Karen Kefauver, Spin City columnist, always rides with her bicycle helmet, even on short trips around town or on a bike path near Lake Tahoe. (Contributed)
By Karen Kefauver, Spin City
Start the kids early wearing helmets, as required by law up to age 18, and maybe they’ll keep wearing them. (Karen Kefauver – Contributed)
I’m all riled up! No, I’m not huffing and puffing up a steep hill on my mountain bike, nor am I thinking about the presidential debate that left me breathless a few days ago. So what’s the problem?
It’s the subject of bike helmets. I steadfastly believe cyclists should wear them at all times while riding — yes, even just around the block to the grocery store or cruising along West Cliff Drive. Telling me you don’t wear a bike helmet is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. And I’ve been talking to a lot of no-helmet folks lately.
With the goal of understanding why some cyclists ride bare-headed, I spent hours researching local and national studies about cyclist accident rates and the effectiveness of helmets, as well as bicycle safety reports. Along the way, I discovered that this is a far more complex topic than I thought.
I also wanted to have a more personal perspective, so I asked approximately 600 Bay Area cyclists, in an online forum: “Why don’t you wear a helmet every ride?”
I was surprised by the passionate discussion that ensued, including some heated emails: “All of you NOT wearing helmets for any bicycling, make sure you are organ donors,” wrote one person, while another countered sarcastically, “Why not advocate helmet use for grocery shopping?”
At least these experienced cyclists on the forum agreed on one thing: They wear bike helmets on longer rides even if they skip them while biking around town. However, none of us defined “longer” or “shorter” in this context.
Here are some common reasons why people don’t wear helmets.
• In the Netherlands, and other European countries, people don’t wear helmets.
• The sight of cyclists wearing helmets will deter potential cyclists from getting on a bike because the helmets make it look like a dangerous sport.
• It will give me helmet hair, or I’ll look dorky wearing one on my cruiser bike.
• I’m a really skilled cyclist and can avoid any potential accident.
• Wearing helmets increases danger for the cyclist because it encourages cars to drive closer to the rider since the driver assumes the cyclist is protected.
• The structure of the helmet is flawed and won’t offer enough protection, and the standards developed for helmet safety are inadequate.
I have a counter-argument for each point, but for the sake of space, I’ll address the points that fire up my adrenalin as if I were riding down a rocky singletrack trail.
• The sight of cyclists wearing helmets will deter potential cyclists from getting on a bike because the helmets make it look like a dangerous sport.
• It will give me helmet hair, or I’ll look dorky wearing one on my cruiser bike.
• I’m a really skilled cyclist and can avoid any potential accident.
• Wearing helmets increases danger for the cyclist because it encourages cars to drive closer to the rider since the driver assumes the cyclist is protected.
• The structure of the helmet is flawed and won’t offer enough protection, and the standards developed for helmet safety are inadequate.
I have a counter-argument for each point, but for the sake of space, I’ll address the points that fire up my adrenalin as if I were riding down a rocky singletrack trail.
• Second, I believe in random chance. Maybe you are a cyclist with top-notch skills, but guess what? If you glanced away for a moment, hit something, and then smashed your head and jolted your brain, you are out of luck for days, weeks or maybe forever.
Hopefully, a paramedic like Courtney Dimpel, 33, of Santa Cruz, will be on the scene quickly to try to help you. During her five years in emergency medical situations, she’s seen bicyclist brain trauma and death more than once.
Once, when she asked a doctor what more she could have done to save the life of a young man who crashed his bike and died, the doctor simply said, “You could have given him a helmet.” A cyclist herself, Dimpel believes that man might be alive today if his head had been protected.
• Lastly, I agree with credible organizations like the California Bike Coalition and the Center for Disease Control, all of which state on their website, with slightly different wording, that wearing a bicycle helmet will help prevent injuries or reduce serious injuries from a crash.
The California DMV states online that “Even a simple fall can cause a life-threatening head injury. The brain is fragile and often does not heal the way that broken bones can. The damage can stay with you for life. Properly fitted helmets provide protection.”
Overall, I have achieved my goal of understanding the thinking and research behind the no-helmet position. Thanks to everyone who shared their views on this. I’m still a helmet evangelist. But one thing has changed for me.
Instead of trying to convince adults who are entrenched in their beliefs, I’ll focus on educating newer cyclists and their kids on the importance of bike helmets. While kids under age 18 are required by law to wear bike helmets, adults have a choice. Cycling sans helmet is a calculated risk that some cyclists are fine with. It’s a gamble I am not willing to take.
To me, it’s a no-brainer.
To view Santa Cruz County bicycle reports, visit: www.santacruzhealth.org
Karen Kefauver (www.karenkefauver.com) is a freelance writer and avid cyclist who covers sports and travel and is based in Santa Cruz. Her Spin City bike column appears monthly and was launched in 2009.
