Husband won't wear helmet on electric bike Post Reply

[Black Vanilla]

Please can someone help me win an argument. My husband has recently got an electric bike and is now refusing to wear a helmet on the basis that he won't be cycling at a high speed and apparently there are studies that show drivers are more careful around cyclists without helmets.

It all seems so counter intuitive to me and I am really unhappy about it. I would like him to wear one (he did when he cycled a road bike) but that doesn't seem to be getting me very far!

 

[SW17 Dad]

I too ride an electric bike, max speed is 15 mph, (if not illegally adjusted).  I do not wear a cycle helmet, mainly because I do not feel comfortable with it on and ruins my enjoyment. It is a matter of personal choice as the evidence of helmet protection is mixed. I'll agree to wear one when most cyclists adopt mirrors.

Several studies over the past 20 years have concluded that they are not that effective - the most extensive study was in Latin America but I forget the reference - you can google it. A doctor told me the most dangerous place to have impact is just above the back of the neck. That is an unusual landing point for a cyclist and cycle helmets do not cover that area well. For skiers though it is a potential landing area but even the best Giro safety helmet (£200) will not protect you as was the case I witnessed some years back when sadly USA pro skier Sarah Burke died from impact at that point (she was sponsored by Giro so had the best). 

Of course the argument that runs: even if not perfect, it's better than nothing; is sound and I would not argue against it if it suits folks. Except in one respect, where people then feel liberated to take more risks cycling because they have the helmet on. (Studies also address that trend  too). Practically, the best common safety measure you can get for a bike is disc brakes which are highly stable and effective even in wet weather - providing the rider is not a maniac. Maybe you should see if your husband's bike has that? It might quell your worry? Anyrate, the best safety measure is safe cycling which, btw, can not be seriously done if you are wearing headphones - ears give so much information from the distinctive sound of trucks or buses behind you, hearing children in the vicinity (alerts you), honks from cars for good reason and reversing beeps, to list a few. Headphones when cycling cut safety dramatically.

For children though I think wearing the helmet should be a norm from the word go as it is good for developing a mentality of common sense safety for life. Though whether that survives the teen years, is, as I well know, like much else during that phase, is a fight between parents' insistence and: "but all my mates say..."
 

[ronangel]

Just use the money you would have spent on a good helmet for a life insurance policy in your wifes name!
Maybe a bit extra on personal accident teeth repair ect. And of course a good front lamp which is what drivers see first at night among  all the lights around you.
 

[muddyboots]

I could have written this post as exactly the same dilemma!
It makes no sense, you go even faster on an electric bike and you don’t really need proof.

It’s very simple!
Smashed head against pavement with or without helmet, the outcome is VERY different!!

I firsthand saw the cracked horse riding helmet a lady wore once only because it was cold that morning, the hard helmet smashed in two pieces when she fell off the horse onto a fence post …. She would have cracked her head.

Why should you risk death to be comfortable/look better ….?

[PigeonJoe]

You go to great lengths to rationalise why you don’t wear a helmet, and then completely debase your whole argument by saying:

“For children though I think wearing the helmet should be a norm from the word go as it is good for developing a mentality of common sense safety for life”

If it’s common sense for children to wear a helmet, surely it is for adults too?? There is no getting around the fact that helmets save lives. Cycling around here is madness anyway with all the cars weaving in and out and everyone getting road rage- just wear the damn thing!

[Opinions]

I have quite strong opinions on use of helmets, which I won’t bother sharing as they are unlikely to help you win the argument. If you have children they could be more effective in helping you eg 1) he needs to wear it to set an example for your children (if he believes they should wear one!) Why should they wear one if Daddy doesn’t? 2) get them to nag him to wear it “please don’t forget your helmet Daddy”. No, it shouldn’t be their job, but it should work quite quickly…

[juliantenniscoach]

Cycle helmets are not a panacea for accidents.  Just have a look at some bike crashes on by pro cyclists.  However, they do offer a lot more protection than not wearing one.  I cycle a lot and my 5 mins commute to the tennis course is a slow one with all the junctions, barely 10mph and I invariably don't wear a helmet.  However, beyond that, riding for fun, then I always wear a helmet as the environment has changed.  South Circ, Putney Bridge Road, Richmond Park and further, the speed is higher, the traffic is denser, the risks are much higher.

[henricook]

Yes this ^

I don't wear a helmet if I'm taking a lime bike to the local Sainsbury's because I barely get up to full speed. But if I was doing the 40 minute cycle to work where I do get a good clip going I would. I've fallen off only once during the commute in my life and while I didn't land on my head the big scrape down the side of my helmet is better there than on my head

In fact I'd say having the helmet on during that fall let me worry less in the moment about (covering) my head and focus more on how I was falling. I should add that this fall was entirely my own fault and wasn't related to other road users

I say ignore the tin foil hatter with the no reference studies and the 'my doctor friend told me this' chat.

On the up side the relatively recent law changes about giving cyclists a metre of space might give you a little peace of mind. Where it's possible to do that in London anyway.

[Alex1990]

He probably doesn’t need one in the same way you probably don’t need house insurance.. and maybe that’s a nice illustration for him for the level of stress it gives you to not be covered - if he’s kind enough it may just tip the balance?

You can also get these exploding collars now that are like an airbag for your head. Pretty common in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, particularly with girls that don’t want to ruin their hair (or their look). The skateboard / ski style helmets also look better so maybe buy him one along with a framed picture of your kids and give it with a loving smile

[Cruickers]

I think the Sustrans position on cycle helmets offers a really well balanced (and well evidenced/ referenced) view point.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... via%3Dihub 

Basically, for adults, there is some evidence that helmets help prevent traumatic injuries in accidents but also some evidence that drivers are less careful around cyclists wearing helmets so individuals need to weigh this up and make a choice that they are comfortable with.

The situation for children is completely different and they should always wear helmets as their physiology is different and they are at far greater risk of being "thrown" in an accident, in which case helmets are excellent at reducing catastrophic injuries.

[Carol2R]

He should wear a helmet.  Doesn't matter what kind of bike or what speed.  Just get into the habit of wearing a helmet and it won't feel uncomfortable or awkward any more.  Possibly drivers are more careful around men not wearing helmets, but not bymuch.  More likely that wearing a helmet will make him more alert to risks.

[SouthLondonDaddy]

It really is very, very simple.

There are very good reasons to oppose mandatory helmets, like in Australia. That puts people off cycling, makes them think it's more dangerous than it is, and doesn't distinguish between a 10 minute ride in the park vs 2 hours of bombing down country lanes at full speed.

There are very good reasons to say that recommending helmets must not come at the cost of conveying the message that responsibility should be shifted entirely from drivers to cyclists.

There are NO good reasons not to recommend helmets, without making them compulsory, while at the same time campaigning for safer roads harsher penalties etc. The two need not be in contradiction.

Helmets will not protect you in every circumstance but will protect you in some, and that's good enough for me.

Also, any kind of protective gear is a balance between comfort cost protection and practicality. Well, bicycle helmets are an excellent balance: they don't cost a fortune, they are lightweight, and they don't hinder riding. Cyclists cannot wear a full face motorcycle helmet and a leather suit with impact protectors, but they can certainly wear a bicycle helmet.

The studies on drivers taking more risks if cyclists wear helmets must be taken with truckloads of salt: first of all they are irrelevant to all those situations where drivers simply didn't see cyclists, helmet or no helmet. Then many of these studies are quite old and/or relate to countries which are very different. Any study on the US, which is car centric, has terrible road design, and where getting a driving licence is all too easy, is simply irrelevant: it's no coincidence that, even normalising for miles driven, their roads are much more dangerous than ours.

Lastly, a lot depends on the kind of cycling: alternating cycle lanes and some urban roads at  20 mph is very different from bombing down country roads at 40+ mph. The latter exposes cyclists to motorcycle levels of danger, without the motorcycle gear that protects motorcyclists from impact (helmet, elbos and knee protectors, etc) and abrasion (if you fall and slide, the tarmac is a cheese grater and your flesh is the cheese).

[supergirl]

Excellent post *@SouthLondonDaddy*

Please ask your husband to read his post. My
Husband drives, has a motorbike (he s ok the road with it as I type) and a road bike which he takes at week end.
Having weight the pros and the cons, and for the same reasons explained in SouthLondonDaddy’s post he decided to wear one.

And I was very clear that he could have all the fun he wanted as long as he was prioritising his safety - and yes he drives/cycles carefully but it is the others yadda yadda. He also took on a life insurance

I think when you have a family you can no longer think and behaves selfishly. And if the helmet is unconfortable i dont care as he is a father and a husband. Same for his motorbike he has all the gears AND lots of lights

[MVM]

I can't believe we are even talking about this. I had two friends at uni who lived to tell the tale of their accident on a bike because they wore helmets. Helmets cracked, not their skulls (still got terribly hurt but lived).

One friend didn't have a helmet, crashed, miraculously lived and had scars all over his skull from where it bust open. He swore to never ever not wear a helmet as according to him it was the stupidest, most selfish thing (thinking of his mom) he had ever done.

Wear the damn helmet.

[SouthLondonDaddy]

PS Also, as a provocation: if cyclists shouldn't wear helmets on urban 20mph roads, why should motorcyclists, on the same roads?

The difference between cruising speeds (probably 11-14 mph for cyclists vs 20ish mph for motorcyclists) does, I would argue, probably make riding motorcycles safer, because motorcyclists are less likely to be overtaken by other vehicles. Not to mention motorcyclists are more visible, more audible (unless they ride an electric), benefit from better suspensions (less likely to fall because of potholes) and can more easily and quickly get out of harm's way if needed (eg if a driver drives at them).