On 24/02/2019 20:54, Rob Morley wrote:
On Sun, 24 Feb 2019 12:59:26 +0000
RJH wrote:

Common sense tells me that a cycle helmet can help in certain
circumstances - and it's worth wearing one on that basis.

But what about the circumstances when a helmet can be harmful?
Rotational brain trauma can be more damaging than direct impact, for
example. And did you know that you might be more likely to be hit by a
car if you're wearing a helmet?

Ah, no, I didn't know that. Why might that be likely? Is this evidenced
at all, or some theory extrapolated?

Bicycle helmets are designed to
protect from impact in rather specific circumstances which roughly
equate to toppling over at low speed and hitting your head on the
kerb. Beyond that there's no guarantee that a helmet will provide any
protection at all.

I'm not looking for a guarantee - just protection in certain circumstances.

Now in all my years of cycling (some while wearing
a helmet) I've never encountered those specific circumstances. I've
fallen off in a variety of ways, some of them fairly high-energy
resulting in broken bones, but I've never thought a helmet saved my
brain, or would have if I'd been wearing one. It's possible that a
helmet might have helped the chap in the story, but that has to be one
of the rare examples - sufficiently noteworthy that it got in the
paper.


And my personal experience echoes yours. But given the low cost and
hassle, I'd rather wear a helmet and not rely on a sample of one to
inform my safety-related decisions.

--
Cheers, Rob