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Reputation: 24

Why don't bike riders in Seattle wear helmets?

Everyday not only do I see motorists yaking on their phones or texting,I also see countless cyclists without helmets. Is everyone here suicidal,impervious to death or just too cool for their own well being? Or maybe they assume if they fall it'll be on their feet? Am I missing something here? I'm not buying into their revolution.I'm going to continue wearing my helmet,well because it keeps my hair from blowing in my face.

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16 Answers

  • Thh_jpeg_small
    Reputation: 55

    Because, duh, vegetative states are like so totally awesome!

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  • Memstad2011_copy_small
    Reputation: 593

    I am actually inclined to be less careful driving around cyclists who are not wearing a helmet, because if they don't care about their safety why should I?
    (just kidding, I'm actually pretty proud to have never caused an accident.)

    A lot of the helmetless cyclists seem to be preserving their hairstyle...better hope your Mom knows a hip undertaker, so you can continue to look that good in your coffin!

    When cycling I regard the helmet as I would a condom...ugly, uncomfortable, takes away from the experience, but absolutely necissary because I may find one person I trust to be monogamous, but I'll be damned if I trust every dumbass driver in Seattle.

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  • Photo_on_2012-01-03_at_17
    Reputation: 628

    Maybe they grew up riding without helmets and they can't get used to wearing them. It is a little hard to get used to helmets, because you suddenly feel like you can't see or hear anything correctly compared with going helmetless. For anyone who thinks all bike helmets are ugly, you need to check out nutcase helmets for the cutest and best helmets ever! (www.nutcasehelmets.com). Yah, I mean, helmets can be a drag, but better than brain damage!

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  • Gold-head_small
    Reputation: 6000

    If you don't wear a helmet, you're fucking crazy. Period. You should read about the guy in Boston whose son got a job as a bike messenger and was killed by hitting his head on a curb on THE FIRST DAY, helmet=life, and his dad used to drive around town with a station wagon full of helmets and hand them out free to people riding without them. Break your heart. Break your heart.

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  • Mike_hall_08_small
    Reputation: 408

    Really? I bike a fair amount and I very rarely see cyclists without helmets. I can't remember the last time, actually.

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  • Img_3380_small
    Reputation: 3752

    It's all for the cool factor. I actually think it's funny NOT to wear a helmet as it then becomes blatantly obvious that someone is trying that much harder just to look cool. Everyone I know who seriously rides their bikes (as in- they ride them off the Hill) owns and wears a helmet. Kids on the hill? Not so much.

    I ride a fixed gear, and I wear a dorky ass white roadie helmet. And I don't give a crap.

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  • Wl205_loose_classic_wreath_small
    Reputation: 48

    I am reading the fascinating book "Traffic" by Tom Vanderbilt. In it, he cites a study in which a researcher rode a bicycle around with or without a helmet and measured the space that passing cars gave him. He discovered that when he wore a helmet, vehicles tended to pass closer than when he did not wear a helmet. Can you think of why this might be?

    It seems as though a bicyclist who does not wear a helmet might be less likely to get hit by a car, while a bicyclist who is wearing a helmet is more likely to survive/reduce serious injuries if a collision occurs.

    Another thing to consider is that Dutch bicyclists wear helmets more rarely than Americans do. At the same time, the Netherlands has a much lower fatality rate per mile traveled for cyclists than does the USA.

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  • Gozer_small
    Reputation: 224

    I've noticed the greatest concentration of helmetless cyclists in Capitol Hill and First Hill. My friends who live there keep telling me "It's a hipster thing." I live in less cool parts of Seattle (read: north of the ship canal), and I've always noticed that cyclists there seem to wear their helmets obsessively. But, I also think that, as I go further north, I also see more and more motorists texting, talking on their mobiles, applying makeup, and doing all sorts of other distracting tasks while driving. Maybe those drivers should wear helmets, too!

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  • Nyan-cat-ftw-video2463_small
    Reputation: 1747

    Not having a car, I ride my bike(s) A LOT. Whenever I'm riding on city streets, you bet you're ass i'm wearing a helmet, smaller driver distance or not.

    However, whenever my trip takes me exclusively on the Burke, or through a nearly traffic-less residential neighborhood (on a quick grocery/library trip etc.) i rarely wear a helmet.

    Whenever we (bicyclists) are forced to share space with you (motorists), i think we should always cover our asses because it's just the safe thing to do. I mean, dorky fashion is a small price to pay for insurance of continued mental faculties :)

    If the only hazards are potholes and pedestrians (who are unfortunately *much* less polite than anyone on any kind of wheels) - i think that the risk is minimal enough to warrant some hair in the wind-freedom.

    **as long as you ride SUPER defensively

    but that's just me

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  • Opusr_small
    Reputation: -11

    Studies in Canada show that bicycle helmets don't make a difference in injury severity.

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  • Sacri_ordines_by_charism_small
    Reputation: 3723

    I'm out on the streets 10 hours a day, and notice more and more bikers sans helmets, even riding down steep ass hills like Counterbalance, Yesler, Denny or 23rd/24th.

    darwin will rescue us from these idiots:

    there's no helmet on their heads because there's so precious little to protect

    ;)

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  • Photo_17_small
    Reputation: 126

    Because they obviously have worthless malfunctioning stupid brains that they don't care about so they don't care if they get damaged or ruined in an accident.

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  • Avatar_default
    Reputation: 75

    because it would ruin their sweet flock of seagulls hair cut.

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  • Kermitsex_small
    Reputation: 2421

    lf l'm going anywhere other than my immediate neighborhood, l wear a helmet. l always ride the sidewalks in my area, as they're fairly wide and can accommodate a cyclist without annoying pedestrians, and l have good brakes and a bell. But if l'm going further than that, and venturing into less familiar territory, l always wear it.

    l'm a pretty good defensive rider, but other than about four blocks, the drivers around here scare the shit out of me. l'm so not placing my life in their hands.

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  • Ozomahtli_small
    Reputation: 2398

    I rarely see people on bikes without helmets.

    And when I do, my first thought is for someone out there is who waiting for a kidney, or a liver, or a heart, and that the world needs more organ donors.

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  • Photo_20_small
    Reputation: 304

    I grew up riding without a hemet. Helmets were for halfpipes and BMX tracks. Mountain biking was a nascent Norcal hippie activity and professional and amateur road racers wore helmets at their own discretion. Despite this, I do wear a helmet most of the time. When I chose not to however, I can't see how that is anybody else's concern. I know a lot of people have had some close calls, some crashes a few have been hit by cars. If you're getting hit or crashing a lot, the problem is probably that you are inexperienced, inattentive or just incompetent, so by all means please protect your dome. But can't we just let people make their own decisions lest we end up admonishing people for driving a nail without safety goggles. Bicycling on a city street is not such an inherently dangerous activity. I know what I'm doing. Kindly mind your own business, Seattle.

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