TEDxCopenhagen - Mikael Colville-Andersen - Why We Shouldn't Bike with a Helmet

[SteveH3820]

I wear a helmet because I am a natural klutz. I have had 2 accidents, one with a car and one without, that probably would have left me brain dead or just dead if I hadn't had a helmet. I can definitely see that if I lived in the city and commuted to work, that I wouldn't want to wear a helmet. I live in Minneapolis and inner city bicycling is exploding and I love it. We just need to make our cities more bike friendly.

[harshbarj]

Some facts from Wikipedia.

"There is an active scientific debate, with no consensus, on whether helmets are useful for cyclists in general, and on whether any benefits are outweighed by their disadvantages."

"In the USA, two-thirds of cyclists admitted to hospital have a head injury. Ninety per cent of cyclist deaths are caused by collisions with motor vehicles"

"Wearing helmets may make cyclists feel safer and thus take more risks."

all from Wikipedia's bicycle helmet article. look it up.

[fdkahfliafh]

He makes a good point. Although you can argue against helmet advocacy, you can't argue against actually wearing one. I just bought a new helmet because mine cracked last time I fell. My head is fine thanks to the helmet. Helmets may not save you from death when you get hit by a car, but they keep minor accidents from becoming major ones.

[harshbarj]

@fdkahfliafh , actually you CAN argue against actually wearing one. The odds of dying in a bicycle crash is 1 in 4919. Your odds of dying while walking down the street, one in 626. and 1 in 84 in a car. Do people wear helmets while walking or driving a car? Then why should they on a bicycle. It's the safest form of transit we have.

The numbers quoted are from National Safety Council and released in 2005.

I live in the Us and proudly don't wear a helmet. Cycle Chic forever!

[aikighost]

@fdkahfliafh And I don't wear a helmet because Id rather not cycle than have to wear one.

[bigepi]

He wasted two and a half years 'researching' what? 'Laboratory' which one all of them?

Which helmets all of them? I don't mind wearing a helmet, mind you I have never fallen onto it but I have had many a magpie swoop into which would otherwise have been my naked head. I have wondered if they do work, since they are quite hard.

The statistics are fantasy, it's an academics favourite game called draw the lines between the dots that don't exist. Is the helmet to blame or the marketing.

[MrMarafi]

If London had cycle paths and cycle lanes REAL ones not the blue paint crap. Then i would get rid of my helmet and only use it for roller blading. Sadly with London roads i would not cycle without my helmet!

[agroundhere]

I'm presently recovering from a mild concussion from a New Years Day fall in Palm Beach. Without my now cracked helmet I'd be posting this from a hospital. The road rash is almost healed. Falls are part of the adventure but a serious injury is not.

[dantvo]

I've known of a few people who crashed on a bike at low speeds and cracked their skull open. I have personally hit my head on asphalt without a helmet enough times while biking around 30mph and have never had that happen. I don't know how a helmet will actually save my skull from being broken apart until it actually happens. That's a leap of faith. I also live in Houston, which has probably the most aggressive drivers I've ever encountered in a city that's completely almost dependent on driving.

[crouchingturbo]

I'm actually on this guy's side, but he's playing fast and loose with too many facts for this presentation to be worthwhile. Many of his comparisons are apples to oranges, for example bicycle safety vs car safety. If you drive 15,000 miles in a car, you shouldn't compare that to 500 miles on a bike for accidents.

[grandmasterj5]

My flatemate says this guy is talking crap, as he went out today and bought a bike, with a helmet :D

Reasons that bike sales go down. 1. we're lazy bastards and would rather go by car/train/bus. 2. the whole world is having financial problems, so less people will be buying as less people are working. 3. Those bloody little scooter things for kids with the tiny wheels. 4. More people are buying mopeds aswell. There's more reasons.

I get his point, but he should have used a different subject

[caolan003]

The primary message here is not necessarily that wearing a helmet is bad, rather that when we market or legislate that helmets are necessary we 'scare' normal people away from riding bikes. In this talk it's suggested that we're 'fearing' people into a sedentary lifestyle and that we could 'save' more people (more exercise, healthier lifestyles, etc) if they weren't afraid to ride bikes and that any head injuries would be minimal in comparison.

[ChrisConwaydotca]

It's not fear - it's common sense. I have seen a helmet save a life literally. I have also hit my head on the pavement after falling and was glad my helmet was on because I KNOW it made a difference. They are light and comfortable and I never even notice I have it on. WHY would you try to encourage a backward step in common sense personal protective equipment...will you start on workplace safety next? Lets take away eye protection in machine shops or steel toed boots on construction sites.

[KrunchyJD]

@ChrisConwaydotca Yes, but if helmets put people off cycling and compulsory helmet laws do, then more people die from lack of exercise. No-one is against helmet use. Some people are against helmet laws. Why are the 2 safest places to ride a bike Denmark and The Netherlands, where noone wears a helmet. The reason(s) seperation from cars, and laws that protect cyclists. Cars are the things that need to be controlled.

[vicoll135]

What happened to Vancouver?

[mhowey]

Not wearing a helmet is so Darwinian. Please, DO NOT wear a helmet, you are messing with natural selection. Just make sure if you do crash, you crash hard enough that you don't survive so I don't end up paying Obamacare for you while you are in a vegetable state.

[KrunchyJD]

@mhowey No, instead, "Obamacare" as you call it will go up in cost because of all the FAT AMERICANS in cars.

[crankgirl]

I'm torn. I agree that we are battling a culture of fear. However, I must be one of the few cyclists who have benefited from wearing a helmet. Fell off my bike and hit my head on the corner of a concrete planter. Quite sure I would have been left with a horrible head injury had I not been wearing it.

A friend also survived a head on collision with a car (his head actually hit the bumper) thanks to a helmet. He was told by a doctor at the scene he would have died without it.

[KrunchyJD]

@crankgirl Let people decide if they want to wear a helmet. If you control cars then you don't have the accidents. Again Denmark and The Netherlands are the safest places to ride a bike where few people wear helmets. They seperate the cyclists from the cars, and actually enforce laws that stop aggressive driving of cars. Also many people cycle.

I am not saying dont wear a helmet, it should be up to you.

[marcelo2072]

Meu Deus , quanta besteira !!!!

[MrJre22]

promotion of helmets for urban cycling is a way for politicians to save money instead of solving the real problem, making roads saver for cyclists.

[KrunchyJD]

@MrJre22 Well said!

[helgih580]

I know that the thud helmet idea is stupid, but every time my sisters' children come over, they bang their head on something. Every single time, and usually on a very hard surface and cry for a long time afterwards. Still, I think some injuries are required in order to learn, I mean what would happen when you would take these helmets off them? However, you can't learn if your dead so I use a helmet when riding my motorcycle.

[Gammr0]

@illtrax:

Did you know that professional cyclists wear helmets because they are also aerodynamically shaped?

[PeiPeisMom]

@Gammr0

To be honest, I'm the type of cyclist he's speaking to. I don't ride fast enough to worry about aerodynamics; I never go for more than a 22 mile round trip, and I don't own even a bit of spandex. I'm currently searching for a cup-holder (NOT a water bottle holder) for my big, fat, heavy cruiser so I can ride at 6 mph in STYLE. Huzzah!

[madraven07]

@PeiPeisMom I have a coffee cup holder. Very decadent.

[escorpion1991]

Cycling is safer than motoring, hell yeah, thats out of the question. Cycling is safe without a helmet, that depends on the place and style of riding. I wear a helmet because i ride on the woods and do some fast city riding so my chances to fall and hit the ground pretty hard are higher than the average rider, my helmet have saved me some injuries and pain X).

[PeiPeisMom]

@escorpion1991

I think if you ride in the woods, a helmet is a very different, and necessary, accessory. I hope you wear glasses, too--I worry about you mountain bikers getting sticks in the eye!

[mellohippo25]

...just walk it.

[illtrax]

Better safe the sorry. I didn't wear a helmet when I was young but then I grew up and realized I didn't want brain damage, I strap one on.

Years ago a boy on my friends street fell of his bike and was paralyzed... no helmet. He just lost his footing and fell sideways.

Look at all the best riders... do they wear helmets... YES!!! And hey are professionals.

Your an idiot if you have to be told to wear a helmet.

[dudeyourvideosucks11]

@illtrax you can call me an idiot and tell me to wear a helmet but trying to pass laws and MAKE me wear one is different it should be up to the individual

[mrKoncpom]

I am using a helmet.

Why? It has become a fashy accesory, and cycling through the woods i love to dodge the smaller branches. Helmet in a city? Pfffff...

[paweltyniec]

simply Fantastic

[MilitantOldLady]

Stop trying to make everything safe!

You are holding up evolution by allowing the idiots to survive!

[patinsley]

@MilitantOldLady stupid comment award! good job!

[stingyzx]

@MilitantOldLady Unfortunately the idiots are driving 2 ton vehicles and no helmet makes you die easier.

[opmike343]

"Cycling is not dangerous, unless you want it to be."

Utter nonsense. I'm not in favor of helmet laws mandated by the government, but there ARE dangers to cycling. How can you even make this type of claim? Acknowledging that an activity carries with it some level of risk isn't the same as arguing that we shouldn't do it. I'm an avid cyclist, and the two times I've had serious incidents were do to the other party doing something ridiculous. This was largely outside of my control.

[bored2kGER]

@opmike343 It depends how you ride and where you ride, but "cycling itself is not dangerous at all". Obviously if you ride a roadbike at high speeds or a mountainbike through the forest at high speeds like it tend to then it can be dangerous. At those times i would wear a helmet, because i expect an accident.

Also cycling in new york city is more dangerous than in copenhagen, but that is down to the location and not cycling in general.

[attilatoth100]

Wait, wait! He is not against helmets, but agressive helmet campaigns built on fear.

[jmizereck]

Facts:USA in 2008, 714 cyclists killed. 653 (91%) were not wearing a helmet.and 58 (8%) were.

I run into people like Mikael-Colville Andersen every now and then. They're called Purists and all their "shoulds" add up to one big fantasy. He is being foolish and irresponsible. It's people like him I fear most becasue people will think he's right, when in fact he is dead wrong.

The science and the facts are solid..

Wake up Mr. Andersen...before you cause people to hurt themselves.

[verne1986]

@jmizereck This proves nothing. Maybe the ones rideing agressivly are the some one not wearing a helmet. They maybe killed because their "style" and not because they were not using a helmet.

Science and facts are solid but quoting two numbers is not science, they are only facts.

[macias102]

@jmizereck , Did you count how many injuries were caused BECAUSE cyclist wore a helmet? He has solid point -- if helmets do any good, they should be used by pedestrian in the first place. So why they are not even marketed for them? Because it would be too ridiculous?

[Bracheni]

@jmizereck Bad use of statistics. Compare that percentage with the percentage of people using helmets at all and you get... Well, seems that using a helmet decreases the amount of death somewhat but not a lot actually. Few of the people dying had helmets because few of the people biking have them. And the more important point is that 714 dead is a very small amount for one year. The risk is small.

[Detspokar]

Very good speech about bicycle helmets, just what I wanted to hear. Bravo!

[doratotaj]

Terrible speaker user sensationalized statements that are based on misleading snippets of unverified or absent scientific data.

He is basically arguing: bicycle helmets are dangerous, riding a bike is not, cars are dangerous, but investing or encouraging preventative safety in society is a waste of time.

What? Since when?

He is taking the modern world for granted in an big way, and trying to encourage disregard for common sense. Yes bikes are WONDERFUL, but a helmet is not a big deal!

[bored2kGER]

@doratotaj When they are not a big deal how come they stop people from riding their bike?

Helmets just make something that isn't dangerous looking like it is.

[doratotaj]

@bored2kGER

@bored2kGER

There is NO evidence that helmet legislation causes fewer people to ride bikes. There is simply no study done to back up this claim.

There is however ample evidence that wearing helmets DECREASES risk of injury.

www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/a­b005401.html

[bored2kGER]

@doratotaj Oh really? Im sure D. L. Robinson begs to differ. Obviously under certain circumstances helmets can prevent you from certain injuries, however i as a free human being can choose not to.

Just like i choose not to wear a helmet when walking, running, driving or brushing my teeth.

Cycling is not dangerous, unless you want it to be.

[opmike343]

@bored2kGER

"Oh really? Im sure D. L. Robinson begs to differ. Obviously under certain circumstances helmets can prevent you from certain injuries, however i as a free human being can choose not to."

This is a separate matter. Whether people should be mandated to wear helmets isn't the same as whether people are choosing to avoid riding bikes because of "helmets." The "culture of fear" isn't a helmet issue, it's a psychological issue. Some may project that on helmets, but they aren't at fault

[MickeyYahoo]

@doratotaj You are incorrect. Look up Robinson's papers or listen ot colvil anderson at 13:00 Promotioin os helmets not only prevents people from riding - the prevention from riding is the reason bicycle helmet pormotion gets funded.

[doratotaj]

@MickeyYahoo

Hey, we are all allowed to have an OPINION. But to interchange that with FACT is misleading and wrong. I am simply introducing research based science to the discussion. I'll put the link here again: www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/a­­b005401.html

The Cochrane reviews are considered best non-biased and completely evidence based conclusions on a wide variety of topics. I can't think of a better source for information.

[downfader2]

@doratotaj The link doesnt work.

[KrunchyJD]

@doratotaj UM yes there is, when helmet laws were introduced in Australia rates of cycling fell by 30%. When I was at school many kids rode their bikes to school, now few do. If you really want to reduce injuries build proper bicycle infrastructure, AND tame the bull. Cars make cycling dangerous so limit them not cyclists.

[jessmaron77]

@downfader2

Statistics can be very easily misleading. For example say I tell you 75% of people surveyed said that red apples taste better than green apples. As a critical thinker you would not just take this at face value but would look deeper into it and find that the 75% was 3 out of 4 people surveyed and the survey was run and sponsored by people with vested interest in red apples. This is a very simple example but I think it tells of what I meant when I say be weary of stats.

[jessmaron77]

I think people need to be weary of statistics. A lot of people do not wear their helmets properly and that leads to accidents where helmets are not effective. I do agree that we need to continue to make it safer to ride in cities, and I think we're making good progress toward that goal in San Francisco. I also agree that wearing helmets may cause people to feel safer and then take greater risks. I like that bicycle riding is being encouraged here but I think that helmets should be encouraged.

[downfader2]

@jessmaron77 What do you mean be weary of stats? Surely stats are WAY better than anything else you can rely upon (presuming its peer reviewed and shown to be accurate).

I really, really think those who campaign for helmet legislation around the world have truly missed the point. It is better to deal with human nature than to try and wrap people up in cotton wool. Even if it was proven the only person at risk is the end-user, so why legislate for a choice that doesnt risk others?

[jessmaron77]

I can't say for certain but I believe my life was saved because I was wearing a helmet during an accident I had about ten years ago. I was riding open brake on a steep hill in San Francisco and come in contact with concrete pilings at the bottom of the road that were there to veer traffic from the opposite direction from entering the one-way street I was riding down. I flew over the handle bars and ended up shattering my clavicle and broke my helmet in two.

[downfader2]

Absolutely spot on. I would love to see a more in-depth video on UK stats, as helmet compulsion is coming in slowly (the islands, and soon northern ireland it seems). Too many people are campaigning for helmets, including charities such as Headway.