F.B.L.E. Tool Kit - High School Bike Bus (BETA Test Version)

[DynamicDbytheC]

Great idea, nice kids, they obey the laws. I bicycle to work and it is a great way to start and finish one's day, even in rain. However, I broke my arm and cracked my helmet during my commute about 3 years ago. Helmet saved my brain. I would love to see helmets.

[prison9865]

guys, you should see "Kritine Mase Vilnius 2011-04-29" on youtube :D

[BLA8291]

Now that I think about it, this is almost the same as critical mass - these kids are raising awareness of their right to the road

[1ights1eeper]

An argument that these kids should be wearing helmets is an argument that all people should be wearing helmets, all the time. It would certainly save lives if pedestrians and motorists always wore helmets, pads, body armor. But it's impractical and no one is going to do it.

It's crazy: we've gotten to a place that these young adults, just doing exactly what they should be doing, seem like activists. More power to them.

[mrhallorann]

Inspiring guys!

I wish you every success, and hope more schools sit up, pay attention and follow suit.

Two wheels good. Ride on.

[ngoctong123]

@mrhallorann : I think so too, ride on ! :)

[nleigh42]

Awesome! 

[BLA8291]

@inspirefitness In Florida the law says that if a cyclist is under 16 years old, a helmet is required. Otherwise, helmets are not required, but encouraged.

[SeidlerProductions]

Side head impacts in cars kill many, many people. Helmets work well for prevention, this is not a joke and few cars have the side airbags

[cjjunkie]

@SeidlerProductions these people would bitch about the way the knot was tied at their own hanging. great video and great club. I am also in a bicycle club (mostly out of high school folks) and our biweekly rides usually have about 75 riders but we have seen as much as 150. we never wear helmets and never have problems. When i go solo on long distance rides I always wear one. You kids use good judgement, keep up the good work. (feel free to check my vids for some biking stuff)

[MBighk]

Too all of you who travel in automobiles: PLEASE WEAR A HELMET! Far too many of you are dying from head injuries. About tens times as many motorists as bicyclists die from head injuries.

The same goes for you pedestrians; at least twice as many pedestrians die from head injuries as for cyclists.

[summersumz]

I love this. Love love love. I just wish ya'all were wearing helmets. Heads were not meant to meet asphalt and as much as we all wish that accidents didn't happen, the fact is that they do. Helmets can help save noggins and anyone arguing to the contrary lacks an understanding of physics.

[jthorne88]

This rocks hard :)

[davidhrod]

I rode my bike for 10 years to work, didn't have to I had a car but I loved it and it was good for me.

[paxneurotica]

Love the initiative. Though you should think about getting yourselves some helmets.

[SEPPERLLL0]

Great video, great initiative! Guys, You really get it right! You understood, what it is about to ride a bike!!! Go on!!

[SEPPERLLL0]

Great video, great initiative! Guys, You really get it right! You understood, what it is about to ride a bike!!! Go on!!

[nye1956]

Great video, thanks for posting! :o)

[nye1956]

This is awesome, I found it via copenhagenize. Keep it up, your doing a good thing! :o)

[BLA8291]

As for helmets, I've only fallen off a bike twice in my life - once when I was 9, and once last month - no head injuries. And I have never put on or even touched a helmet. I would say that helmets have the most importance for novice riders. Since I've been at it since I was little, I have a lot of experience, and know most of the do's and don'ts (I guess I just learned a "don't" last month). It's also important to know how to fall (I fell sideways, but still didn't bang my head).

[inspirefitness]

@BLA8291 trust me when I say this; crashes and head injuries don't occur just with "novices" my husband was hit and nearly killed in a bike accident and he's been riding and racing for over 20 years. Luckily that helmet saved his life! My dear friend, also an experienced cyclist nearly lost her life on a closed track due to a freak accident. WEAR YOUR HELMET PLEASE - and it's the law btw

[inspirefitness]

@BLA8291 trust me when I say this; crashes and head injuries don't occur just with "novices" my husband was hit and nearly killed in a bike accident and he's been riding and racing for over 20 years. Luckily that helmet saved his life! My dear friend, also an experienced cyclist nearly lost her life on a closed track due to a freak accident. WEAR YOUR HELMET PLEASE - and it's the law btw

[BLA8291]

I recently moved to a bike-friendly neighborhood in Miami, and I tried out the biking lifestyle. I can tell you that ever since then, I go everywhere with my bike, and I rely on it to get me to school. I enjoy it much more than driving, and even though sometimes it takes longer, the enjoyment and the health benefits outweigh the extra time. I commend you guys for your efforts, and I wish more schools had biking clubs - it's definitely something that you'll never quit once you try it.

[Schenectadont]

But, to say something positive: these kids rule. If you're a teenager now, I hope you'll start something like this at your school.

[lustreboy]

cool!!! that's an awesome idea! we need more of these.

I love my bike! they're the future

[realalbertan]

good work keep it up and grow the program

[nitramluap]

These are the citizens of the future. Maybe there is some hope after all. Well done.

[kacamac]

Pretty impressive, those kids are an inspiration. Good for them.

[TheObimara]

Fantastic!

[SkierHokie]

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but let's not discourage helmet wearing. If you've ever cracked one while wearing it, you can appreciate the function of the "safety gear". Better the helmet than my skull.

[Schenectadont]

@SkierHokie Mmm...no. I've cracked a helmet while wearing it, and I have no doubt that wearing a helmet makes the *individual* a little bit safer. However, encouraging people to wear helmets -- as a policy -- makes *everyone* much less safe. I wore a helmet every day for twelve years, but I've stopped because I realized how much damage I was doing to the overall safety of cyclists. The best thing you can do to make yourself safe is to ride a lot and make cycling NORMAL. Helmets won't do it.

[Colleenann61]

@Schenectadont I don't think a helmet (wearing one or not wearing one) is that powerful. I choose to wear a helmet to protect my brain which is something I need to ride a lot and be normal.

[Schenectadont]

@Colleenann61 Have you ever been to a city where biking actually *is* normal? I'm not talking about Portland, or any US city -- I'm talking about places where more than 10% of all trips are done by bike. Florence. Copenhagen. Tokyo. Etc. There is no city in the world where biking is normal transport and normal people wear helmets. The two do not mix. I don't care if you want to wear one, but if you care about the future of biking in the U.S., you should stop telling others to do so.

[Colleenann61]

@Schenectadont By your definition, biking is "abnormal"? I think a better word might be "minority". Anyway, as a rehab nurse who has seen the devastating effects of head injuries (several from biking accidents where no helmet was worn), I will continue wear a helmet AND encourage others to also wear one. Again, I don't think helmets alone are going to make the world of cycling a safer place. Education of drivers and cyclists is more important to improving safety for all.

[Schenectadont]

@Colleenann61 Like a lot of people in the health and science fields, you seem to have no understanding of culture. Hello: these kids certainly know that a helmet can prevent some head injuries. It's not like they aren't aware. But they're not wearing them. Why? Because that would make them uncool (i.e., abnormal in their culture). Some of them are also wearing knit ski caps, in Florida. Why? Literally hot, figuratively cool. You need to work with these cultural preferences, not against them.

[Colleenann61]

@Schenectadont All I can say is it sure is "uncool" to be lying in a hospital bed unable to take care of any of your bodily needs. As for my lack of understanding culture, I have 4 sons ranging in age from 13 to 22. I GET "uncool". That doesn't make it right. You must not be a parent. If you were, you would understand the need to do what you can to keep your children REASONABLY safe.

[Schenectadont]

@Colleenann61 I want to keep your kids out of the hospital as much as you do. But the way to do that is not to make them wear helmets, but to build a culture where they won't get hit in the first place. The safest place on earth to ride a bike, mile for mile, is the Netherlands, followed by Denmark and Japan. Almost nobody wears a helmet there. In the NL they have great bike lanes; in Japan they don't.But in both places, biking is *seen* as a safe thing to do -- and thus it *is* safe. Ride on!

[medengineer]

Nicely Done!

[nitramluap]

I think it is wonderful and it shows that when conditions are safe, bicycle riders don't need 'safety gear' which does nothing more than make the rider 'feel' safer. Bicycle helmets and fluorescent vests should be discouraged.

[edscoble]

@nitramluap in layman's term, safety in number, not equipment.

[Colleenann61]

I think it's fantastic that highschool kids are biking to school. My only concern is that, amongst all the kids in the video, not one had a helmet on. That is sad.

[ryanz4]

@Colleenann61 I'll bet they are 100x's safer riding as they are then most of the people around them in vehicles.

If helmets truly protected people, everyone would wear one at all times. Walking and driving included (both of which are more dangerous than cycling)

I fully commend each and everyone of them for NOT wearing a helmet.

[MedanSigaren]

@Colleenann61 Not sad at all. Cycling to school isn't some extreme sport that should require helmets. If you look at this video you see the kids are cycling at very modest speeds. Many of them are using bicycle lights which is smart, and they signal turns and obey traffic laws. You should also try to count the helmets in any video by poster "Markenlei" (enter that name in the search box).

[Schenectadont]

@Colleenann61 I have to disagree -- the push for helmets in the USA has been well-intentioned, but the outcome has been exactly the opposite of what you want: since people started advocating for helmets in the 1980s, conditions for biking have gotten less safe, not more. People simply won't bike if they think it's unsafe, and helmets communicate the message that it's unsafe. The MOST IMPORTANT factor for bike safety is NUMBERS OF PEOPLE ON THE ROADS. Helmets are counter-productive.

[WeooBeans]

Haha. This is an inspiration for more people to bike to where they need to go. They -should- be wearing helmets though.

[julistupakevich]

i love it i love it i love it

[leebergtally]

Beautifully done and inspiring.