Do you wear a helmet every time you ride?

[()relics]

The risk with horses is inherent...if you want to minimize your risk give your horses to your neighbors and find a safer hobby...maybe skydiving.....danger is the reason horses are called horses and not rocking chairs....JMO...probably not right but mine.

 

[patandchickens]

How is wearing a helmet any different than wearing a seatbelt, looking both ways before crossing the road, checking to make SURE the breaker is thrown before you work on something electrical (as opposed to relying on someone's recollection), etc?

It is not like wearing a helmet cramps your style or limits what you can do in any way. For those of you for whom it feels uncomfortable or distracting, a) different brands fit differently and b) ANYthing new is different and distracting til you get used to it, does that mean you shouldn't try a different pair of reins or whatever?

I agree it's a personal choice, but it makes me crazy when people speak as if wearing a helmet would be some terrible onerous burden with too many disadvantages to possibly consider. The only thing you can say against it is it costs ya $50 or whatever to *buy* the helmet. (And obviously it is not permitted in certain competitions).

Heck, these days you can even still feel the wind in your hair with a helmet on, as many are made with quite a lot of ventilation. (Time was, heat stroke was a legitimate worry in some times and places with a helmet on, but things are VERY VERY different today).

I notice that those who have seen what NONlethal head injuries can do to a person for the whole rest of their lives tend to be particularly apt to wear helmets.

I notice this is pretty similar to how, once a person has seen or known someone seriously or fatally shocked by doing work on a circuit that turned out to be live after all, they stop trusting to luck on it.

So, how come we never hear rants about how it's overparanoid and weenie and ruins your quality of life to check breakers before cutting into electrical wires, that "what's meant to happen will happen"?


Pat

 

[Cetawin]

From the moment I got my first bike until I sold all of my bikes....yes, everytime I rode. Full Coverage race certified quality shoei. I spent as much for helmets as I did my riding leathers , I think the last Shoei I purchased was about $500 or near that. I also had them x-rayed yearly for cracks. I also wore kevlar gloves and riding leathers...some time I left the leathers at home.

Late one night I center punched a wild board around 250 lbs or so....I was doing well let's just say well over 90. That helmet and my kevlar gear saved me. I ended up with one broken toe and some road rash on one shoulder and my butt from sliding. I picked my bike up and rode it away.

I have see accidents with riders wearing half helmets and none...it is not pretty and often fatal. Sadly, when it is not fatal, the rider wishes it was.

So for me...it was never worth the risk to leave my gear at home.

 

[texasgal]

Quote:
Odds, maybe?

I don't think many people would live to muddy up the gene pool if they cut electrical wires without checking breakers.

I know TONS of folks that have lived to a ripe old age, many that ride horses every day of their lives, and never once wore a helmet.

I'm just sayin' ... I don't whine because you choose to WEAR a helmet .. quit whining because I chose not to .. that's all.

Edited to add .. I ALWAYS wear a helmet when riding my motorcycle .. again .. my choice.

 

[PurpleChicken]

I'm just wondering why people think they have a right to dictate what other people should do when it comes to their personal safety.

You feel better with a helmet? That's fine and I respect it. You don't want to wear a helmet then I respect that too. It's your body.

Riding a horse, motorcycle, or even bike can be dangerous. The only real way to prevent an injury is not to ride.


I went out for a 30 mile cruise last night and wore my helmet. It's great for keeping the heat in and I feel better with it on, especially when alone and at night. On a hot summer day it's jeans, a tshirt, and sunglasses for me.

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
PC I think the the biggest problem with it not being dictated by law is that many young people get bikes today that will do 150 mph right off the showroom floor, then they go out no helmet, no experience and end up killing themselves or turning themselves into a vegetable. The majority of bike riders today are under the age of 25 and sadly, most of them still need rules.

By my wearing one and insisting my son did when he rode with me, at age 25, he wears one and does not think twice about it. I feel comfortable that if he is hit or has an accident that his helmet will help keep him from a serious head injury. In some cases, it does not matter it you are wearing a suit of armour but with it....your chances are slim of not suffering a serious injury.

Just my opinion. I did too many injury and death cases involving motorcycles in my 20+ year career...trust me it changes your mind when you get into the picstures, the stastics and details of the stuff.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
PC I think the the biggest problem with it not being dictated by law is that many young people get bikes today that will do 150 mph right off the showroom floor, then they go out no helmet, no experience and end up killing themselves or turning themselves into a vegetable. The majority of bike riders today are under the age of 25 and sadly, most of them still need rules.

By my wearing one and insisting my son did when he rode with me, at age 25, he wears one and does not think twice about it. I feel comfortable that if he is hit or has an accident that his helmet will help keep him from a serious head injury. In some cases, it does not matter it you are wearing a suit of armour but with it....your chances are slim of not suffering a serious injury.

Just my opinion. I did too many injury and death cases involving motorcycles in my 20+ year career...trust me it changes your mind when you get into the picstures, the stastics and details of the stuff.

I understand where you are coming from, really. A helmet does protect a lot more than it impairs. If I ever have children who get a bike I'll insist on a helmet too. If you are used to it than you end up wanting it, sorta the way I am with seatbelts(always wear them).

My Dad's a retired cop. I can see the look in his eyes and the blood coming out of the tongue he's biting when he sees me on my bike without a helmet. He's seen some rough stuff too.

 

[patandchickens]

It seems like the great majority of posters here are *not* suggesting it should be mandatory, PC. Just that it's a pretty darn good idea.

There are certainly arguable reasons for saying that people have an interest in the safety of what others do, however. The reason insurance can cover the bills from injury is that ALL of us pay in that money. Those who are incapacitated by injuries, OTHER people are the ones having to take care of them for, potentially, the rest of their lives. Etc etc.

Thus there are, and have always been, plenty of laws on the books that restrict a person's freedom to do whatever dangerous thing they want, or require you to take precautions to reduce injury.

Now, me, I am not sure that adults wearing a helmet when riding should necessarily be in that category... but it would certainly not be without precedent, and there are non-insane arguements for that sort of law, even if you do not personally, on the whole of it, agree.

The only thing that bugs me is to see people paint helmet-wearing as pointless, ridiculous, or arduous-and-unpleasant, which it is NONE of those.

Pat

 

[Nupine]

I think everyone has gave some pretty good points. As far as people who think they are uncomfortable, you really need to try on different brands and styles, adjust them, make sure they fit, and get used to them before you say they are terribly uncomfortable. Of course anything new is at least a little akward or uncomfortable for a little while, like having to get used to wearing glasses or driving a stick shift for the first time. But once you get used to wearing a helmet it makes you feel very secure, and sometimes you forget it is even there.
Ashlyn

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

()relics :

The risk with horses is inherent...if you want to minimize your risk give your horses to your neighbors and find a safer hobby...maybe skydiving.....danger is the reason horses are called horses and not rocking chairs....JMO...probably not right but mine.

I second this. I've been badly hurt a few times by horses, but not while riding. I've been kicked by babies getting their first halter, stomped by angry 2-year-olds dealing with their first saddle, bitten by an angry stallion when I interfered with "his" mare in the breeding shed, cornered by a mare inside her stall when she was frightened by some monstrous claps of thunder and flashes of lightening.

Unlike motorcycles and cars, every single time you interact with a horse there IS a possibility of injury. Parked cars and bikes don't "gitcha", but a horse can. I don't think riding is any more likely to cause injury than any other activity that occurs around said horse. It's just more apt to occur publicly and get noticed. But I cannot tell you how many times I've been accidentally stepped on and had bones broken. THAT is far more common a horse-related injury for me than any other, even though I ALWAYS wear boots. And I've always got a bruise or two somewhere, even though all of my horses are super quiet and well-behaved.

Bottom line with horses is that if you are afraid of getting hurt, find yourself some other hobby, because when you mess with horses it IS gonna happen.

Rusty​