Kids on bikes

[Ken M]

In Australia we have mandatory helmet laws so there is not really a ‘legal’ option not to wear one. Managing personal risk when on a bike is still something that both my kids are aware of and are both very competent in most surroundings, having raced in peletons on road, track and trail as well as on the road in traffic.

When my son was 12 he rode to school himself - about a 5km trip which he did most days. Due to the distance and after school care we drove my daughter who was 8 at the time. On one day we had the circumstances where neither my wife or I could pick up our daughter, so we allowed her to ride to and from school under the watchful eye of her big brother. This was preceded by discussions with both kids - my son was not to ride off and leave his sister, my daughter was not to act like a jerk, and they were both to stay on bike paths and cross at designated crossings. No shenanigans. On this particular day my wife left her work early with the aim to get home at around the same time as the kids. Part of her route was along a road that was adjacent to the bike path that the kids would take. As she was travelling along this section she noticed a crowd on the bike path which included my daughter. She pulled over and investigated, to find my son unconscious, grazes all over his body and a fair amount to the lower part of his face, and what ended up as minor fractures in several places on his left arm. An ambulance ride, a night in hospital and a few days recovery and he was back riding.

There are two pertinent points to this story. While my son can’t remember the accident, my daughter says that he was behind her at the time talking to her about the need to start slowing for the next road crossing. It was a benign environment in which he was riding relatively slowly and scanning for hazards, but all the same something caused him to go over his bars and land on his face rather unexpectedly. Secondly the damage to his helmet suggested that it’s value was more in reducing the amount of skin lost in sliding along concrete than any evidence of a significant impact. The helmet had no evidence of compression within the styrofoam lining, but significant grazing from the front, over the top and even minor scratches on the back. I wouldn’t put this crash in the ‘my helmet saved my life’ category, but if he hadn’t been wearing it he would have had a more painful recovery and potentially done a lot more damage to more delicates parts of his face/head.

 

[Amarillo]

@Amarillo Look at this from another angle, if you went skiing with your boys would you make them wear helmets?

I don't know. I used to go skiing in the 70s and 80s, and a very few little children (mostly Germans) wore motorbike type helmets, bombed down the slopes without poles and pushed their way to the front of the ski lift queues until French middle aged women planted their ski poles firmly between their legs thereby halting their progress.

At least those helmets offered protection to the face from a punch and support to the neck from strangulation by irate skiers.

The last time I went skiing was 26 December 1999 for a fortnight in Meiringen - the day before I puffed my last ever cigarette and finally kicked that disgusting habit.

 

[Amarillo]

In Australia we have mandatory helmet laws so there is not really a ‘legal’ option not to wear one.

Is it true or is it a myth that since the introduction of mandatory helmet laws cycling has decreased and the rate of head injury has increased?

 

[WelshGas]

Is it true or is it a myth that since the introduction of mandatory helmet laws cycling has decreased and the rate of head injury has increased?

Study shows 46% drop in fatalities since introduction of Australia’s bicycle helmet laws | Traffic Technology Today

A first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (UNSW) has shown a clear link between the introduction of

www.traffictechnologytoday.com

 

[Amarillo]

Study shows 46% drop in fatalities since introduction of Australia’s bicycle helmet laws | Traffic Technology Today

A first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney (UNSW) has shown a clear link between the introduction of

www.traffictechnologytoday.com

Says nothing whether cycling has increased or decreased.

A 46% decrease in hospitalisation of cyclists doesn’t sound so good if cycling has decreased by 46%.

It is surprising that any increase/decrease in cycling isn’t mentioned in that report.

 

[WelshGas]

Says nothing whether cycling has increased or decreased.

A 46% decrease in hospitalisation of cyclists doesn’t sound so good if cycling has decreased by 46%.

It is surprising that any increase/decrease in cycling isn’t mentioned in that report.

Well there was plenty of cycling being done when I was out in Sydney in January this year.
Do as you wish. Your life, your kids lives. Just make sure the Insurance Policies are upto date.

 

[Ken M]

Is it true or is it a myth that since the introduction of mandatory helmet laws cycling has decreased and the rate of head injury has increased?

I think you would be able to find supporting statistics for however you chose to approach the argument. There was no attempt to capture data on the rates of cycling participation when the helmet laws were introduced - the need or value to do so was not apparent. There was however one longitudinal study in WA that conducted a cycling count on the same week each year at the same intersections before and after the introduction of the laws - it did observe a significant reduction of numbers (in the order of 40% I recall) but it’s methods/design where to inform other purposes and it’s findings statistically weak.

There is an ongoing debate about the value of mandatory helmet laws in Australia although it seems to be loosing momentum or consumed into a broader cyclist vs vehicle culture clash. While I am pro helmet, I have wavered on the value of mandatory helmet laws. They are a barrier to increasing participation in active transport (many bike share schemes struggled with how to deal with the provision of helmets as one example), it provides governments an excuse for not investing in cycle infrastructure (we introduced policy to make you safer, surely you don’t want something else?) and it has added fodder to the cyclist vs car divide (by not wearing a helmet you are a hoodlum and partaking in anarchy). While it does seem to be reducing, the reporting of cycling fatalities in the media is often framed by if a helmet was worn or not - if not, then it is often implied that there is an increased culpability on the cyclists behalf regardless of the cause.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Thanks Ken. Really interesting read.

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks Ken. Really interesting read.

I read an article about you.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9253819/kim-jong-un-execute-general-piranha-tank-pyongyang/

 

[Velma's Dad]

No Mr Ken, I don't expect you to talk. I expect you to die.

 

[Jay20cali]

In line with the intent of the topic - this is my 15 year old on what is probably his tenth bike in a series that started with a balance bike and transitioned through road, bmx, track, XC and now gravity mtb racing. It becomes rather expensive after a while, especially with a 11 year old daughter following a similar path. Both wear helmets.
View attachment 46184

So cool

 

[aileron346]

Aaah. The old cycle helmet debate. I always wear one and also have personally known someone die after a head injury in a low speed cycling crash. But I really don’t like calls to make them mandatory and the generally prevalent attitudes which would further erode kids freedom. So... three observations (both admittedly anecdotal):

1) The most vociferous pro-helmet, pro-helmet law people are generally non-cyclists.

2) These people generally seem to care loads about cyclists safety around helmets, but that care seems to evaporate when you ask them about speed cameras, speed limits, cycling infrastructure or generally driving with care for vulnerable road users. I conclude that their concern is not really about safety but is more about restriction/control.

3) You will often find yourself with these people for whom it is blindingly obvious that helmet laws should be introduced overnight; what’s the problem with wearing a helmet anyway? You can end their enthusiasm when you quote the public health macro argument that many more lives would be saved by compulsory helmets for car drivers. Strangely, helmets suddenly seem inconvenient.

Helmets are irrelevant next to cycling infrastructure, road traffic law enforcement and general attitudes in the UK. These are what we should focus on.

 

[Volky]

Our kids wear cycle helmets for the same reason they wear ski helmets - to protect them from other road users and skiers. No matter how much you teach your children to be safe, there are always reckless / out of control / total idiots out there. And if you have the bad luck to meet one, no amount of safety checks will necessarily help.

 

[Camper Mouse]

I think there is clear evidence that cyclist helmet use is beneficial for several types of cycling, including, but not limited to, mountain biking, BMX and racing.

I see little overall benefit in cycle helmets for utility cycling. The aim of parents should, in my opinion, be to reduce the likelihood of an accident occurring, and not to try to mitigate the consequence while disregarding the other.

So yes, if I were to pack my boys off on a BMX or mountain biking course I would want them to wear a helmet, preferably one that offers face protection and neck support. For a gentle pootle along a canal tow path to the cafe, or across the park to the playground, I feel no need.

Last time I fell off my bike I was pootling along a canal path, hit my head on the path, when I came off. I was very happy to be wearing a helmet- quite a bit of damage to the bike though.

 

[Amarillo]

Last time I fell off my bike I was pootling along a canal path, hit my head on the path, when I came off. I was very happy to be wearing a helmet- quite a bit of damage to the bike though.

I was cycling along a canal towpath yesterday. I was having kittens that the boys were not wearing life jackets.

 

[aileron346]

I was coming home yesterday and a group of about 8-10 lads on mountain bikes were doing very nice wheelies down my (20mph, residential) road. The wheelies were amazing - held for ages and all in unison. Not a helmet amoung them. Happy, healthy and free. Not even the most curmudgeonly neighbour with a rolled up copy of the Daily Mail would begrudge them that. All power to them.

 

[Denzilgts]

I would certainly recommend a child to wear a helmet especially when they are building up confidence on the bike. Then when they are older they can have the choice.. either way it’s good to see a child cycling ,
Stay safe

 

[Joker 1299]

I was cycling along a canal towpath yesterday. I was having kittens that the boys were not wearing life jackets.

One life Tom, live it! (but be careful to do it at precisely 58 mph)

 

[Amarillo]

It softened the blow of a Cnoc 16 only getting to half its new price.

I’ve just sold a Cnoc 14 S for £190 having paid £240 for it over 3 years ago. That’s 6.5% depreciation per annum for a very well used child’s bike. Both Ben and Jack learnt to ride on it and it has be hauled around 33 different European countries on the back of Amarillo, and often locked to a tree in the rain overnight.

Wow! That bike had a net cost of £52.86 (including 3 years’ compound interest at 0.5% on £190).

 

[GrannyJen]

I was cycling along a canal towpath yesterday. I was having kittens that the boys were not wearing life jackets.

This could make a brilliant thread ..

Last time I fell off my bike ...

It was a mountain bike with one of those Japanese pedals (Shimano?) that nested with very clever Japanese shoes. No need for rat traps.

Cycling up a hill I saw one of my friends riding her horse. I knew she would be terribly impressed with my cycling skills, my ever so flashy designer lycra and my specially adapted wine carrier so I pulled up close... and couldn't get my foot of the pedal

She thought it quite amusing as I elegantly rolled off, feet still attached to the bike and me looking upwards at Dobbin's undercarriage

 

[Amarillo]

It was a mountain bike with one of those Japanese pedals (Shimano?) that nested with very clever Japanese shoes.

Can you imagine the horror of falling into a 3' deep canal with a bike attached to your feet at the pedals. Trying to get your head above water with the bike firmly anchored to the ooze and mud while trying to twist free of the cleats.

 

[Docmark]

Design of cycle helmets is an issue - they are way away from motorcycle helmets in effectiveness. Cycle helmets will provide some protection - eg in stationary falls from cycle-height, but obviously are less effective when traveling at speed - but still provide some protection. Who knows if wearing them makes us take more risks.
Interestingly I now see far more adults and children wearing them than ever before.
As the survivor of a career in A&E Medicine (35years+ front-line) I have seen most consequences of bicycle accidents (both caused by and caused to the rider). I made no judgement on the above posts - you are all adults and some responsible for children (- but for those interested, I wear a helmet on my bike despite their limited effectiveness.)
I am of an age when it was difficult to get our children into helmets when children (not trendy, bad design) - but they all wear them as adults - their choice!).

What really pisses me off is cyclists with no lights and dark clothing on the roads at night in the dark.

So how about seat-belts - who does not wear them? (for those who are interested in evidence - 'The Medical Effects of Seat Belt Legislation in the UK - HMSO research report no 13 1985!)

 

[Docmark]

Hi @Amarillo -- I completely agree with you.

Personally -- I don't wear a cycle helmet -- I believe that if I was to have a serious accident then wearing a helmet would probably mean I would have a less severe head injury. However, I also believe that the absolute risk of me having a serious injury on my bike is very low. Also, when I did use helmets they invariably got lost or stolen.

But that doesn't invalidate the research that's been done at all - as you correctly say you can only infer so much from any particular piece of work.



My second link (this one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bicycle+helmet)
is to a simple pubmed search showing a variety of research papers with differing methodologies with varying conclusions.

for those not familiar with pubmed -- this is the archiving system for peer-reviewed medical research.

at least this helps you get closer to what the original researchers did & the debate isn't solely on opinion and hearsay

Good summary of papers - clearly distinction between benefits in head injury and fatalities vs facial injuries where little benefit has been shown (possibly due to helmet design

 

[GrannyJen]

Can you imagine the horror of falling into a 3' deep canal with a bike attached to your feet at the pedals. Trying to get your head above water with the bike firmly anchored to the ooze and mud while trying to twist free of the cleats.

In all seriousness, I always felt they were an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Velma's Dad]

So how about seat-belts - who does not wear them? (for those who are interested in evidence - 'The Medical Effects of Seat Belt Legislation in the UK - HMSO research report no 13 1985!)

Pah. Evidence is so over-rated. When seatbelt law was coming in my dad hated it. He said belts would "prevent you from being thrown clear in an accident".