Biking in Bed Stuy Survey
Stats from a recent DOH survey of bicyclists in North and Central Brooklyn via Brooklyn Eagle: 80 percent of Bed Stuy bicyclists are male, 2 out of 3 were commuting, 9 out of 10 ride in bike lanes, and 95 percent of those riders prefer riding in bike lanes. In addition, more than 70 percent…
Stats from a recent DOH survey of bicyclists in North and Central Brooklyn via Brooklyn Eagle: 80 percent of Bed Stuy bicyclists are male, 2 out of 3 were commuting, 9 out of 10 ride in bike lanes, and 95 percent of those riders prefer riding in bike lanes. In addition, more than 70 percent observed were not wearing helmets and 20 percent biked against traffic.
>Most people accept the logic and wisdom of wearing a helmet. I do not understand why you do not.
donnatella it’s because I have numbers on my side, I’m of an age when NOBODY wore helmets and, regardless of what another poster said, the fact that hardly anyone worldwide wears helmets IS meaningful. Of course there are individual examples. The 92% stat says nothing…there’s no meaningful way to determine whether or not a helmet would’ve saved those lives. The difference between motorcycling and cycling is velocity. If you get hit by a vehicle cycling badly, a helmet will not save you. And if you’re a careful, slow cyclist, the danger of getting hit is minimal.
I prefer not using a helmet because it looks weird (imo), is one more thing to carry around, is hot in summer and is of marginal proven utility.
And, tlc, you’re making assumptions. When I occassionally go the wrong way, I even pull over if there’s a cyclist coming the other way. Your encountering one rude cyclist means nothing.
Well, thanks, dittoburg. It was a long time ago but it occurred to me that this biking discussions really got me going and I guess that is why. Bikers are so vulnerable riding around in city traffic and if they are not careful to obey the laws and to protect themselves as best they can, they assume really serious risks. IMHO, it is risky enough even if they do everything right. But as a careful driver who sees the chaos on the city streets from that perspective, I feel a heightened sense of responsibility, concern and FEAR about not hitting or harming these cyclists.
Donatella, thats awful, I’m very sorry to hear that.
maybe cmu is in need of a new kidney or liver.
Fruitless to argue with people who dismiss the huge safety benefit of helmets when you get into an accident. (Yes, the stats in that city report are alarming.) But at least ultimately the only people they are harming are themselves.
This is not true of cyclists who ride the wrong way in bike lanes. I was involved with scary game of chicken last weekend with a cyclist who came flying downhill going the wrong way in the bike lane. I was going the right way and there was a car next to me, with a few right behind, leaving her nowhere to go. She wanted to force me over to the right, into traffic. No way. Fortunately no one was hurt. (And at least she was apologetic. Somehow if this were a guy from the rules-and-helmets-are-stupid crowd, I think I would’ve gotten screamed at.)
Riding the wrong way is convenient and tempting — I’ve certainly done it — but it’s also really stupid. Just go around the block or on the sidewalk.
By cmu on July 23, 2010 12:50 PM
>Not wearing a helmet is self-destructive and crazy.
I give up. If even someone who *seems* reasonable as you something so idiotic, in spite of all I’ve tried to say, there’s no hope for reason to hold. Yes, I’m self-destructive and crazy, that’s why I’ve lived a reasonable long and very productive life. Sheesh.
So give up. My little brother died from a head injury riding a bike in traffic a long time ago. No helmet. Most people accept the logic and wisdom of wearing a helmet. I do not understand why you do not.
DH, do you wear any “helmet” at all?
cmu,
i don’t think your point is very clear. Obviously if you get run over by a truck a helmet is not going to protect you, but are you arguing that helmets don’t provide additional safety for cyclist and they are basically pointless? Safety habits of people in other countries is hardly relevant to determining whether it’s smart to follow suit. That argument could be extended to seat belts and motorcycle helmets, which are proven life savers.
A quick search turned up this in a NYC report based on data from ’95-’04: (http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/episrv/episrv-bike-report.pdf)
• Nearly all bicyclists who died (97%) were not wearing a helmet.
• Most fatal crashes (74%) involved a head injury.
Obviously this proves nothing w/o a full understanding of the data, but this combined with logic (my head scraping the pavement in a helmet will hurt less) tell me it’s probably a good idea.
I’ve also seen 2 separate bicyclists in pretty bad accidents on the park loop so wearing a helmet there is hardly silly.
it’s really important to wear a helmet when you’re riding a bike intoxicated.