car, at those speed, it's death assured... maybe even if I'd rear an helmet.

 

I know I'll never wear a helmet. It doesn't fit with me or with my face.

I guess I'm more the "live fast die young" type of guy.

Seems like I prefer dying beautiful than living with a ugly helmet...

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but concerning the laws, cops can stop you and give you a ticket for not wearing an elmet while riding on your bike, just like with motorcycles, scouters, etc... also if you don't have all the reflectors on your wheels and on the back and front of your bike. But all those laws differs from a city/country to another. It's like that in Montreal and I never got a ticket. Never got a ticket for walking or cycling on red lights neighter.

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Wear a helmet. How cool your hat is won't matter too much when a nurse is cutting your underwear off on the operating table and the trauma surgeon is cutting a window in your skull to relieve the pressure of your swelling brain before it's too late.

 

If you're riding in traffic or going fast, don't be stupid. It doesn't matter how good you are. If you're cruisin' around on bike paths, maybe it doesn't matter as much.

 

I nearly lost a friend 2 years ago when he was hit by a car on his way home from the skate park on his BMX. It was the one time he actually wore his helmet on the street. He got a broken hip, 2 broken legs and a severe concussion but he was alive and made a full recovery. Without the helmet, not a chance.

 

I've hit my head a few times falling off my bike. With a helmet, I shook it off and kept riding. If I wasn't wearing one, I'd have had a concussion at the very least. I apologize for the rant here but it's a pretty stupid debate. I went through it all again when I started tracking my car and was looking for a helmet - full face or open face? If you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet is what I was always told. Broken arms or legs are one thing, but brain injury is permanent. my wife works in a non-profit that rehabs and re-trains people with physical disabilities, many of them people who have suffered brain injuries from accidents like being hit by cars while riding bikes. Hanging out with a bunch of quadripelegics will smarten you up in a hurry. It's a pretty sobering experience.

 

Get yourself a potty helmet like the bmxers wear, put some cool stickers on it and wear it. One time is all it takes.

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Its not illegal but it should be.

I really disagree with this. We don't need a law for every single thing in society and erecting a nanny state isn't the answer to our problems. Personal responsibility is.

 

Back to the topic at hand: WEAR A HELMET. It's already been outlined above why it's a good idea.

 

PS. I almost hit a cyclist driving to the gym tonight. He had no helmet on, no lights, and ran a red light in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes and didn't hit him. Don't be THAT GUY.

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I don't care what anyone says. Wear a freaking helmet, they're made for a purpose.

I lived it last year, when some asshole driver was turning left, by cutting me off as I was riding 35 straight through a green light. I smashed my head into the side of her car. I would of died if I wasn't wearing one. I don't care if your excuse is because it doesn't fit right or if you're only a block away. It can happen anytime.

Even without traffic. You still should wear one no matter what. If you were to hit a pot hole, and nail your bike into a post and hit you head on something hard. Or if you're riding in a group and you can catch a wheel, or someone gets a flat, where you don't move out of the way quick enough you can send yourself flying over your handle bars. I've seen it done when I was in training camp in CA this year.

Sorry for being a bike helmet Notzi . But please be save on the roads, or I don't want to hear about it.

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I'm no Lance Armstrong and I don't ever intend on competing. So eventually when I get better on the streets I want to be able to ride without a helmet. And that will go double when I get my new hat next month( Because otherwise no one will be able to see the my cool hat )

 

My question is. Is it illegal to ride casually on a bike without a helmet or is that rule targeted for children?

 

To the question of whether it's legal or not check here: http://www.helmets.org/mandator.htm

 

The point of the helmet isn't for every situation but more for that one time your head hits the pavement or ground. And many helmets are quite fashionable these days that might put your hat to shame. I agree with everyone else here: wear one. We'd like to see you regularly here.

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WEAR A HELMET!!!!!

 

Don't make me have to pm you the pictures that were taken of me the day after I got slammed by a taxi cab looking for a fare. It doesn't matter how safe you were. In my case, he was alongside me and turned right into me looking for a fare.

 

My head hit the ground and I lost 5 of my upper teeth, I have all fake ones in now not to mention I need miniscus surgery still. I can't imagine what could have happen had I not been wearing a helmet.

 

Syrlinus is right, there are very very stylish ones out, go to a shop and look at them. Plus you can get a cycling hat that shows under the helmet and and cycling hats ROCK. I love them.

 

I was like you, I never wanted to wear a helmet, then I did a race and it was required to wear one so I got one. I was mad but after wearing it, I realized it wasn't that bad and it made sense.

 

WEAR ONE

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I really disagree with this. We don't need a law for every single thing in society and erecting a nanny state isn't the answer to our problems. Personal responsibility is.

 

Back to the topic at hand: WEAR A HELMET. It's already been outlined above why it's a good idea.

 

PS. I almost hit a cyclist driving to the gym tonight. He had no helmet on, no lights, and ran a red light in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes and didn't hit him. Don't be THAT GUY.

 

If its not an enforced law people will be stupid and keep doing what they do. Its a terrible thing when I driver kills a cyclist and its the cyclists fault...then since the cyclist was a little kid...the kids family sues the driver for everything he/she has and wins. It happens...if it were made law to wear a helmet this wouldn't happen. People don't listen when things aren't laws. Just imagine how many people wouldn't wear seat belts if it weren't law...if you get in a small accident without a seatbelt you can get knocked out and steer into pedestrians or make the accident worse...if you have a seatbelt on...you can still control your car after a small accident.

 

We need things like this to be law because people are so stupid in this country. They rather risk dying if that means they won't look/feel cool.

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Yeah dont be like me! I was riding mountain bike on sidewalk down a hill(was going about 30mph) and something happened and my brakes made me spin sideways and I hit a open manhole type structure and went flying over handlebars(bout 10 feet) and bike went flying over me once I was down. I was seriously close to the street and could have gotten really hurt. Just a few bruises on knees and ankle came my way. Yeah a helmet is for safety not for coolness. Oh yeah, get a pink one with flames.

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I agree with everyone else, Dr. Pink. You really need to wear a helmet. I work in a rehab hospital and it's incredibly sad to see people with brain injuries that could have been prevented. If you PM me your address I'll send you one. Can't promise it'll be hot pink, though .

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Another sad thing is the cost. The cost of dealing with patients with preventable head trauma is huge. Its no different then high insurance rates thanks to smokers asking for cancer. I hate the idea of high insurance costs thanks to smokers, the morbidly obese, and the mentally obtuse that think they're invincible from getting hit by a car.

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I agree with everyone else, Dr. Pink. You really need to wear a helmet. I work in a rehab hospital and it's incredibly sad to see people with brain injuries that could have been prevented. If you PM me your address I'll send you one. Can't promise it'll be hot pink, though .

 

lol thanks. I actually do have a helmet and I wear it everyday. I was just curious on the illegality of helmets and bikes. It's not Hot Pink lol. It's red.

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Alright. I'll wear one

 

I guess it doesn't matter. I can always take it off to show off my cool hat

 

 

A cap under a helmet you look much hotter They're were made for that, because a road helmet doesn't have a visor.

 

http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v194/68/121/800195712/n800195712_2468485_4696.jpg

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I don't wear a helmet unless I'm out on some rural stretch of narrow shoulder. There's enough bike paths here where it's safe not to do so, but I agree it would probably do me some good.

Are you sure about that? You should wear one even on bike paths

Last year, Some cyclist, hit someone roller blading on the wrong side. The cyclist ended up dieing. You probably don't hear about this quiet often. But anything can happen. A few friends of mine were tearing it down hilll and almost nailed some people sitting in the middle of the path in a tunnel. Anyways, my friends moved out the way in time. But who the hell does that? You just never know. My helmet is always on all times.

 

Here's the article

 

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070623/cyclist_rollerblader_070623/20070623?hub=TopStories

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Are you sure about that? You should wear one even on bike paths

 

We live alongside a designated bike path where large groups of cyclists train daily. Just a few months ago 2 cyclists riding in the same pack clipped each other and they both came off at 60km/h right in front of our home. One broke her arm and both had cuts and bruises. Thankfully helmets are mandatory here in Australia, so both of them escaped any serious head injuries.

 

On a somewhat related note, an Australian physicist has invented a safer bike helmet called the "cone-head". I'm not sure if it's on the market just yet. Probably motorcycle helmets first.

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Its incredibly stupid to ride on the sidewalk...and illegal too. Quite a larger percentage of people on bikes get hit while on the sidewalk from cars pulling into shopping centers and out of driveways. Its dumb and not safe for anyone...helmet or not. Cyclists that follow the rules don't get hit as often as cyclists that don't follow the rules.

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yesterday I was walking on the sidewalk and dumb ass on a bike (I don't call him a cyclist, that would be a quality) came from behind me. It just kind of hit my arm and his "excuse me!" sounded as if I was taking all the sidewalk just for myself. Go in the street! Most car drivers and amateur-tourist cyclists think bikes go on the sidewalk!

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Part of the reason why the road is seen as unsafe is that cars in the states don't see people riding on the road all the time. If everyone on a bike was on the street...cars would always look out for us. People riding on the sidewalk put all of us at risk. The higher the bike traffic on the road...the safer we all are.

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Wow it never even crossed my mind not to wear a helmet cycling. But oddly I will get on a motorcycle without one. go figure.

 

I just started road cycling last year (probably 20 years since I did outdoor cycling) Participated in the Tour the Cure 50k last month but my first major tour is in November, the El Tour De Tucson. 108 miles, I don't know about this lol I am not the best endurance athlete, but when the Tour gets closer I will have some training and nutritional questions for you all.

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