Another Helmet Thread

On 21/06/13 22:23, Andre Jute wrote:
On Friday, June 21, 2013 3:30:06 AM UTC+1, James wrote:

Considering it is mid winter, and Melbourne does not present as a

particularly good place to ride a bike, despite propaganda you may
have

read, I'd say it's doing as well as can be expected - MHLs or not.


I first wrote, as the usual liberal kneejerk reflex, "Surely
Melbourne can't still be as bad a place to cycle as 40 years ago,
when it was lethal, big wide roads with large cars traveling at
speed." But when I thought about it some more...

If memory serves, about the only part of Melbourne that could be made
relatively pleasant for bicycles by mechanical means (bicycle
facilities) is the downtown area, and maybe a couple of older, once
working-class, suburbs close in. Everywhere else would require a
change in outlook on cycling and cyclists among the driving populace,
which I imagine, if it ever happened, you would report gleefully.
Since you haven't.


By downtown, do you mean around where you used to live? Well, I
complained to the council recently about a bike lane on Kerferd Rd that
terminates at a roundabout by directing bicyclists up and on to the
footpath.

Even where there is room to make a good effort at farcilities, the road
and traffic "engineers" stuff it up.

--
JS

On 22/06/13 14:54, wrote:

The third link describes a paper in which a solid model of a human
head in a helmet is grazed by a smooth surface. The authors claim
this replicates the complex physics of an actual human brain within
the skull protected by the scalp tissue and hair. But they do not
directly compare with any realistic model of the human head. They do
not use a realistic model for an asphalt surface. And they do not
measure the angular acceleration without the helmet, especially in
situations where the riders' reflexes would tend to cause lesser road
contact with an 8" diameter head, compared to a 10" diameter helmet.


As the head or helmet usually only touches the road (or other object) at
one point (or over a small area) at one time, it would make better sense
to discuss a 4" radius versus a 5" radius.

It's not like the head or helmet has to fit through a hole or between
two objects of fixed separation.

Since I've never damaged a helmet in any crash, I must therefore have
supremo reflexes. No, actually I just think I've been a little bit
lucky most of the time.

As an aside, recent news says there are more deaths from drug overdose
than car crash. I gotta watch out for people trying to inject me or
spike my drinks!

--
JS