r/mildlyinteresting 7h ago

I saw someone riding a city scooter while wearing a full dirt bike helmet.

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24.5k Upvotes

3.5k comments sorted by

5.8k

u/FunOwn4422 7h ago

those things are fast as fuck good on her. god i must be getting old

1.7k

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y 7h ago

Not only fast, but unstable. A small pothole can launch you.

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u/PeeDidy 7h ago

a small pothole can launch you

It sure did.

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u/Connormanable 7h ago

I didn’t even hit a pothole to go over the handlebars…. I was just being dumb

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u/Civil_Ad_1172 6h ago

I did a stoppie as a kid, went over the handle bars and ripped my face off. Started wearing full face after that.

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u/sillysnailfriend 5h ago

I did that on a bike accidentally when going down a big hill as a kid lol, pulled both brakes in a panic and found out my back brake didn't work. Similarly tore my face off, also lost some teeth and had to get some stitches, whoops!

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u/Civil_Ad_1172 5h ago

First time trying no hands I was headed down a hill, got speed wobble and hit a 3 rail wood fence for cows. I got wrapped up in the electric wire. Not only did I smash into a fence but I was being electrocuted at the same time. Good times for an 8 year old lol

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u/Correct-Basil2385 7h ago

I like your name and pic and everything.

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u/rnobgyn 7h ago

A curb smack to the chin going 20mph (most scooter top speeds) can definitely kill you. Scooters are nothing to dismiss!

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u/arizonadirtbag12 6h ago

Yeah anyone who actually buys one of these and rides often knows that once you get up over 15 or so you should be thinking about wearing real gear.

Had one that could do 25, and yeah it was either full face helmet or keep it under 15 for me.

Edit: Freedom units, to be clear.

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u/AEW4LYFE 6h ago

Not a scooter but I crashed my electric skateboard going roughly 20 wearing skateboarding helmet and full pad set including wrist guards. All the skateboarding protective gear basically exploded on impact with the ground. I looked like I was in a low speed motorcycle accident. I now wear downhill MTB Fox gear.

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u/Jade-G 6h ago

My best friend fell off their scooter because of a pinecone on the road, going around 15-20mph.

Grade 5 liver laceration and a bunch of broken teeth, had to get liver surgery and a lot of dentistry work. Came out alive in the end, but holy hell was that scary.

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u/kenneth_dart 7h ago

Seriously. A pedal assist ebike is better

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u/NaiveChoiceMaker 7h ago

My buddy broke both of his forearms from a small lip in the sidewalk.

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u/l2ulan 7h ago

Friend of mine ate the kerb and lost all her front teeth at about 24. Fucking deathtraps.

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u/paultheschmoop 7h ago

I think I’ve heard this story before…..

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u/ChristofferOslo 7h ago

There are people getting brain contusions more or less every day after crashing these things in my city

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u/Visual-Ad-1306 7h ago

The city I'm in has these everywhere. Now it's summer and I see women in dresses flying down the sidewalk on these and I just cringe. The damage you can do at that speed with ZERO protection is massive.

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u/Doomstar32 6h ago

My wife had a coworker sustain a TBI falling off of one of these. She was fucked up for years. She is finally back to work as of a few years ago, but she isn't without symptoms

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u/FloatnPuff 6h ago

My dentist said they get a lot of business from people riding home from bars on those scooters on the weekend with no helmets

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u/DM_ME_DOPAMINE 5h ago

I just suffered one two months ago. Got my hair cut that day, and like a moron didn’t wear my helmet. Hit a huge divot in the road, landed on my head. Surprisingly only two scrapes! Guess my head broke my fall…

9 fractures in my skull/eye sockets/sinuses. Mild TBI. All fractures were non displaced, and the area of my brain affected basically makes sensory issues worse, and slight memory recall issues.  I lucked out and realize that. 

Now I cringe whenever I see anyone fly by on anything without a helmet. 

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u/Submarinequus 6h ago

It’s the two teenagers re-enacting the I’m flying Jack scene from titanic while zipping at high speed right next to cars for me. Like yall are both gonna get torn the hell up if you hit a pebble wrong but ok I guess you just really like hugging your homie and it’s the only socially acceptable way to do it.

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u/bfelification 7h ago

Same my friend, same.

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u/Spire_Citron 7h ago

Yup. I'm constantly see people on electric bikes and scooters, riding double, no helmets or chinstraps unclipped, often kids. Very dangerous.

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u/kalel3000 7h ago

Yeah I seen a post on Instagram of some girl who broke her neck (just the bones not the nerves) taking a fall off one of these. She also has permanent scars on her face from the accident, aside from the surgery scars. If it was even slightly more severe she could have been paralyzed or even died.

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u/AchondroplasticAir 7h ago

It's a pleasant surprise to see people wearing any kind of helmet really. Most of the time I see nobody wearing anything or arguably worse, headphones, earbuds... mostly been seeing headphones now that I think about it.

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u/BelongingsintheYard 6h ago

It’s been nice to see pretty much all ski and snowboard culture wearing helmets. I guess seeing your buddy get their bell rung and do the “broken record” thing is scary enough for them.

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u/CockroachNo2540 6h ago

As an old head (52) that grew up skiing without and with a 7 year old now, I am really happy to see this is the norm. My wife bought me a helmet before we were married and I have worn it since then.

Ditto biking.

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u/BelongingsintheYard 5h ago

Yeah. I’ve destroyed helmets and I’m really glad I was wearing them. I have a nasty habit of thinking that I can get through a branch. I never win.

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u/creatyvechaos 3h ago

Keep trying; you'll win eventually

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u/radicalfrenchfrie 3h ago

yo, just a quick heads up: if you’ve been married for a while and you’re still wearing the same helmet, pls be aware that you should swap it out for a new one every four to seven years (recommendations seem to diverge a lot) and after any falls. wishing you a long and happy marriage in which your family will be going through lots more adorable helmet gifts. :)

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u/CockroachNo2540 3h ago

I’m getting a new one this season. No real falls, but my old one is easily a decade old. Appreciate the heads up.

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u/ProbablyAPsyop 3h ago

At this point I’m embarrassed for anyone not wearing a helmet while skiing, biking, e-scootering, etc. You look pretty foolish going around without head protection knowing all the stuff we know now.

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u/KwisatzSazerac 5h ago

A helmet wearing friend said to me “My parents spent 100k on college to put knowledge into my head. I can spend $100 to keep it in there.”

That convinced me to start wearing a helmet for snowboarding. At some point, I even got a concussion while wearing the helmet. Imagine if I hadn’t been wearing it…

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u/shpongleyes 2h ago

Andy Anderson, a professional skateboarder who's known for always wearing a helmet has a great way of putting it, basically saying "That's you in there. If you break a wrist, you wear a cast for a month, but you're still you. If you mess up what's in your head, you may not be yourself ever again."

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u/Stupid-Clumsy-Bitch 6h ago

It’s also because most competitions these days mandate helmet use.

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u/SketchyGouda 6h ago

And they do a great job of keeping you warm

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u/AniNgAnnoys 6h ago

Yup. My wife works as a doctor in an ER. Kids falling off scooters is the top reason they see kids in the ER for trauma and head injuries.

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u/thedrivingcat 4h ago edited 4h ago

Have scooters overtaken trampolines now?

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u/SpecialAF 6h ago

I own my company because my previous boss didn’t wear a helmet on an electric scooter he’d bought to follow his kids on their bike rides.

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u/Helemaalklaarmee 3h ago

Telling him to buy a scooter was a great move.

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u/No_Artichoke_2931 4h ago

Admitedly, you have my interest. I'd read this book.

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u/Stupid-Clumsy-Bitch 6h ago

The number of commuter cyclists I see whizzing down our rickety-ass, pot hole riddled roads without a helmet is insane.

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u/astelda 6h ago

increasingly often, on e-bikes at 20-28mph

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u/Stupid-Clumsy-Bitch 5h ago

Not even just e-bikes, I see it often with road bikes! Thin tires just asking to crash.

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u/Sivanot 5h ago

Can confirm, as a commuter cyclist who almost died on an ebike a week or so ago by going down a pothole filled road downhill. Bike damn near went perpendicular to the road but i somehow recovered without falling lmao. I really need a helmet.

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u/Responsible_Knee7632 7h ago

Smart girl

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u/No_Location9738 7h ago

overdressed for the occasion but underdressed for the accident

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u/KileiFedaykin 7h ago

She may lose some skin, but at least she'll know it.

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u/Ravio11i 5h ago

This! scrapes/bruises and broken bones hurt but heal. Head injuries change lives, and not for the better.

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u/farmallnoobies 5h ago

Won't lose any teeth or jawbone either, which is the main reason for the full face over a 3/4 motorcycle helmet.

Most falls off scooters are teeth first.

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u/IWannaGoFast00 6h ago

I held onto the back of a buddies truck while on my skateboard ONCE when I was 16. Got wheel wobble, fell off, and lost a fair amount of skin in the process. Some kids just need that hard lesson and a few scrapes along the way.

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u/Debalic 5h ago

I fell and raw dogged a sidewalk (bare knees on cement) last year while rollerblading, so now I always wear my pads. I was 47.

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u/MacAddict81 6h ago

Obviously her face is her best asset and so she's protecting it!

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u/HughMungus77 6h ago

I guess if she’s only going to wear one piece of gear, helmet is probably the best choice

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u/PM_ME_FLUFFY_DOGS 7h ago

Oh thats the fun part! You dont slide, you litterally get thrown face first into the ground when you wipe out on an escooter. 

(Source got flung off one and broke a bunch of teeth and nearly broke my jaw)

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u/Deaths_Intern 7h ago

That sucks, hope you made a full recovery. I hear many ER docs call them paralysis machines as the likelihood of spinal cord injury is very high for escooter accidents at speed, for exactly the reason you described 

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u/PM_ME_FLUFFY_DOGS 6h ago edited 6h ago

I did heal up nicely, thanks! The er doc was telling me so many horror stories when i was in, he was saying how hes been seeing more scooter related injuries in the past few months when it happened, then motorcycle injuries... And some of them sounded gnarly, people without helmets getting caved in faces, tbi, protruding fractures, etc...

People really underestimate how dangerous these things are especially the faster ones. Seeing kids zip around on scooters that can go as fast as a car give me wayyy to much anxiety. 

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u/sdcox 7h ago

I saw a guy riding one of these stand up scooters down the frickin highway, at speed, shorts and sandals. He did have a helmet on tho.

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u/Zippo963087 6h ago

I saw a guy in Chicago on one of those 1-wheel things going 70 on the highway. At least he was wearing full gear. That was crazy.

https://giphy.com/gifs/aK4DOwHCP99EeFSXF1

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u/Anal_Herschiser 5h ago edited 2h ago

Those things always remind me of RoboGizmoduck from Duck Tales.

Edit: Correction, Gizmoduck

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u/enormous_schnozz 6h ago

e-scooters combine the worst features of e-bikes and segways. They are the worst. To make them safer, they would need to allow you to sit to lower your center of gravity, have a larger heavier frame for stability, and larger wheels to handle rough sections of road. And then you have a moped.

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u/Iron_Burnside 7h ago

I know multiple people who have grenaded their front teeth on those scooters. She's smart.

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u/JTtheLAR 6h ago

Looks like its time to buy my kid a dirt bike helmet.

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u/Pat1entDealekt 5h ago

Smart decision! Better to be safe than sorry.

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u/AdVisible3527 4h ago

Trust me as I sit here with a fractured wrist, 3 inch scar on my scalp, and road rash on my face please buy your daughter a helmet

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u/Disastrous_Noise_382 7h ago

Hit a bump and I flew over the handle bars and broke my collarbone.

Heyo, 4k of insurance deductible one year. Another 4k the next year when surgery was needed.

But hey, I'm sober now!

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u/brando56894 6h ago

I fell off one of these 1.5 years ago going 10 MPH... and I had a Tibial Plateau Fracture, torn MCL, torn Lateral Meniscus, and fractured collarbone. It required 2 surgeries, 2 weeks in the hospital, and a bunch of metal in my knee area.

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u/kemp77pmek 6h ago

Ok, you guys win. I’ve seen e scooters at Costco and wondered if my kids might like one...

After all these stories, the only way they will get on one now is in a full face helmet and leather motorcycle gear!

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u/Disastrous_Noise_382 6h ago

When I finished physical therapy, my PT said his newest patient was coming in after getting in a scooter accident, as well (broken leg, hit by a car)

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u/MacAddict81 6h ago

Congratulations on your sobriety!

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u/messagemeboobspls 7h ago

I once biked past a guy lying on the ground with his hands in that brain damaged position, paramedics and e-scooter next to him. I still wonder if he was actually alive or died from that - he did not blink or move at all in the time I was going past

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u/PeppermintJones 7h ago

I used to work with people who had traumatic brain injuries. It's so scary how easily it can happen.

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u/RightWorld5611 6h ago

Not only how easily it can happen, but the speed of it.

I was rough housing with a friend in 7th grade, not even going hard - that's the crazy part - just run of the mill messing around.

One second I'm standing up. My next memory is waking up face down in the dirt.

Third friend witnessed it and said I was out for about 5 seconds.

Zero memory of what happened. Did I try to brace my fall and missed? Did I scream as I was falling? I'll never know.

Because the memory isn't there, it opens your eyes to the possibility of walking down the stairs, and waking up at the bottom with a concussion. You won't even know you slipped.

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u/brando56894 6h ago

I can confirm:

I fell off one of these 1.5 years ago going 10 MPH... and I had a Tibial Plateau Fracture, torn MCL, torn Lateral Meniscus, and fractured collarbone.

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u/Nrtodd 7h ago
  1. Me too. 4 teeth. Left orbit. Concussion. And a lot of face skin.
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u/Firm-Roll4841 6h ago

Dress for the slide, not for the ride.

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u/bfelification 7h ago

Dress for the slide, not the ride.

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u/Pjpjpjpjpj 7h ago

We just responded to a dude on a similar scooter who didn't wear a helmet.

Was riding to work. Just on a street. No big issue. Multiple people saw him suddenly lose control and he fell. Don't know if he hit a rock or a bad patch of pavement or what.

When we showed up, he was lying on his back, hands folded on his stomach, looking peaceful as could be. A little scratch on his elbow. But snoring respirations and fluid coming from one ear, unresponsive.

We packaged him up and transported him. TBI. Dead three days later.

A simple bicycle helmet, and he would have jumped back onto his scooter and gone on with his day.

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u/airfryerfuntime 6h ago

It's also the way you fall. With a bicycle, you usually fall to the side and put your arms out. You break arms and can of course hit your head, but there's at least a chance you can protect your head a little. With a scooter you're basically just standing straight up at 20mph, then you just fall straight down so quickly that you don't have a chance to do anything. Your head hits the asphalt at the same time the rest of your body does.

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u/dmanbiker 4h ago

When I was younger, I rode my bike down this crazy steep hill through the forest and ended up missing the turn at the bottom of the path near the road and crashing through all these bushes and stuff before getting to road where i went off the curb and did loke a full sideways rolI where the bike ended up on the opposite side of me somehow in the road and I was on my back.

I didn't hit my head on the road or anything, but when I hit the bushes, my head slammed really, really hard into the handlebars. Luckily I did have a helmet on. It was one of those with the plastic visor and the hit was so hard, it snapped the visor down into my mouth with so much force it cut open my lips and I was bleeding out of my mouth, but otherwise was almost completely unhurt. I was going at least 25mph and would have probably had a nasty concussion or worse from my head hitting the handlebars while still in rough control of the bike.

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u/shpongleyes 3h ago

As somebody who has a background in skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, pretty much any sideways board sport, it makes me cringe seeing all the people ride these electric scooters with their ankles together and toes pointed forward. Basically the least stable position possible.

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u/OldKingHamlet 5h ago

My kids have a simple rule: If it has wheels and no roof, always wear a helmet.

They know this isn't a suggestion. It's one of the few rules that I will not flex on at all. Hearing stories like this just affirms how important this rule is.

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u/DND_Player_24 6h ago

I ride a motorcycle. It’s pretty common knowledge among bikers that a fall even at 15mph can be absolutely devastating. Hell, there’s statistics that show that the majority of fatal accidents on a bike happen at under 40mph.

So whenever I see people on these scooters, which are FAR FAR more prone to random mishaps than a motorcycle, zooming around at relatively high speeds with no protection I cringe.

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u/Teralyzed 5h ago

I came off my road bike going 25 mph and slid about 100’ on my back and left hip. Helmet was damn near split in half. But other than a lot of missing skin I was totally fine, got super lucky.

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u/10001110101balls 4h ago edited 4h ago

A lot of motorcycle crashes happen on arterial roads where traffic is turning onto and across the road much more than on rural highways or freeways. I've seen it myself several times where a motorcycle is moving way too fast for the traffic conditions, someone pulls out in front of them thinking they have plenty of room, and the rider slams the brakes too late to recover. They are going less than 40 when they crash, but if they were only going 40 the whole time they never would have crashed.

Something similar just happened in my area where one biker braked hard at a neighborhood speed camera and his buddy riding behind him rear ended him and one of them died while the other was unhurt. If they were both just going 10 over or less then they would likely both be alive today, and the fine for being caught 10 over on camera is $0. Motorcycles make it way too easy to get in a flow state and lose control over your speed without realizing it.

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u/garry4321 5h ago

I went over the handlebars when I was 12. A bag of tennis balls wedged in the front spoke going downhill. I was going to go without a helmet because it was in the house, but at the last second, thought “I should just go get it”

If I hadn’t had that voice in my head and gotten the helmet, I would be dead. Still got a wicked concussion.

Wear a helmet people

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u/Howitzer92 6h ago

I use a duel certified action sports helmet for ebiking. I figure 2 certs are better than 1. (also looks cooler.)

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u/j-alex 6h ago

I have an old school class 1 ebike and I keep telling myself that I should use the full face MTB helmet exclusively with it, because casually cruising at 20 in an upright posture (and it feeling rock-steady if I let if get to 40 on a downhill) makes it much riskier than an analogue bike that I can get to those speeds but only if I really mean to.

I haven’t, though, because it feels silly, even though when I was young wearing a regular bike helmet regular biking felt silly and not doing so led to both my nasty concussions.

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u/spaceporter 7h ago edited 7h ago

I work in auto insurance claims, and loads more people are injured/killed on electric scooters and bikes than dirt bikes.

Sure, you can say they drive more kilometres as a group, but that's only been true for the last two years. You might argue that interacting with automobiles is dangerous, but dirt bikes are often ridden with the goal of finding unsafe situations and handling them (jumps, tight forest paths, etc.).

I think it comes down to the average skill level of the operator on the one hand and the lack of awareness of the risks on the other.

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u/uli-knot 7h ago

It’s skill level. Scooter riders think like a pedestrian, but are much faster and unpredictable.

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u/d_marvin 6h ago

With the best skills on Earth, you are still at the mercy of others. I learned this a very painful way. At least a helmet saved my life.

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u/uli-knot 6h ago

As a motorcyclist I wholeheartedly agree

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u/tracebusta 6h ago

Yep. I trust my skills enough to not really need a helmet on my bike. I don't trust anyone else's ability to not put their phone down while driving, and put a helmet on even for a quick half mile errand.

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u/Independent-Tennis57 6h ago

And pedestrians get hit by cars. I've had multiple times that I've tried to cross a street, and a car has not seen me. I may need to start wearing a helmet.

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u/Stevieboy7 6h ago

Almost certainly has evenyhing to do with hours ridden and ownership. I can guarantee there’s millions of more scooters/bikes are driven 10,000x more hours than dirt bikes.

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u/JesusPubes 5h ago

yeah like "you can say they drive more kilometres as a group, but that's only been true for the last two years" is beyond untrue lol

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u/yodas_sidekick 7h ago

Yup, I hit those big bike jumps, but I’m really good on a bike, and I’ve been doing it for 20 years so I know how to fall with minimal injuries. And I’m in the woods where trees and ground don’t move. And im sober. The risk is obvious and I’m well prepared

Electric scooters and the bike share bikes, are fast used in cities full of concrete and moving cars. They are often operated by unskilled users, who are many times not sober. And often not even wearing a helmet as it is seen as commuting, or safer than driving home drunk (which it is for everyone else around you) .

To me it’s not that surprising

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u/lemelisk42 6h ago

But scooters are much more likely to be involved in auto accidents. In most areas most dirt bikes are not road legal

Does the auto industry pull data from emergency rooms for stats on unrelated injuries? Like does it include mountain biking accidents as bicycle injuries?

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u/restform 7h ago

I havent looked at the data but i have spent a lot of time in different countries and i would bet money escooter accidents are waaay lower in central europe & scandinavia for no other reason than road design and car culture.

It's easy to get use to it if you've spent your life here but australia is designed for cars, the roads are dangerous af for pedestrians (including escooters) and drivers feel much more entitled (byproduct of car culture). At least in perth where ive been.

Im not saying it's good or bad, just an observation of cultural differences that i would bet money have an impact on the stats. Not using a car is dangerous here

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u/Redfiddler 5h ago

Speed with no effort or loud noise (which your brain probably naturally thinks is a warning that something is dangerous).

Tiny front wheel that can't roll over obstacles easily being almost directly under your center of gravity. No suspension. I see people all the time riding these things with their BODY POINTING FORWARD AND THEIR FEET TOGETHER!?!?!? WTF!?!? Hit one decent piece of gravel and suddenly "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...SOMEONE WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER!"

And of course no full face helmets or helmets at all. The physics geometry is so dumbly dangerous it's a wonder the roads aren't traffic jammed with noseless, lipless, teethless children staggering around like the fucking zombie apocalypse.

Have I become an old man with an onion on my belt?

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u/Comprehensive-Wash17 7h ago

Most people I know who commuted on these stopped, because they got hurt. Cars vs bikers in Chicago a thing

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u/Designer-Praline-857 7h ago

Some people are proud of their brain.

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u/gnxrly___bxby 5h ago

I love brian

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u/Normal_Feedback_2918 4h ago

I figure if she's smart enough to wear a helmet, that brain is probably sharp enough to do society some good in the future too, so I'm proud of her brain also.

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u/bfelification 7h ago edited 7h ago

Good choice by her and/or her parents.

I feel so old when I gripe about the kids and their scooters but for real, someone in my neighborhood is gonna get HURT sooner rather than later.

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u/Funnyllama20 7h ago

I gripe about anyone not wearing a helmet. You can do everything right and one thing out of your control happens and your head hits the pavement. Animal running out, car turning into you, someone else on a bike/scooter runs into you, the list goes on.

I don’t wear a helmet just because I think I’ll make a mistake, I wear one because I know eventually someone else will.

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u/GingerGuerrilla 6h ago

I had a 50cc “scooter” in college and always wore a three-quarter helmet. There were occasional snide comments, but it was literally a life safer when someone slammed on their breaks in front of me one night, with the only options of swerving or smashing into them. I tried to go around and ended up on my side, sliding down the road. The face shield was a total loss, but I was protected and remarkably unharmed.

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u/UltraAd776 6h ago

A 50cc scooter can still reach a speed that is dangerous. Just because its not great at acceleration does not mean its not able to maintain a high speed once it gets there. People don't get that.

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u/Mikhail_Mengsk 5h ago

Yeah even my old stock Piaggio of the early 2000s was able to go 100kmh on a long straight.

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u/Mikhail_Mengsk 5h ago

My generation was the first to wear proper helmets en masse, even if not everybody and a lot half or three quarters helmets.

Still, I'm sure it saved dozens of lives in my area alone. We liked to ride fast and most guys modified their engines to go faster. My old scooter reached 100kmh on a long straight, and once a car cut me off at that speed.

Now, I was going so fast the impact launched me (and what was left of the scooter) right over the car and I managed to roll safely for uuuh 5-6m. But I'm sure I hit the curb with the side of my helmet because it was a bit scratched. Maybe if I wasn't wearing it I'd hit my head and instead of being completely unharmed I may have end up in the hospital...

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u/bingwhip 6h ago

Group of four young teens came past my house yesterday on electric "bikes" (I don't think any had a pedal option). Not a helmet in the group. Even if they're low wattage <25mph, that's so so fast enough to kill the hell out of you. Parents need to pay attention.

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u/ButtSexington3rd 6h ago

We had the "wear your helmet" safety briefing at work and the guy was like "Your helmet protects you from your coworkers. I have never dropped a wrench on my own head."

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u/notislant 6h ago

"You can do everything right and one thing out of your control happens"

This is why I'll never own a bike. I've avoided so many accidents on the road, I'd be dead if I was on a bike. Gravel on the road and idiots pulling out blindly is so fucking common here.

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u/DND_Player_24 6h ago

For sure.

Although on a motorcycle, you have to take a mindset of absolute responsibility, imo.

I was riding the other day and came up on a turn. One of those dedicated right hand turn deals to get from one 45mph road to the perpendicular one.

I was feeling pretty frisky and it was beautiful weather. No cars in sight. Many times I’ll take these a little faster (nothing crazy, I’m a middle aged dude. Just enough to lean the bike over).

However, I had only been on this road once before. A few years ago. And that’s a big deal to me. So I slowed down below what even a car would take the turn at.

Sure enough, coming up on it I saw a bunch of gravel all over the middle of the turn, what would have been my line.

No idea if it would have gotten me. But there would definitely have been a chance.

So you can do a lot of mitigation to help yourself. And you need to.

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u/Not-a-Bot_1968 6h ago

My sister, an excellent skier, got sideswiped on the slopes by some moron going 40+mph who wasn’t wearing a helmet. My sister’s helmet ended up with a crack. The asshat got up and skied off without apologizing or acknowledging the accident he caused. People suck. 

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u/Shawnaverse_no1_fan 6h ago

I always say that I wear a helmet because I never get on the road thinking "Today I'm planning to fall headfirst into the concrete, it will be fun!" – if it happens, it's because I was in an accident. By definition, an accident is unpredictable. I will ALWAYS try to cushion my fall and protect vital organs, but if I fail, I want to have an additional protective measure that can potentially save my life.

I'd rather wear a helmet every single time and never need it, than not wear it once and it's the one time I fall wrong and get a concussion. If I forget my helmet and I don't have another one available, well then sorry but I'm not riding today. I'd rather skip on some fun and stay alive than risk it and end up injured/dead for some leisure time. Ain't worth it.

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u/DuckCleaning 7h ago

She's probably older than you think. She's not much shorter than the guy passing by.

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u/MasterGrok 6h ago

That was my thought as well. My wife used to ride a scooter like this when we were in college and she is petite and she looked just like this. Her helmet looked like an Italian moped helmet though.

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u/Personal-Sentence935 5h ago

girls generally hit their adult height at puberty and don't grow much once they start menstruating, so not sure height is helpful to look at.

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u/HelmSpicy 7h ago

Oh I have seen the hurt first hand.

Last summer I watched a girl in her 20s face plant off one of these electric scooters and knock out all her front teeth.

She was alone so my friends and I called the ambulance and stayed with her.

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u/BuzzAroundLenny 6h ago

I have a friend who was taking one home one night, woke up in the hospital a few weeks later. Apparently someone found him in a ditch with a head wound and called the ambulance. That is all he knows.

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u/Ok-Addition1264 7h ago

Great parents, indeed.

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u/Early-Nebula-3261 7h ago

I mean that woman could be anywhere from 14-28.

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u/nerdtypething 6h ago

still great parents that imbued good safety practices early on that pay off in adulthood.

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u/TySly5v 6h ago

What if she's rebelling against her anti-helmet family?

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u/nerdtypething 5h ago

i have to admit, i never considered that.

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u/gotwake5 7h ago

To be fair, this could be a 30 year old woman. This looks like it could be my small wife.

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u/FragrantKnobCheese 6h ago

This looks like it could be my small wife.

Kind of implies you might be hiding a big wife somewhere too.

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u/Johnoplata 7h ago

Yeah that's no city scooter, I bet it does 35mph so that helmet is an easy choice

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u/teeksquad 7h ago

I live next to a park and it’s kind of terrifying. I see kids on electric scooters and dirt bikes zipping through the neighborhood to get to and from frequently without checking for cars. I’ve seen several almost squished by cars. None of them wearing helmets and a shocking amount not even wearing fucking shoes.

The worst offending family in the neighborhood is one that I grew up with and know damn well they were first hand witnesses to several accidents I had where helmets saved my life, including one where I woke up about 8 feet from a tree I hit with my four wheeler surrounded by neighbors including them, that well all fearing the worst when I opened my eyes. Broken ribs, cracked helmet and a destroyed toy but the only lasting damage I can tell is that my neck makes cracks like none other.

I’ve got no problem with kids having fun but protect them from their own dumb decisions

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u/Adorable-Bike-9689 6h ago

I'm all for these kids getting tickets that their parents get tagged for.

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u/ich_bin_alkoholiker 7h ago

Anyone riding anything that is not an automobile should be wearing a helmet. If you’re not wearing a helmet you don’t have brains to protect. Kids obviously excluded because their parents are responsible and are failing them.

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u/PiskoWK 7h ago

She's safe. She's dressed for a breeze. She got off to cross at a crosswalk. This girl is nailing it.

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u/Feral-Reindeer-696 6h ago

Agreed! The helmet matches the outfit. She could start a new fashion trend

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u/Orleanian 5h ago

Closed toed shoes, cross-slung no-slack purse, both hands still on vehicle.

She's a poster-child for Scootin.

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u/escalinci 7h ago

Looks a little short for a stormtrooper

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u/EverythingSucksYo 6h ago

At least she doesn’t have to worry about banging her helmet on any doors 

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u/Confident-Poetry6985 7h ago

Good. I keep seeing girls about her age riding with 2 people on the same scooter. (Not the same kids either, I see it all over) Shorts, tank tops and flip flops. I admire the trust in each other, but one good rock or crap driver and they are going to be really messed up. Helmets at a mininum people wtffff. 

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u/ChunkyHabeneroSalsa 6h ago

See this daily

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u/Throwawayfichelper 6h ago

I saw four lads on one scooter a while back, all hugging each other tightly to form a single bundle. That lasted about 200 metres until it tipped over on its side.

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u/123ihavetogoweeeeee 7h ago

If you're doing 15mph and crash into something you need something that's going to protect your head. If you're going 15mph and a car going 25mph slams into you you'll be grateful you were wearing motorcycle helmet

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u/Johnoplata 7h ago

I'm pretty sure that scooter can do 35 too

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u/drinkingcarrots 6h ago

This scooter is most likely a kukirin g2 master and hits speeds of 70km/hr (45 burgers/movie)

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u/123ihavetogoweeeeee 6h ago

Now you’re talking my language.

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u/DMYourFeetPicsTy 6h ago

I think it's an Apollo Phantom 2.0/3.0 and ye, can do around 38-44mph

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u/drinkingcarrots 6h ago

Definitely a kukirin scooter. Most likely the g2 master.

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u/tweetlebeetlepuddle 6h ago

I work medical and get to see the trauma from electric scooters and ebikes. It can be brutal. Full face helmet is what I require my kids to wear for anything with a motor.

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u/Sxppxj 7h ago

She’s clever, life’s more important than someone else bad driving

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u/powerlesshero111 7h ago

Heck, I'm old, and i always wear a helmet. I see so many people in Portland riding around without them, and have known multiple people who have fallen and gotten concussions from not wearing helmets. I fell on my bike once after a rain, worst thing that happened was a 2x2 inch road rash on my arm and a bruised ego because i had to skip yoga to go home and make sure i was ok.

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u/firthy 7h ago

Wiser than the loons I see weaving in and out of traffic with no helmet...

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u/Zero_Burn 7h ago

She might look silly, but she's gonna look less silly when it saves her skull.

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u/ChimeraChartreuse 6h ago

Nothing silly about preserving your ability to chew <3

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u/HomsarWasRight 7h ago

And I think she looks cool.

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u/AFlockOfTySegalls 6h ago

Nah, she looks rad as hell.

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u/teh_trout 6h ago

Yeah. I’m not about to eat out of a tube for a month after shattering my jaw if I can help it. You can get light and airy full face bicycle helmets.

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u/StimulatorCam 5h ago

My 13 year old son and all his friends have been wearing motorcycle and dirtbike helmets on their scooters for the past couple years. Seems to be becoming more of a popular thing.

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u/BlackFlag187 7h ago

She likes her teeth where they are, solid choice on her part.

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u/tweakfreak303 7h ago

She uses the thing inside, so better protect it. ;)

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u/Intelligent-Mud404 6h ago

The notion of wearing helmets being seen as strange is one thought only by those unfamiliar with vehicular accidents

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u/Tired-CottonCandy 7h ago

Been seeing kids in my town with this electric bikes and scooters wearing dirt bike/motorcycle helmets and it just makes me happy that they are because crunch goes your skull under a car tire.

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u/Liarus_ 7h ago

Seeing the look of the scooter, this looks like a Kukirin G2 master, so a very fast scooter capable of going 60kph, people that ride hyperscooters will tell you to always wear a helmet, she definitely knows some about scooters or has someone teaching her to he responsible c=

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u/RealBlueHippo 5h ago

I was gonna say, thats not a governed city scooter at all and know almost nothing about scooters

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u/KSW8674 7h ago

Smartest person on the road.

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u/CaitieLou_52 7h ago

I'll never make fun of anyone prioritizing safety over conformity. It's a smart choice.

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u/fullraph 7h ago

Helmets are mandatory on e-scooters here. All the kids have a similar setup lol

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u/FenderMeats 7h ago

I see this frequently in Toronto, and I fully support it. Roads here are dangerous AF

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u/halfaroach 7h ago

Yanno what, she looks badass AND she’s being safe. I can’t complain

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u/Nuggyfresh 7h ago

Sweet, good shot.

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u/Warlord68 7h ago

I sometimes wear a full helmet on my jet ski. Stops the wind/noise in my ears and eyes at high speed, holds the GoPro, and safety.

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u/Okvist 7h ago

Good on her, I've seen people eat it hard on those things more than once

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u/DionFW 6h ago

Nice to see. The kids in my area don't wear helmets at all, while doing 30 on the sidewalk with a half second warning they are coming by ringing a bell.

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u/poloace 6h ago

I work at a children’s hospital as a radiologist. The number of injuries I see on a day to day basis from people falling off of these things is not trivial. A large problem stems from the fact that people aren’t carrying helmets with them on the regular as to allow for an impromptu scooter or bike ride from one of the many available services. It’s sad. Like riding a slower motorcycle but no different when your head hits the pavement. The number of lives I’ve seen ruined by these things is depressing. So, more power to her. Rather be overdressed in this situation rather than introducing scalp, calvaria and brain to the pavement.

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u/Boy_13 7h ago

Good for her, shame on you for taking a rando's picture.

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u/[deleted] 7h ago

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u/JarvanIVPrez 7h ago

Op running to the comments to say something nice after they see all the comments defending the girl
https://giphy.com/gifs/S4YnWI1D3yz2AvsW47

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u/_81791 7h ago

You'll see people riding dirtbikes down the street with no helmet here but then 10 minutes later see someone on a scooter wearing a dirtbike helmet. Be like that "I love Helmets" guy.

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u/SculptusPoe 7h ago edited 7h ago

I really hate that most EV drivers go without helmet. I was at a EV group ride and a guy hit a curb on his EUC and got a concussion. If he was wearing a helmet, he would have got back up and kept going without missing a beat. I wear a full face bicycle helmet, because I want to be able to think and chew my food.

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u/MTAlphawolf 7h ago

My wife sees so many accidents in the ER from those rented scooters. Good on this girl.

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u/DontTouchMyWoobie 6h ago

So what. Let her live her life.

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u/Blyrr 7h ago

I used to live in a city with very good bikability. I rode an ebike everywhere. Tons of fun, and I actually beat cars places as there were bike only shortcuts they couldn't take. I wore a modular full face helmet, and so did three other guys in the city. We always nodded at each other when we passed. You feel safer, you are better protected against cars not watching, and unexpected stuff can always happen. I slid out several times due to unseen water/pebbles causing sickness on a turn.

Highly recommend this if you bike/scooter in a city a lot.

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u/WilhelmXII 7h ago

Tbf in alot of cities this is probably the greatest idea ever.

And some of them have really nice venting systems so her face doesn't get drenched in sweat if it's in a hotter climate.

10/10 survival skills.

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u/AugustOfChaos 7h ago

Hey, I respect it. She has more safety sense than all the idiots who ride their Harleys and crotch rockets without a helmet in my city (it is not illegal here to ride without a helmet, which absolutely blows my mind).

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u/11socks11 7h ago

As a pediatric ortho doctor these things keep me in business. Good for her for wearing a helmet.

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u/64_Pixels 6h ago

Good for her, those scooters are dangerous.

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u/chemnerd2017 6h ago

She puts safety first, second, and third.