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Re, bicycle helmets, from the American College of Surgeons:

(http://bulletin.facs.org/2014/09/statement-on-bicycle-safety-and-the-promotion-of-bicycle-helmet-use/)

 

"[bicycle] Helmets reduce the risk of head injury by at least 45 percent, brain injury by 33 percent, facial injury by 27 percent, and fatal injury by 29 percent. One study suggests that helmet use may reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and severe brain injury by 88 percent."

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This reminds me of when I was in the hospital shorter getting hit by a car on my motorcycle. (I was wearing a helmet or I probably would not have made it to the hospital.) The chaplain told me that most motorcycle accidents are the fault of car drivers...I didn't feel one bit better. Statistics don't help injuries when you are in pain.

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That ignores the other choice(s) presented and presupposes your head smacking pavement.  The argument against the bicycle helmet address the increased likelihood of a collision with a motorist that changed their safety margin to your detriment as well as the ineffectiveness of the flimsy helmets when their protection is needed.

 

I might choose to ride in an environment where the cars keep a safe distance and don't take my helmet as a signal to drive extra close.

 

I would also choose to wear a real helmet to protect my head from trauma in a collision with a car or truck if I did choose to wear one.

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If that is a valid scientific survey, I must say it's conclusion astounds me.

 

I mean, when I'm about to pass a cyclist, the very first thing I do is to determine if he or she is wearing a helmet, so I know exactly how close to cut it.

 

NOT!!!

 

Maybe I'm an odd egg, but I don't think "helmet/no helmet" ever intrudes on my conscious mind. I think after passing most cyclists, if you asked my if they were wearing a helmet, I could not tell you.

 

Anyway, sorry for the huge hijack, but this seems to be one of CharlieTango's pet issues!

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The closer proximity wasn't determined by a survey but by research from the UK's University of Bath.  

 

A survey would suggest a conscious choice, but to me, this is a subconscious issue.  It is too illogical to do on purpose.

 

Not so much a pet issue as characterizing it correctly.

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CT, regarding bicycle helmets, you are entitled to your own opinions, but you are not entitled to your own facts.  

 

Bicycle riders wearing helmets die (and experience major head injury) less frequently than bicycle riders not wearing helmets.  

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Yes, there are always people who will disagree with nearly anything. The 2006 study says nothing about methodology or controls. Could it be, for instance that bike riders felt safer with helmets on and rode closer to traffic? What was the control? Did the same riders ride with helmets and without, how was the distance measured? Did the subjects know the purpose of the study?

The conclusions drawn are suspect from the beginning since the person doing the study was a psychologist who had been injured by vehicles.

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CT, there is a large literature on this topic.  Choosing one study and the opinion of one "expert" is a kind of cherry-picking that doesn't do a good job of sorting reality.  To best understand what is known from empirical observation, the full literature needs to be assessed.  This has been done by several credible organizations and they all agree on the conclusions. 

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