Does your family wear helmets when going for a bike ride?

Question

I do not put a helmet on my 5 year old when he is on his bike. When we go for family bike rides we so lots of other families biking and EVERYONE is wearing a helmet. I never wore a helmet when I was a kid. Are other people looking at me like I'm a bad mother because I do not have a helmet on my son? Do your kids wear helmets? Should I make my son wear a helmet?

Answer 1

Yes, but only because my boys are little dare devils! :)  they are both 5 and just LOVE to challenge themselves and each other with weird tricks.  I never wore one as a child either (and still don't) , I wouldn't feel bad though.  Just have fun, kids will be kids!

Answer 2

you and your kid should both wear helmets! I'm alive today because I religiously wear a helmet! my daughters are not allowed take their bikes out of the shed without their helmets! my 9 year old endo'd recently. the dent in her helmet was all the proof she needed to agree that HELMETS ARE COOL!

Answer 3

I grew up riding without a helmet. I thought they were silly until about 15 years ago, in my mid-30s. That's when I finally realized I wasn't invulnerable and immortal. Since then, I've never gotten on a bike without a helmet. I haven't crashed badly myself, but I have been next to people who have had some nasty faceplants. You just have to see one "up close and personal" to realize that, like anything else, cycling can be dangerous. Wearing a helmet is an easy and inexpensive way to reduce the risk of permanent or fatal damage.

I never let my son ride without a helmet. Because he started that way, he thought it was the normal thing to do.

HTH

Answer 4

i wear a helmet when i ride.  it's a safety thing.

your family shouldn't wear helmets just because everyone else is, your family should wear helmets because they want to be safe.  in the end, it's your call.

Answer 5

i think that your kid should wear a helmit until he becomes a better biker. as for you it;s your choice, but keep in mind the dangers or bike riding

Answer 6

* I agree with the first person...

-->do you know what a great life saver a wearing a helmet is?

Think about it this way:

First of all, you're child might fall and bump his head against an edge of a sidewalk or something else. You do NOT (neither does your child) want to deal with this. Not only that, but when your child will grows up, and because he wasn't wearing an helmet as a kid, he will probably continue not to wear it, and who knows how many times he will ride a bike? He's not a professional biker, now is he?

Seriously, it's much safer to wear a helmet, period.

You do whatever you want though >> it's your call.

I'm just saying, for your child's sake.

Answer 7

Always wear a bump hat, unless your head is harder than rocks, curbs and pavement. No matter how smart you think you are, you WILL fall and hit your head. Most head injuries occur within a few miles of home, and at low speed. Duh, A bike won't fall over if it's moving fast. My insurance rates are too high now and I don't want you causing them to go up more. Remember after you use up all your insurance, the state has to take care of you (or your 5 year old), and I'm all ready paying more taxes than I want. Don't be an ***. Wear the helmet, and make sure everyone else does too.

Answer 8

My 5 year old son wears a helmet every ride.  My twelve year old step-son wears a helmet every ride.  My wife and I wear a helmet every ride.  Even short rides down the block to the store we strap on a helmet before we go.

There are a thousand things that could go wrong leading to a head impacting the pavement.  

There was a local news story where one of the news anchors was out for a Triathalon training ride and went down and got very injured, including a smashed helmet.  Her doctor said without a helmet on she would have died.  This is someone who rides 100+ miles per week.  

I have a friend that, two years ago, was riding down to the pharmacy and had a car door open in front of her.  1 second later she was flying endo and landed on her head.  

These are experienced riders-- crashes happen.  A helmet is cheap protection I won't go without.

Answer 9

I would put a helmet on the little one.  You never know and I would rather be safe than sorry

Answer 10

I did not wear a helmet when I was a kid.

I started wearing a helmet when I started riding again about 5 years ago and my friends and I got serious about going fast.

I had a bad crash two years ago that landed me in the ER. I'm typing today because I was wearing a helmet as I landed head first on the pavement at 20+ mph.

I had a number of lacerations and several bruised bones, but walked away because the helmet took the brunt of the impact to my head.

My 4 yr old son always wears his helmet. Not only do I want him to be safe, but I also want him to feel safe.

The question is not what the people looking at you think.  The question is what do you want for you and your family.  I sometimes don't wear a helmet when I'm just going to the corner bakery.  That is a risk I'm willing to take.  I don't feel I have the right to take any risks with my son's health.  When he is older he can take responsibility for his own risks.

Answer 11

I don't wear helmets myself, but I did when I was younger, and I do on long bike rides or rides up mountains.  I think your son should wear a helmet, seeing as he is young, and maybe you can let him not wear a helmet as he gets older and a better rider.