On the topic of helmets

So, I've been thinking about this one for a while. Like, months and months kind of a while. To the point that I actually thought about starting this blog back in August or so, and leading off with this post. Then, yesterday, as I was on my ride, when I saw something that reminded me of my post. But I'll get to that.

See, in June of 2012, I was involved in a pretty gnarly crash, which involved me landing on my helmet. During that crash, I ended up with a cracked helmet, and blood coming out of several new wounds. Thankfully, my bike was fine, and I ended up with only a mild concussion. If I wasn't a believer in the humble helmet before, I sure was now.

This was after I got cleaned up.

A bit of shoulder damage.

Back on track, though. During the summer, people, rather obviously, love being outside. Especially here in SoCal. And why wouldn't they? It's sunny, warm, and gorgeous. SoCal during the summer is picturesque, and practically begs you to set foot outside of your climate controlled shelter and get some wind in your hair. During this time, I always see a huge uptick in the number of people riding their bikes, especially families.

Is this you during the summer?

But, here's what gets me. Probably 60% of the parents out with their kids aren't wearing their helmets. Or one parent will be, while the other is rockin' either nothing, or what some friends and I call "the cloth helmet" (see also: hat). This probably bothers me to no end, but I'd like to try and get my thoughts out there, in the hopes that I'll either figure out why people think it's OK to ride without a helmet, or that somebody, preferably a parent, will explain it to me.

Here's my reasoning, though. I think that we can all agree that kids, whether they want to admit it or not, are impressionable, and will take note of decisions and actions that their parents make. While you, as a parent, may tell your child to wear a helmet when going out for a ride, your kid will notice if you choose to wear one or not and may, at a later date, think that they don't need to, simply because you, as their parent, didn't. How many times have you heard a kid swear, because it's something that they heard their parent say? I know, I'm stretching my parallels here, but I really want to drive my point home. My point is, kids are impressionable, and odds are good that they'll mimic the actions of their parents.

Now, you might argue that you're an adult, and that you don't need to wear a helmet because either A) it's not required by law where you are, or B) you almost never ride, so your chances of crashing are greatly reduced, or C) that you're always really, really, really safe. OK. That's all fine and dandy. But the fact of the matter is, accidents do happen. That's why they're called accidents. Everybody plans on being safe. But when you're about to hit the pavement, that plan you had to be safe goes right out the window.

Do you think that Tory planned on crashing?

While the numbers may vary, studies say that wearing a helmet can decrease your chances of a serious or fatal head/brain injury by anywhere from 63-88%. If somebody told you that wearing a helmet while you ride your bike would decrease your phone bill by 63-88%, you'd do it, wouldn't you? So why not wear a helmet, and decrease your chances of suffering a major injury?

"But Ray," you might proclaim. "My helmet is so ugly! That's why I don't wear it!" I'm gonna hit ya with two points here. First off, you can buy another one. Second off, if somebody can get a cat to wear a helmet, you can put one on, too!

The fact of the matter is, accidents happen. You can't predict them. But you can do what you can to minimize any potential injury.

Sorry if this post sounds super preachy. This has always been a big issue with me. And with the holidays right around the corner, I just want to remind everyone to stay safe out there. As a reward, here's a funny cat gif that I chose, just for you guys!