Unicycling traffic fatalities and safety

General
21

That rather depends what you consider “the cycling community” to be. I’d very much consider CB to be a part of that - whilst he is an advocate of cycling for transport, he’s certainly also still a sport cyclist. I also note that his mum was out for a sporting type ride with a cycling club when she was killed after being hit by a vehicle (and FWIW I’ve no idea if she was wearing a helmet, but from the reports I’ve seen it wouldn’t have made any difference). I’d also consider the CTC to be a part of the cycling community and they certainly aren’t pro helmet.

I’ve certainly seen it suggested that such risk compensation takes place and it would be surprising if it didn’t. I don’t think there are any proper studies though - it would be even harder to do properly than a normal helmet effectiveness study. I’m sure I’m far from alone in finding that I’m more prepared to try things when wearing protective gear (and that sometimes I wear it simply in order to void wimping out!)

Sorry to hear about your brother. He is one anecdote which demonstrates that a seatbelt doesn’t necessarily save you from head injury. Though he’s far from a unique case - I’m sure I’ve also seen stats on UK deaths in car accidents which show that more motorists die of head injuries every year than cyclists (here seatbelt usage is close to ubiquitous, so almost none of those will have been without a seatbelt).

This is of course also one where we should consider harper’s point about exposure times/distances. On the basis of deaths per passenger miles travelled I’m sure that more cyclists die of head injuries than car occupants. Even on the basis of deaths per time spent doing the activity, so much more time is spent in cars than cycling that it is likely that is still higher for cyclists. However I’m not sure either of those is actually important if debating compulsion (I know we weren’t particularly, but it’s also an interesting point to debate) - surely the only important figure is absolute numbers of deaths and it appears from the statistics that compulsory helmets for car occupants would save more lives than compulsory helmets for cyclists.

edit: just wanted to add that I’m really enjoying this debate - it’s incredibly refreshing to be able to have a debate about helmet use, including a variety of opinions without descending into the usual rubbish

22

I was just about to post the same thing. Unicyclist are obviously very sane, civilised people, possibly because they have a good outlet for all their insanity.

23

Aah yes, the insanity word, my cup runneth over with Unicycle insanities… !! :smiley:

24

I don’t have a clue about the stats involving unicyclists in traffic with a helmet vs. without a helmet, but having been in a lot of car accidents (some of the deadliest intersections in the US are just miles from my house), I’ve found out first hand how weird things get in a crash. You never know. I’ve totaled cars and walked away without so much as a scratch or bruise, and at other times, small accidents result in injuries requiring weeks of physical therapy.

Riding a unicycle off road with frequent UPD’s, I’ve experienced the same thing. Spectacular UPDs with no injury, and small ones that left something hurt for weeks or even months. The point is, you just never know.

First, I don’t support laws requiring personal safety gear like helmets. That should be a personal choice. I agree that is a deterrent. I’d rather see people risk a possible injury on a slow-moving unicycle than an almost guaranteed health condition caused by not exercising. That said, I would still recommend wearing a helmet in traffic. It’s probably not going to save you if a bus falls on you, or if a car smashes into you, but it could prevent other injuries.

There’s been a lot of talk about protecting the brain, but I think one of the most practical protections a helmet gives a cyclist is from cuts on the head. If you’ve ever gotten a good cut on your head, or seen someone else get one, they bleed a lot. I could easily see someone losing a lot of blood from a cut on a head after being knocked off their unicycle. There’s all kinds of things to hit your head on in traffic: cars, curbs, signs, posts, fences, rails, etc, etc. While I would never support a law requiring it, I think it’s a good idea with a practical benefit.

After working in downtown Dallas for a decade, I saw all kinds of collisions between bike couriers and cars. Most of them were low speed, and the most frequent injuries I saw were from cuts and abrasions from falling off the bike after the collision with the car. Didn’t see any of them getting cut on the head, though. They were all wearing helmets.

Interesting to note that back in 2014, Dallas changed the law so that only cyclists under the age of 18 have to wear helmets. Excerpt from an article in the Dallas Morning News, June 11th 2014:

“The City Council on Wednesday partially repealed its bicycle helmet ordinance, which required all cyclists to wear one. Officials have debated for weeks whether to loosen the requirements as a way to encourage more cycling and launch a bike sharing program.”

Full article here: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2014/06/11/dallas-bike-helmet-rules-now-apply-only-to-cyclists-under-age-18

25

Most states will ticket you if driving with a full face/NASCAR helmet in a car.
Have to wear the half helmets or beanies.:smiley:

26

That’s interesting. Is it because they restrict vision, hearing, motion, or some combination of these? Maybe these states consider this an increased risk to other drivers and only a benefit to the one wearing the helmet. Can you verify this traffic regulation? Regardless, helmets for pedal-cycles obstruct the senses only minimally, if at all.

27

I think it’s quite clear, looking at a few of the other stories on the site, that The Syrup Trap is a spoof news site, albeit not a very good one.

28

I’ve been busy with work so I haven’t been reading the forum lately.

I’ve crashed twice on paved bike trails and hit my face / forehead. My helmet didn’t save me from face injuries but I was still glad I had it on. I now make sure it’s on tight and sits correctly on my head.

Turns out I’m not so well balanced. I also now have bum knee that gives out on occasion.

Oh and I do commute on my uni. So far no crashes on streets, just close calls with cars and bikes. Actually had a bike head strait for me at the narrow spot near the train overpass on the Elliot Bay trail. Not sure why she lost momentary control. I had to grab the fence to make sure she didn’t hit me. She rode off without a word.

I’m sure I have little chance of surviving a serious crash with a car. Hopefully I can survive one caused by bikes or dog walkers.

29

That’s interesting. On a related note, most 5 points don’t count as a seat belt, but I think that’s mostly because manufacturers don’t certify them. However, I don’t think that certification is the issue with helmets, I suspect Harper’s reasoning is correct and it’s visibility related.

30

Harper hit it on the head…vision and hearing impairment.

31

“Hit it on the head”? :stuck_out_tongue:

From my experience with multiple (motorcycle) helmet types, my guess is that the main factor with a motorcycle/car full face helmet would be to the driver’s hearing. While your peripheral vision is somewhat limited, some cars actually have such limitations built in. But a good-fitting full helmet can block a lot of sound.

That said, I know lots of Deaf people who drive. It puts you at a sensory disadvantage, but on the other hand a Deaf persion is deaf all the time, so they are less impaired than, say, someone who likes to share their crappy rap music at 130 db with the windows down…