NYT: To Encourage Biking, Cities Lose the Helmets

[Thinking Skins]

Why not wear a helmet? Especially with bikes riding in streets with high speed cars at high speeds, there's a great risk of injury. I'm not sure how much safer helmets are, but I'd think they're safer and I don't see the purpose of not wearing them. Its kinda like wanting to not wear seatbelts. I mean, yeah it makes you big and bad, but do you really want to die for that?

[renaissance]

Having read through literally hundreds of police reports for accidents involving bike and cars, I would never ride in a populated area w/out wearing a helmet.

Seriously people. You see how terribly people drive when there are just other cars on the road, and you want to go up against that on your bicycle with nothing between your head and the pavement but your hair?

[mcsluggo]

I loved riding my bike when I lived in Philly. Got hit by a few cars, but it's because I was being an *******.

I hate those helmet laws for peddle bikes. What a joke. If you're unsafe or learning, yes, wear one.

I use to be very into mountain biking and I'd usually wear one if I was going downhill fast. But when I see somebody, an adult, riding a bike in the suburbs, through a development, wearing a helmet, I want to push them down.

Falling down? Use your arms and cover your head.

did you also like to knock down foreign and gay kids in the locker room at school ?

[MassSkinsFan]

Urban biking in the US is different than it is in the EU. I've been a bike commuter for 20+ years in Boston and biked the mean streets of NYC for the 3 years I lived there too, and it's not comparable. I've visited many European cities with great bike systems, and I've noticed four huge differences:

The bikers go much slower
There are bike lanes or other dedicated byways in many of the streets
The cars actually make allowances for all this
The bikers obey the traffic laws to the same extent as the drivers

It's just a different culture here - none of those things happen. I think comparing the two is like comparing apples and eggs.

[Koolblue13]

We should live like they do in Wall-E.

I was watching some ****ty movie with my girl last night and the time period was when England ran the world and they all started dressing like a bunch of fancy pansies and women. What a joke.

Riding a bike in normal conditions and being required to wear a helmet is like being required to wear a helmet and life vest when tubing in a slow river.

I'm no athlete, but if I am riding a bike in normal conditions and i decide to start doing dangerous crap like riding into traffic or jumps or down hill, I'll put a helmet on. Bt if I'm riding down the road, no, I won't. I shouldn't have to.

The responses I got in this thread, for my comments are pathetic. Go live in a ****ing hamster ball or go out have fun and fall down and get dirty. Get busy living or get busy dieing.

---------- Post added October-5th-2012 at 04:55 PM ----------

did you also like to knock down foreign and gay kids in the locker room at school ?

It was a joke geared for people who are afraid of life. Get over yourself.

---------- Post added October-5th-2012 at 05:33 PM ----------

I wonder if any of the people upset that I think helmet laws are for asshats, are against the large soda bans or oil bans that I like.

Imagine riding a bike around cars and going fast, it's dangerous right? Maybe you should slow down or change roads or put a helmet on. They don't make helmets for obesity, heart attacks and strokes.