One of the most absurd things I've gotten heavily downvoted for on reddit is for saying people should wear helmets no matter how good the cycling infrastructure is. Not that it should be mandated by law, but that it's simply the wise thing to do. Then people are like 'wELL I gUeSs YoU ShOUld THeN wEaR a HElmEt whiLE walKinG tOo'

Fine, then don't wear a helmet. It's not my head.

I didn't use to wear one when I was a kid either but nowdays it feels like driving without a seatbelt. Hell, I might even just take my bike for a test drive around the block after having done some adjustments on it and I still go grab my helmet first.

I don't get their logic either. You can clip a rock and fall of your bicycle pretty easily at speed. TBI is no joke.

safe cycling infrastructure does nothing to prevent you from having a sudden equipment failure and finding yourself going over the bars face-first, or from just being an uncoordinated idiot who wipes out for no reason and gets a closed head injury. I had a crank fail on my bike once, snapped in half in full sprint and I wiped badly. helmet did its job and I was thankful to have it, because there's no predicting stuff like that

oh no never ask the dutch why they are not wearing helmets, the cyclists will send every excuse your way

I had only fallen once with my bike as an adult. I live in Sweden and our cycling infrastructure in my town is g r e a t. The problem was that it was spring, so all the gravel/sand which had been spread during the winter was now on bare asphalt. I turned left and while the wheel turned, the bike did not.

There ain't much good infrastructure can do about gravel on asphalt.

Thankfully I didn't hit my head as it would've surely been a pretty bad accident. Instead I just hit every single boney part on my left side.

I've met one; but that case was really stupid: they tried to put on their helmet while cycling and fell. Technically, that accident could have been prevented if they didn't wear a helmet. It could also have been prevented if they put it on before they started cycling though.

• If your helmet doesn't have a chin bar (full or modular), you don't care about your chin, teeth, or nose.
• wrt ATGATT, most of that gear will reduce or avoid injury. A helmet will prevent your death.
• If you don't wear earplugs - even with a helmet on - enjoy your tinnitus and/or hearing loss. This is from wind noise, not engine noise.

Please don't forgot to wear a helmet when riding on 4 wheelers or ATVs.

Also, just because it claims to be an all terrain vehicle doesn't make it true. I would avoid riding these in any wooded areas or on sloped or rough terrain while riding solo.

I work in a trauma ward that has an ATV season. I feel like the stigma of wearing helmets has reduced over the years, as I'm having to put less people in orthopedic helmets every year. However, there are just as many people getting crushed by their vehicles.

4 wheelers have a nasty habit of rolling and pinning their riders. If this happens and you're alone it can easily cripple or kill you. One of the more common severe injuries is having your leg pinned against the motor or exhaust and having your leg or arm slowly cooked to the point where they need to be amputated.

If you're riding a european pedelec (pedal assist) up to 25km/h, bike helmet should be fine, if you're riding electric motorcycle (25km/h+, accelerator) then maybe motorcycle helmet is more appropriate.

Or a faceless dork.

You won't look like a dork when road rash makes your face look like Voldemort made out with a cheese grater.

There are still plenty of idiots who make a stink about helmets and seat belts unfortunately.

There are people who try to bypass those also, or cheat em. Usually for some personal comfort. One of my sisters was like this. She wasn't that tall, and complained the seat belt shoulder part was uncomfortable, so she'd either not wear it or put that part behind her.

Then someone swung into her lane causing her to rear end em (she was in a moving normal speed lane and they were backed up in an exit lane). Without the seat belt there, what instead slowed her movement forward was the steering wheel shattering her jaw. She's fine now, but a painful lesson that included reconstructive surgery.

You're a hazard to ~~yourself~~ others.

Former Motorcyclist here.

The guy I used to ride with died! Collided with a car. He flew off his bike and face first into a pole.

I was never friendly with him. He called me a pussy for wearing a full-faced helmet when we rode, while he was wearing a half-helmet that was like a WW2 replica on his harley. I was the youngest on the ride and he was lecturing me trying to teach me "his ways".

Well, he's a meat crayon now.

The people who are telling you to wear protection are still alive.

My friend had a minor head injury and his doctor advised him to wear a full face helmet whilst riding his bicycle. The cops pulled him over and he had to show them the note the doctor had written about it. I guess the concern is that if your face is obscured they can't track you down if you commit a crime? Still seems pretty dumb to me.

Found the marine.

You kidding me? Not weird to have PTSD at all. Your conscious brain might have shrugged it off but your body remembers the whole "I could have died" feeling.

Yeah, that's a common experience after bad motorcycle crashes. Glad you're still with us!

This one is not mine, but I have been saved by a helmet before. Glad I'm still here too, thanks!