Helmet vs No Helmet (Page 2)

Yeah...I almost hit that guy last night actually only it was a four lane highway not a road.  Thank God I saw him (just barely in time). He SURE wasn't watching out for me....like it's real hard to see a friggin' minivan coming at your face!

Rant over.

funny side note...
saw photos of a single vehicle MC wreck where the guy was in full leathers and a custom painted top end helmet. the helmet was sitting upright on the asphalt as if it had been removed with the face screen up... and the guy's face was peering out at the camera. Yup head clean off and still in the helmet. he was apparently hauling *** and hit a guardrail with his back about shoulder height.

totally freaky

When in doubt, call up the manufacturer and see if they will do an evaluation.  I know for many motorcycle helmets you can send crashed helmets to the manufacturer for a free evaluation.  All you have to do is pay shipping.  The same may be true for bicycle helmets.

For motorcycle helmets, scratches on the outside don't necessarily mean it needs to be replaced.  I'm a motorcycle roadracer and have had several crashes in my racing career, and once my helmet was scratched on the outside after a minor lowside.  I sent it to Arai and they sent it back with the evaluation form and the "ok" that it was still safe to use.  So I didn't need to spend another $400 right then and there.  But I do replace my racing helmets every 5 years due to the materials inside breaking down over time.

Like with most things, I just do what I think is right and let other people go their own way and try (I said try) to keep the harsh judgements to a minimum.  It's not about them, it's about me and trying to eliminate as much negativity from my life as possible. BUT, today I am in my truck on the way to the gym on my lunch hour and I see this guy off to my right, on a bike, in with the traffic getting ready to make a left hand turn in front of me.

First of all, this is the single busiest street in my town. I know this town and I know every inch of this area, and I can say in all honesty, there is not one single reason to be on a bike at that intersection, no matter where you are going.  Especially at the lunch hour when traffic is insane. There are back ways and parking lots and a dozen different routes. He did not need to be there.

And he was not wearing a helmet.

So granted, I am very secure in the knowledge that if you get hit hard enough, a helmet simply is not going to save you, that's a given.

But all I could think of is......you, sir, are an idiot.

It just came out, I couldn't help myself.

I feel badly about it, but there it is.

bootygirl - i like the way you think! hooray for accessorizing!

OK, I am now permanently on the helmet side.  I wear it just to make me feel like biking.  I have good insurance and really believe that life for my family would not really be that bad without me but life with any of the crap above is a completely different story.

how can you believe that life wouldn't be that bad if you were gone?  you are not just a financial ticket that can be replaced by insurance!!!!  a whole person is so much more (and better) than a wad of money...i'm SURE you family would have a whole different life if you were gone....

You mean you're only a surgeoun in your spare time, right?

I don't wear my helmet all the time.

If I'm just cruising around, on secondary streets or paths, I don't wear it. If I'm doing non-technical mountain bike riding, I don't wear it. But wherever it's technical, or where I'm exposed to car traffic, I wear it always.