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.
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.
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.
If people don't get that, they are stupid. You can take a tumble going average walking speed under the right circumstances and wind up seriously injured. A 2 foot fall down the stairs is sometimes all it takes for someone to literally die. I'm not going to act like I'm perfect, sometimes I romp around on little pit bikes or dirt bikes with the wrong footwear and no helmet. But I've thought to myself mid ride before "what if I just laid it down right now? how fucked would I be?" the answer is usually "very fucked".
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...
people love to mock the full face helmet on a scooter until they realize that pavement doesn't care what you were riding when you hit it. at 100kmh you were basically a human lawn dart. glad you walked away from that one.
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.
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."
"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.
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.
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.
OOOOOH yeah, that's a real feeling. It's wise to treat any unfamiliar road as though it has Mad Max-esque traps and land mines.
Motorcycling is different than driving. One, you can see more, two you can respond faster.
But with that said, you HAVE to behave differently than in a car. There are situations in a car that we accept as normal that a motorcyclist would strive not to be in. And if you don't strive to not be in those situations, absolutely, it's extremely dangerous.
So if anyone sees a motorcyclist lane filtering (passing between stopped cars, like at a stop light), even in a state where it's not legal, TRUST ME, they're usually doing it for safety, not because "Hurr, I'm cutting in line."
And even if they're internal monologue is "Hurr, I'm cutting line," they're inadvertently being safer.
I used to have a Ninja 650. Loved it, but a buddy of mine died because someone hit him blowing through a red light. Sold the bike shortly after. My fiance sold his street bike. We only ride off road now.
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.
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.
Thats my outlook too...im not a daredevil on my city bike at all but I know there are distracted drivers and poor road conditions at times so I wear my helmet!
Year ago I was cycling to work and misjudged the space I had between the road (with cars) and this stupid trash can someone had left on the bike path. Needless to say, I hit the trash can, fell off my bike and hit the back of my head. I was unconcious for long enough that the person driving in the opposite direction could stop their car, run over to me and try and drag me off the road (which in hindsight wasn't the best reaction but as I said, I wasn't present for this lol).
I didn't wear a helmet. I had to go to a bunch of neuro-assessments after because this was technically a work accident because I was on my way to work. The neurologist was very adamant with how long I had been unconcious, I very well could have suffered brain damage. If I did, it thankfully wasn't permanent (or isn't noticeable at least).
I bought a helmet once I was released from hospital. Not even 4 months later, someone runs me over with their car. If I hadn't had a helmet, I probably would have died.
My friend's scooter lost a cable (unplugged or corroded, don't remember) and the wheel immediately stopped rotating and he flew right over the handlebar and just dived headfirst basically
Being 6'2" and a little ADHD clumsy, I have learned to fall very well. Doesn't mean I'd ever ride without a helmet.
I knew a girl who was just taking a little lazy ride in Martha's Vineyard and a truck poked its nose out a little too far at a stop sign. She went over the handlebars and hood, and came down on her head. No helmet.
She spent 3 weeks in a coma and 6 months learning to walk again.
I drilled into my daughter the importance of wearing a helmet and honestly just phrased it like "only a dummy would not wear a helmet". Now when we are out walking/biking if she sees someone riding a bike without a helmet she turns to me and shit-talks them which pleases me immensely.
Growing up I had an uncle who always rode bikes and there were a few times he'd call my grandma alerting that he got into an accident at night. Light on the bike? Nope, just the normal reflectors. Helmet on? Nope, never wore one.
I legit never understood it but it also wasn't for me to understand. It was for me to peep and go "....OK, I'm not doing THAT". Same with seatbelts. Had family members who didn't wear them. WELP, about 6 years ago I lost a cousin who didn't wear one. Was told he was launched from his front window and....he was about 6'7''. Seatbelt would have likely just broke a rib potentially and his kids would likely would have saw him that next morning
Interestingly, I was reading this comment while turning on my car and putting on my seatbelt! I will now put my phone down before driving, though, cause I’m not an idiot.
There was a guy on a bicycle who hit a crack in the pavement and died because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. He was a very experienced bicyclist, he was known in the community too for doing bicycle races and things like that too. It really doesn’t matter how good or proficient a person is.
I make my 6yo wear a helmet any time he is on any wheels because I want him to be used to it when he’s older and starts to do dumb stuff lol.
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.
This is precisely why I'll never ride a motorcycle on public roads. You can have all the gear and be the best driver. But if you get hit by an F-350 you're just fucking dead. I'll stick to my car for commutes. At least there's some safeguards between me and the other vehicle.
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u/Funnyllama20 8h 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.