Cycling UK Forum

Nice article from a convert to being helmet free.

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/11/comment ... ke-helmet/

But a racing helmet zealot just couldn't resist putting a page-and-a-bit anecdote-packed evidence-free helmet advocacy disowner in front of it and the author themselves feels the need to put a disclaimer in the middle of it too, professing to still believe and they'd still strap the accursed things onto their children - it's OK in the conclusion but will many helmet zealots even read that far?

Although the writer is evidently located in the USA, this website - which I've never come across before - appears to be based in Australia - which has had compulsory h*lm*t legislation in force for many years now. This may well have coloured the editorial disclaimer above the article. After all, it's not in the best interests of a site like this to encourage law-breaking!

Interesting that the writer describes having a nasty face-plant whilst wearing a lid. I had a similar face-plant at speed back in my 30s, when I was not wearing one (indeed h*lm*ts barely existed back in those days). I too suffered several broken front teeth (four in my case) and a cut which needed stitches, but nothing more serious. This guy seems to have come off worse. I often wonder: if I'd been wearing a lid, which wouldn't have been the first thing to impact the road .... but would have added extra momentum to my head at contact ..... ?

Hi,
Well that's what humans do............wonder

A colleague many years ago had his face completely mashed because his helmet went one side of an obstruction and his head to the other... so his face and head couldn't slide across the car door, they just had to stop on it... The helmet was caught on the rail for a rack.

jaw in a few pieces, many teeth missing, a long while before he was back in the office, and longer before he was out on a bike again (with a full face helmet because of the weakness in his jaw, and he was doing 'fun' offloading...)

[XAP]Bob wrote:A colleague many years ago had his face completely mashed because his helmet went one side of an obstruction and his head to the other... so his face and head couldn't slide across the car door, they just had to stop on it... The helmet was caught on the rail for a rack.

jaw in a few pieces, many teeth missing, a long while before he was back in the office, and longer before he was out on a bike again (with a full face helmet because of the weakness in his jaw, and he was doing 'fun' offloading...)

Are full face helmet more dangerous if you are ridding in traffic due the your inability to hear clearly?

Possibly - but *for him* it was a case of having a fairly robust full face helmet for skeletal protection, or not riding.

Since most people on the road are functionally deaf (sealed inside glass/steel boxes, walking with earbuds etc) then I don't see the inability to hear as bad per se. It is something that you need to be aware of, no more than that.
Additional distraction is a different thing altogether.