Do helmets save lives?

Question

Ok, to me, this is a rhetorical question. But then I actually ran across a couple of guys who actually believed that the only thing a helmet did was to increase your chances of becoming a vegetable. Well, I just had one of the most common types of bike accidents, and the helmet saved my face, if not my life.

A cager did not see me, and pulled out into the street to make a left turn, right in front of me. I swerved to avoid him, but he clipped my back seat and sent me flying head first through the air. I skid/tumbled 50 feet down the street. Considering I landed on my face and forearms, I do believe the helmet did a great job in protecting my face from being smeared onto the road. It did not even crack. After than initial hit, I tumbled and broke my leg, but so far it's healing just fine.

Answer 1

yes it definitely does.

If you dont wear a helmet, your just increasing your chances of becoming a human vegetable. I dont understand the logic behind that message because from what i've learned in school, the brain is the very important because it pretty much controls everything else in your body. To have damage to your head could result in brain damage and if you have brain damage, then you might not be able to use some other functions of your body.

Answer 2

IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) people who refuse to wear safety equipment don't need it... They're already brain damaged!

Answer 3

Pedestrians and car occupants are in fact more likely to suffer head injuries from road accidents than cyclists.

In the US, 34% of fatal head injuries happen to people in cars.

Some 7% are pedestrians, and only 1% cycle riders.

Making helmet use compulsory gives cycling an undeservedly dangerous profile, and may discourage bicycle use even further.

Rather than encasing cyclists in armour-plating, we should be directing our attention to that nut behind the steering wheel.

Answer 4

helmets do save more lives without any injury, and more ppl survive with injuries too, than was possible without them at all.  The argument becomes more how much injury  you survive with, than whether you survive at all.  The more serious injuries, which previously would have been fatal, now also survive-thus giving your perception, but may are not receiving any injury, who may otherwise have been killed, which is a benefit most of us receive.   helmets are a good thing to wear.

Answer 5

Yes they do, If my cousin was wearing one then he wouldn't have died.

Either you smash your head on tarmac with a helmet on or you smash your head on tarmac without one on.

Who's more likely to survive?

Edit:

Thanks

I can understand that some people don't want to wear helmets, they often point out that if you ride safely, then you will be ok. But as anyone who has ridden a bike knows, is that it isn't always, 'you' it's 'them'. No one knows what other road users will do, on a bike you are always more vunerable than other people.

My cousin hit his head on a kerb, if he had a helmet on he'd still be here.

It is true that if you hit a car at 50 you'd be a gonna even if you are wearing a helmet, but so many riders slide off on the road, an break arms and legs but if they were without a helmet, they'd have broken arms, legs and a broken head.

Answer 6

A very high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet, estimated at anywhere from 45 to 88 per cent, according to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.

Personally I think they do- I mean, the amount of research that's gone into them, the government wouldn't push their use so much if they didn't do anything.

It's like seatbelts - While you can get bruises and on very rare occasions more severe damage like broken collar bones from them, they do save your life.. The good factors far outweigh the bad :)

Answer 7

I have crashed at high speed several times. Sometimes I wore a lid and sometimes I did not. However at least one crash I lived only because I was not wearing a helmet according to my doctor. Make your own choice and ignore laws pro or con.

I wish you a quick recovery,

FF

Answer 8

Yes and wow I hope you feel better!

Answer 9

yes they do

Answer 10

If it's a good helmet.

Answer 11

Yes so it can save u from brain damage

Answer 12

Of course they do there is no conspiracy theory behind helmets, *** long as you are wearing them, then yes they do save lives.

Answer 13

I think mostly they just make the mess easier to clean up. It's good to be courteous!!

Answer 14

Bikers without helments are just organ donors waiting for a place to happen. Just ask any EMT or Paramedic.

Answer 15

Yes,wearing a helmet increase your chances for survival.

Answer 16

It depends on helmet.

The kind of helmets that dont cover chin and face, are a complete joke.

also, the ones they sell as "bicycle-helmets" are a joke too, since they slip off the second person falls, and even if they accidentially stayed on, they dont cover face, chin or sides of the face.

a good, fully covering helmet is always going to be a wise safety article.

Answer 17

Yes  Helmets save lives. I'm so happy your doing better.

Answer 18

My head hit the asphalt about three years ago, and I'm telling you, it sure would have hurt if I hadn't been wearing my helmet.

Answer 19

Yeah they do save lives. No-one can really make a viable argument against them. Of course if you get into an accident at high speed the helmet will not save your life. The forces at work are just too great on your body. You're a lucky guy to have just a broken leg. One of the many Accidents I've responded to as an EMT was a motorcyclist who crashed while racing. His body was totally broken, both arms and legs were segmented. Racing leathers ripped to shreads. His helmut however was intact. Therefore he was at least identfiable to his family.