Peltzman effect

[mat h physics]

'The more safety equipment you have on, the more likely you are to get injured.'

While the source of material isn't readily at hand, the general information is documented. A while back, one of the Scandinavian countries passed a bike helmet regulation, Holland if I'm not mistaken. The regulation was soon repealed, as in the following months there was a 11-14% increase in ER visits for head trauma. Though falling off a bike has more to do with the rider, some things are random and out of the riders control. On the trail, many older gentlemen have commented on my lack of a helmet, while they themselves don't wear eye protection. Having logged thousands of miles on those trails, the primary hazard for me has been bugs in the eye, or the occasional low hanging vegetation. ergo My priority has been eye protection.
Now this is only my experience. I'm sure in hot and extreme environments hydration could take priority. Cold condition would warrant proper insulation. So who out there has other conditions and priorities they would like to share from their typical riding scenarios? Any other Peltzman effects you're aware of?

 

[ccihon]

What would the law mandating helmets do to increase head injuries? Reduced visibility? Increased risky behavior due to false sense of security? More injuries in the ER because fewer in the morgue?

I am thinking it's none of these, and there is really no correlation, but I don't have any other background on this. I am a firm believer in the protection afforded by cycling helmets, and have damaged helmet that proves it effectiveness.

Safety is certainly not only about personal protective equipment, but also about clear vision and visibility, traffic avoidance or detection, road hazard and equipment failure measures, to name a few.

 

[99t4]

My own personal experience. Long cycling career. Crashed several times both helmetless and helmeted. Helmeted is better.

Agree 100% yes eye protection. Also gloves.

 

[JackFlorey]

What would the law mandating helmets do to increase head injuries?

If helmets (for example) reduce visibility that could occur. People use that to justify not wearing hard hats - that the lack of upward visibility means you are more likely to hit your head on something low hanging.

Personally it's never been an issue for me. In fact my helmet increases visibility since I have a mirror stuck to it, and I feel like I can't see as well when I am not wearing one.

 

[portals]

The Dutch don't wear helmets as most of their bike lanes are segregated so they feel safe.

Most of the bike lanes where I live are a joke and just the inside lane painted with line....lazy and unsafe.

 

[amberwolf]

If anyone would like to read them, there have been a few discussions of this issue (not by this name) in other helmet/etc threads over the years, some of them are listed here

ES 1.0 Graveyard - Search

This one has the most:

Helmets Part 1,489,348 - To Wear Or Not To Wear - ES 1.0 Graveyard

 

[kabman]

' A while back, one of the Scandinavian countries passed a bike helmet regulation, Holland if I'm not mistaken.

Really?

Holland never passed any helmet regulation, Holland's not in Scandinavia, Holland's not even a country.

 

[Chalo]

What would the law mandating helmets do to increase head injuries? Reduced visibility? Increased risky behavior due to false sense of security?

Reduced situational awareness due to helmet noise, diminished peripheral vision, and/or discomfort. Risk compensation in excess of helmets' actual protection, both by the helmet wearer and by motorists.

When entire regions adopt blanket bicycle helmet mandates, their cyclist injuries and fatalities tend to stay about the same, but cycling rates decrease, thus the risk to helmet wearing cyclists who remain increases. Whole population data have demonstrated that bicycle helmets don't help overall. That's in spite of the fact that helmets are demonstrated to pass instrumented tests for effectiveness and there are countless anecdotal cases of them preventing injury. So whatever physical protection they provide is offset by other effects.

 

[raylo32]

Doesn't matter. I know a helmet will help me.

Whole population data have demonstrated again and again that bicycle helmets don't help overall.

 

[Chalo]

Doesn't matter. I know a helmet will help me.

Yes, it's an article of faith among helmet proponents rather than an evaluation of evidence.

 

[raylo32]

LOL... not faith. I have seen in person how helmets have saved numerous people in crashes on fast road bike rides where we always go > 40 MPH and often go well over 50 MPH.. Crashes not caused by any of those supposed issues with helmets like visibility. Cracked helmet, not cracked head. Pretty simple. But on putz rides on a bike path? Yeah, I can see passing on a helmet.

Yes, it's an article of faith among helmet proponents rather than an evaluation of evidence.

 

[raylo32]

And on by that same nonsense argument when I get in my car today, fasten my seatbelt and check that my airbag failure light is not on, I guess I am supposed to head out there and drive it like I stole it... or like a Hollywood stuntman. Well, not really.

 

[Chalo]

LOL... not faith. I have seen in person how helmets have saved numerous people in crashes on fast road bike rides where we always go > 40 MPH and often go well over 50 MPH..

Racing and intentional risk taking are good reasons to wear protective gear. They're also a great example of risk compensation, in other words, doing something risky while wearing protective gear that you wouldn't do without it.

Risk compensation is probably the main reason that bicycle helmets don't show populationwide benefits. But it's not just something that helmet wearers do. Controlled studies have shown that motorists pass closer to helmeted cyclists than unhelmeted ones.

 

[ccihon]

Faith is often evidence-based

 

[E-HP]

Yes, it's an article of faith among helmet proponents rather than an evaluation of evidence.

Anectdotel, but I've gained four extra lives because of helmets; one on bicycle. They are a trade-off, but I don't think bicycle statistics apply. Speed statistics apply. If you're consistently riding (bike, motorcycle, one wheel, etc.) over 30 mph, and risk of head injury or fatality goes up, I always wear a helmet. If I forget, I'll turn around and go get it. Above 40 mph, I'd go with full face helmet. With motorcycles, the saying is, there are two types of riders, the ones who have crashed and the ones that will. So, as the stakes get higher, you accept the downsides of helmets in order to stay alive.

BTW I'm against helmet laws, except maybe for kids. Darwin takes care of the rest. I used to love riding my motorcycle without a helmet before they put in a law here, but you can't go too fast because you can't see once your sunglasses go flying off your head, but it was still fun and freeing at double digit speeds.

 

[CONSIDERABLE SHOUTING]

Yes, it's an article of faith among helmet proponents rather than an evaluation of evidence.

I have entire sections of chapters in my nursing and paramedicine textbooks dedicated to what head and brain injuries to expect with children who fall or are struck without wearing proper helmets. Hell, i've even had a child struck by a baseball when he took his helmet off for a practice game and he lost vision for ~20 minutes.

Make sure it's properly fitted and wear a damn helmet, I see too many preventable brain injuries. Don't give me more work!

 

[portals]

Really?

Holland never passed any helmet regulation, Holland's not in Scandinavia, Holland's not even a country.

Holland is a country I think, just not as big as Netherlands?

Anyway, it might be Denmark (it's in Scandinavia), however the law never got passed.

I was in Copenhagen few yrs ago for a week with a work go-live staying near Tivoli Gardens and you could easily be in Amsterdam re number bikes and no helmets

 

[E-HP]

Holland is a country I think, just not as big as Netherlands?

Holland is one region of the Netherlands (the country), but people sometimes use Holland and Netherlands interchangeably.

 

[raylo32]

They have much better and safer cycling infrastructure and awareness, so it is not a great comparison to most of the rest of the world. But I still wonder about how many preventable head injuries they have.

I believe that there is certainly some statistical evidence to support the negative effects on behavior that helmets might present... but to say that is equal to the benefits is absurd. And I really would like to be against helmet laws because I favor individual accountability... except for the costs that irresponsible fools end up imposing on the rest of us due to preventable "accidents".

Holland is a country I think, just not as big as Netherlands?

Anyway, it might be Denmark (it's in Scandinavia), however the law never got passed.

I was in Copenhagen few yrs ago for a week with a work go-live staying near Tivoli Gardens and you could easily be in Amsterdam re number bikes and no helmets

 

[E-HP]

And I really would like to be against helmet laws because I favor individual accountability... except for the costs that irresponsible fools end up imposing impose on the rest of us due to preventable "accidents".

So I guess Patrick Henry should have said, "give my liberty, unless there's a cost"?

 

[raylo32]

Yup. If one man's "liberty" takes away another's.

So I guess Patrick Henry should have said, "give my liberty, unless there's a cost"?

 

[Chalo]

My most recent anecdote? My fiancée got a cord snarled around her front hub axle this last January and was tossed forward off her bike. She suffered a major forehead laceration and a subarachnoid hemorrhage with significant resulting brain damage that she is still coping with. Her expensive, highly regarded helmet didn't prevent that, but it did give her a nasty looking neck injury from the strap.

Who knows? Maybe her helmet prevented her from being killed. But maybe it just performed as well as a foam hat seems like it would perform in a crash, which is to say not especially well.

She still wears a helmet, which I think is a good idea for her. As for me, I think I'm safer with my hearing and vision unimpaired by a helmet. When I wear one, I feel like my 360 degree radar has been switched off. And I also feel like I'm publicly misrepresenting the hazards of riding a bike versus other risky things that people don't wear helmets for, like climbing ladders, taking showers, or going outside in icy conditions. Sadly, that misrepresentation has real negative effects on cyclist safety because it makes motorists more callous and inconsiderate.

 

[Chalo]

I believe that there is certainly some statistical evidence to support the negative effects on behavior that helmets might present... but to say that is equal to the benefits is absurd.

Is it really, when widespread/universal adoption of bicycle helmets has no overall effect (or has a negative overall effect) on cyclist injury and fatality rates? If they don't improve outcomes across the entire cycling population, I think that's tangible proof that the downsides equal or even exceed the benefits.

If hitting your head is assured, a helmet will probably help. But the body of data suggests that wearing one will increase the likelihood and/or severity of hitting your head when it isn't a given.

 

[raylo32]

Not buying it.

You didn't make an argument for no helmet. You just made an argument that she needed to be wearing one of those full face helmets. That is something that I would never do on a bicycle even though I have seen some nasty facial damages before. But I do use a full face helmet on my motorcycle.

But the body of data suggests that wearing one will increase the likelihood and/or severity of hitting your head when it isn't a given.

She suffered a major forehead laceration and a subarachnoid hemorrhage with significant resulting brain damage that she is still coping with. Her expensive, highly regarded helmet didn't prevent that

 

[raylo32]

I have heard this argument about motorcycle helmets and it makes even less sense for bicycle helmets, which simply do not impair hearing or vision in any meaningful way. Maybe I'd feel different if I had some of that 360 degree head radar?? And nowadays I use a real Varia radar. That thing is legit good tech.

As for me, I think I'm safer with my hearing and vision unimpaired by a helmet. When I wear one, I feel like my 360 degree radar has been switched off.