This weekend the second person in my life was saved without doubt due to a helmet:
On Saturday the 1st my brother got into a bad motorcycle accident. So far it sounds like he'll be OK. He broke his femur so that it was sticking out of his skin (1st surgury, inserted metal rod) and one of his shoulders was badly dislocated (which is what they operated on second). He never blacked out or went unconscious but he still didn’t enjoy the helicopter ride to the hospital went very much. I've never seen him wearing a helmet but he was Saturday and that's the only reason he is still with us.He was on a two lane road, the last of 4 bikes, and a van going the opposite direction waited for the other 3 to pass and then turned left into him. He wasn't even speeding.
We aren’t certain whether his helmet contacted the van, but when he came to a rest in the ditch 106’ from the van it is obvious he hit head first from the damage to the helmet and the way the mud and other debris are wedged into it. He also had a new leather jacket on with body armor and some sort of neck brace which likely saved his spine. The jacket was 3 days old and he said it was worth the $100 a day it cost.
!!Rant warning!!
I only ride bikes with motors once a year. Still, aside from almost losing my brother, this stands the hairs on the back of my neck up when I look at my road bike.
It’s amazing to me how many people I see riding without helmets (on and off road). What really pisses me off is parents who don’t wear them but make their children wear them. Probably harder to raise their children if they’re head gets smacked, no?
I also heard from someone at work that she doesn’t wear one because she only rides on sidewalks. She wears one now, because she got smacked in a intersection this spring.