Can of Worms

Among cyclists, helmets use is, and will probably always be, a contentious issue. Because of this, many of us just don't discuss our position on the issue at all. It will just make everyone hate one another, but no opinions will be changed.

Today I am going to risk scorn and abuse by opening this can of worms, specifically because of an incident that has reinforced my opinion on the issue.

For years now, I've obstinately worn a helmet whenever I am on a bike whether I am going 100 feet or 100 miles, 5mph or 25mph. And in that time, I've never once experienced a situation in which my helmet came even close to being necessary. On Tuesday, my years of helmet use were justified when I collided with a pair of inattentive guys on bikes (as opposed to cyclists) who turned left directly in front of me, and I flew over my handlebars. I was traveling at about 23mph at the time of the collision, so after sailing several feet through the air, I came down directly on the top of my head and then flipped over onto my back.

Like so:

I hit the pavement hard enough that I heard the sound of my helmet smacking the pavement and thought 'I'm going to be really hurt.' But I wasn't. Aside from a cut on my left hand, there wasn't really anything wrong with me. I went home and enjoyed a completely normal evening with my family.

Since the accident, I've noticed a few minor bruises and have had a great deal of soreness in my neck and shoulders, but have not experienced so much as even the most minor headache.

So yeah, I believe that my helmet saved me. It may have saved my life, but if not, it at least saved me from a head injury of some kind because without my helmet, there is little chance that I could have hit my skull on concrete at 23mph without doing some damage to my brain. The last time my head struck anything while I was on a bicycle was when I was about 12 years old and, distracted by a noisy rear derailleur, I drove into a parked car. That followed with a trip to the hospital and a concussion. After smacking my foam-covered skull on the pavement on Tuesday I got up, brushed myself off, and pedaled home.

I'm not telling anyone what to do. Helmet use is a personal choice.

For me the choice is a clear one. I'll strap chunk of styrofoam onto my head when I ride, because I know from experience that smacking my head into the pavement while wearing a helmet feels much better than smacking my head into the pavement without a helmet, relatively speaking.

Of course, not smacking my head into the pavement at all feels even better, so I'm going to try that for awhile.