Are bike helmets really necessary?

Are bike helmets really necessary?

According to a 1989 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, riders with helmets had an 85% reduction in their risk of head injury and an 88% reduction in their risk of brain injury. ... So a helmet provides a level of protection from this danger. It makes you feel safer.Feb 24, 2014

Are bike helmets pointless?

A British brain surgeon says cycle helmets are too flimsy and can actually create more danger by creating the illusion of greater safety. If a car manufacturer suddenly told you fenders were useless, you might raise an eyebrow.Jun 1, 2014

Why do so many people not wear bike helmets?

The most frequent reasons for not using a helmet were the heavy weight of the helmet (77%), feeling of heat (71.4%), pain in the neck (69.4%), feeling of suffocation (67.7%), limitation of head and neck movements (59.6%) and all together, physical discomfort was the main cause of not wearing a helmet during motorcycle ...

What percentage of adults wear bike helmets?

Approximately 38 percent of adults who ride bicycles wear a helmet regularly, and 69 percent of children under the age of 16 do so as well. The percentage of bike helmet owners rose in the years between 1991 and 1999, moving from 27 percent to 60 percent.

Why do Europeans not wear bike helmets?

But in the world's most popular biking cities, particularly in Europe, very few bikers wear helmets. And there are good reasons for that: biking, it turns out, isn't an especially dangerous form of transportation in terms of head trauma. And the benefits of helmets may be overstated.May 16, 2014

Do Dutch cyclists wear helmets?

Although the Netherlands is probably the safest country in the world for cycling, helmet wearing among Dutch cyclists is rare. It has been estimated that only about 0.5 percent of cyclists in the Netherlands are helmeted.

Do people in Amsterdam wear bike helmets?

In Amsterdam, adults don't wear helmets while riding city bikes – they don't even consider it an option. Helmets are mainly worn by tourists and expats, whom the Dutch regard with bemusement, even ridicule.Oct 12, 2015

Why do cyclists not wear helmets?

Helmets = fewer cyclists = more danger So as much as helmets decrease the chance of head injury when you get into an accident, they may actually increase your chance of getting into an injury in the first place. There is another significant way that the use of helmets harm cyclists: Bike helmets discourage cycling.Feb 24, 2014