To Helmet or Not To?

This post was originally published on Bikes&Humans Cooperative’s blog

I don’t know about you but I really hate helmets. I love cycling but I really hate helmets.

My commute to work is about an hour long and I’m certainly not getting to my destination with helmet hair. Yes, I’m shallow like that. Also, I have an acne prone skin and I don’t want anything touching my sweaty face for extended periods of time. I gave helmet a try, I really did, but wearing it all the time would be a deal breaker for me. I just love cycling too much to wear a helmet. Still, I wouldn’t base my decision on vanity alone.

What I’ve learned riding helmet-less in NY is that people will actually stop what they’re doing to let you know you should be wearing one. Cyclists, car commuters and pedestrians, they’re all in on the helmet mania. I don’t know about you but I don’t like people (especially strangers) making comments about things they think I should or should not be doing with my life. Let’s not get too political here, though.

My parents never bothered to get me a bicycle helmet when I was a kid, no one wore one at the time and I grew up in an urban environment. When I came back to cycling in my late 20s, the helmet culture took over big time. Did cycling become more dangerous or we became more frightened? Is bicycle commuting an extreme sport?

A few of my dear friends would often assert how my cycling lifestyle in NY is brave. Really, guys? Something just didn’t feel right. Things started making more sense when I discovered Mikael Colville Andersen, urban designer and urban mobility expert. His Ted Talk spoke to what I already knew in my heart is true but lacked data to make my case. Mikael, or as he’s being referred to — the Pope of urban cycling, makes an outstanding case. He refers to himself as the man who’s “putting the fuck you back into status quo in urban design since 2007.” No wonder the same man that took a stand against helmets also coined a phrase “Cycle Chic”. Is there anything less chic than helmet hair? Not only Mikael, other smart humans also made their cases against helmets. Or rather, “all the attention placed on helmets at the expense of learning how to not get hit by cars.” British neurosurgeon, Dr. Henry Marsh, decides to wear a cowboy hat on his bike as he sees no point in wearing a helmet. Bike Snob NYC, the ultimate blogger and writer about cycling and the cycling subculture, nails the to helmet or not to debate. Among the rest, he points out that, “Mandatory bicycle helmet laws are just one more way of shifting responsibility away from the driver and onto you.”

Facts on helmet usage are actually quite illuminating. Not only that helmets are not particularly helpful but wearing them can also make cycling more dangerous. For example, research shows that countries with the greatest number of helmeted cyclists also have the highest rate of cycling head injuries. Motorists and cars give less space to cyclists with helmets, helmeted cyclists have bigger heads so it’s much more likely to slam them against the road when they’re falling and, of course, wearing a helmet affects cyclists’ hearing ability. Michael Bluejay goes about this more in depth. States with helmet laws enacted have seen a significant decrease in the number of cyclists. Moreover, tickets issued to no-helmet cyclists have largely targeted minorities. You know, people that actually use their bikes as a tool for socio-economic empowerment.

Talking about marginalized groups here, let’s think for a moment how many women vs. man would be affected with helmet laws? Women cycle less to begin with and being a woman myself, I know that helmet hair is a big problem. Sweating is another. Maybe we develop stronger thighs even, God forbid. What kind of a woman is that? Is that even a woman? For ages, cycling was considered to be an anti-feminine activity. That’s why cycling and feminism are such great friends. For women, bicycle is a tool for “personal and political power.”Nothing should ever interfere with this notion.

Basically it goes like this — Promote helmets, make cycling look calamitous and extreme, promote helmets more, publish tons of bias data, sell more helmets, sell more cars. If research shows that risk of head injury per million hours traveled is for:

Cyclists — 0.41

Pedestrians — 0.80

Motor vehicle occupants — 0.46

Motorcyclists — 7.66

Why are pedestrians not wearing helmets? Or car drivers?

There is a ton of stuff written on pros and cons of wearing a helmet. They certainly prevent some injuries and it would be a good idea to wear them all the time, on and off your bicycle. Whether you decide to wear one or not, remember that wearing a helmet is, and should always be, your own choice. Germany is building autobahns for cyclists. Amazing, right? Maybe proper alternative transportation system would decrease cycling injuries as well?

As the old Serbian proverb suggests — Not everything that flies should be eaten. Remember to think through everything society throws at you. A lot of it is paid advertising. We are stronger than fear and cannot ever be reduced to our buyer personas. Dammit.