Is a helmet actually necessary?

[DougB]

There were very few helmets available when I started riding in the early 1950's.

Shortly after I aquired my first bike (a 1950 AJS the last machine with a single seat and one of the first bikes with rear springing) a doctor friend of the family sent me several pounds to buy a helmet. He said he had seen too many injuries and deaths caused by crashes many of which would have been avoided by wearing a helment.

Off I went to the Auckland bike shops and only one stocked them. I purchased a "CORKER HEAD PROTECTOR" and wore it on out of town rides from then on. I wish I still had it it would be a museum item now.

[gammaguy]

I seen a guy who was riding a Buell wearing no helmet just last year.

He was laying on the road beside his wrecked bike with part of his brain oozing out at the time.

Not nice.

He bloody lived too.

so now he only has half a brain,what does he ride?a chinese scooter??

[Quailboy]

so now he only has half a brain,what does he ride?a chinese scooter??

Or perhaps a wheelchair?

[popelli]

Well of course it is but in 2 days I have seen 3 people on bikes with out a helmet.

Saw one guy on Otara Road last night booting along, noticed that he was just in shorts/t-shirt etc. Took me a second to notice he had no helmet as well.

Today at the new world in Birkenhead a rider with pillion leaving, both without helmets (or any other gear obviously).

Next recipient of the darwin awards?

can you explain why when helmet laws are repealed in the usa the numbers of bikers getting killed drops ??

darmin awards - maybe the people advocating helmets laws should be awarded them

if helmets are so great why don't car drivers wear them?

[jim.cox]

if helmets are so great why don't car drivers wear
them?

helmets should be made compulsary for pedestrians - its for their own safety you know :)

[Ixion]

There were very few helmets available when I started riding in the early 1950's.

Shortly after I aquired my first bike (a 1950 AJS the last machine with a single seat and one of the first bikes with rear springing) a doctor friend of the family sent me several pounds to buy a helmet. He said he had seen too many injuries and deaths caused by crashes many of which would have been avoided by wearing a helment.

Off I went to the Auckland bike shops and only one stocked them. I purchased a "CORKER HEAD PROTECTOR" and wore it on out of town rides from then on. I wish I still had it it would be a museum item now.

I had one of them. My mother kept nagging me to wear it.

I objected, it was 'uncool' (the phrase did not then exist, but i cannot recall the equivalent).

Moreover, wearing a crash helmet meant that you were very much more likely to get a ticket from the friendly neighbourhood snake (I'm not sure if tickets existed then either, I think they summonsed you). The cops did not approve of bikers wearing crash helmets.

[awayatc]

Wearing protective gear definitely helps you heaps in an "off".......
There can be no arguments against that...., the more protective shit you strap on, the greater the likelyhood of bodybits staying attached and useable...

The other and only real argument of course is, do we need legislation for and against any- and everything that is/ or may or will/ likely be bad /painfull/hurtfull or uncomfortable for us...?

My personal opinion is that people should be responsible for their own wellbeing,
Anything however that could negatively impact on others needs gobbermental regulations...

[vifferman]

can you explain why when helmet laws are repealed in the usa the numbers of bikers getting killed drops ??

Perceived risk.
It's the same when all signage is removed from roads, or speed limits are increased/removed.
I'm sure many sprotsbike riders would ride more carefully dressed in only shorts, singlet and jandals, than they do when wearing full gear plus armour.

if helmets are so great why don't car drivers wear them?

Ack (Shirley), a neurosturgeon (kind of a fish with an unusually large brain, the female of which species has tasty roe, good for decorating crackers or dropping in people's drinks for a jolly jape) ...uh...where was I...?
Oh yeah - a local branedokta here recommended that all car passengers wear a helmet (he made his family do so) as he'd seen "too many" brain injuries resulting from car accidents. (That's when cars don't have adequate protection, and end up with weird bastard offspring, or communicable diseases, like rusty driveshafts...)

[Rodney007]

I objected, it was 'uncool'

totaly aggree....

[Badjelly]

can you explain why when helmet laws are repealed in the usa the numbers of bikers getting killed drops ??

Before I try to explain this fact, perhaps you could give us all some evidence that it is a fact.

[oldrider]

There were very few helmets available when I started riding in the early 1950's.

Shortly after I aquired my first bike (a 1950 AJS the last machine with a single seat and one of the first bikes with rear springing) a doctor friend of the family sent me several pounds to buy a helmet. He said he had seen too many injuries and deaths caused by crashes many of which would have been avoided by wearing a helment.

Off I went to the Auckland bike shops and only one stocked them. I purchased a "CORKER HEAD PROTECTOR" and wore it on out of town rides from then on. I wish I still had it it would be a museum item now.

Early examples of helmets were bloody horrible to wear, horrible to look at and even more horrible to procure!

As said earlier on this thread, they are only really nessessary when you crash but todays helmets are much more than that.

They are well made, they look good, they protect you from the weather etc and I would not ride my bike very far without putting mine on.

The only thing I hate about todays helmets is that they are bloody "COMPULSARY".

I can think for myself thank you very much!

I don't need some halfwit stupid rule maker telling me how to wipe my arse!

If you do,(not directed at Doug B, just anyone) then Darwin will sort you out because you shouldn't even own a bike! John.

[Drunken Monkey]

Before I try to explain this fact, perhaps you could give us all some evidence that it is a fact.

Indeed, a quick google search and these are the first two links (plus another further down the page). They appear to be in complete opposition of Popelli's statement, and indicate deaths rose with a decline in helmet usage.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/582275

http://motorcycles.about.com/b/2008/...law-repeal.htm

http://myais.fsktm.um.edu.my/4728/

[NOMIS]

Only ride a bike for two weeks, I was already hit by stones 3 times at 80+kph. Two on the visor, one on side. I just can't imagine the injury if no helmet on my head.

I get hit in the face by rocks and stones and bugs all the effing time to , dont know how they avoid that in the states lol... oh and i had a decent size rock chip my $1000 Shark helmet arrrghhh!! time for insurance claim me think's lol

[Nasty]

Well of course it is but in 2 days I have seen 3 people on bikes with out a helmet.

Saw one guy on Otara Road last night booting along, noticed that he was just in shorts/t-shirt etc. Took me a second to notice he had no helmet as well.

Today at the new world in Birkenhead a rider with pillion leaving, both without helmets (or any other gear obviously).

Next recipient of the darwin awards?

Helmit is only essential if you have something to protect ... obviously if you don't think that your brain/head and face are worth protecting why wear one.

[vifferman]

[quote=oldrider;1919837]Early examples of helmets were bloody horrible to wear, horrible to look at and even more horrible to procure!/quote]
Even later ones weren't too good.
My first helmets (2X open-face helmets that came with the bike I bought) didn't fit properly, the visors were made of a material that wasn't scratch resistant, and the shells seemed to be made of something akin to compressed cardboard. The liners were some sort of corduroy material, with thin padding underneath. No EPS foam with thicker plastic foam over the top.
AND they were relatively expensive: my first 'decent' helmet (still open-face) was nearly a third the cost of my bike! The only fullface helmets were very expensive Bells, or Shoeis that were nearly as dear, and intended for car use, so there was debate about whether they were actually suitable for bikes, being rather heavy and restrictive. There was also much debate and minor controversy (engendered or even engineered by Bell) about the safety of the first injection-moulded helmets ("Polstar" was the most common brand here). Nowadays such helmets are commonplace, and score very highly on safety tests. But in the 70's, Bell was threatened by rivals with manufacturing techniques that were cheaper and quicker, so dreamed up slogans like "Buy a $50 helmet if you have a $50 head", because their hand-laid GRP helmets were labour-intensive to produce, and correspondingly expensive to buy.

We're fortunate nowadays to have a huge range and variety of helmets to choose from, many at relatively cheap prices, yet vastly superior to those of yesteryear.