by qball » Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:40 pm
Fascinating. I rode a bicycle for years, including in some bad accidents, without ever considering a helmet. Never saw anyone wearing one, never crossed my mind. When I started riding in Portland, I never considered not wearing a helmet. Just figured I would feel pretty stupid if I died of an easily preventable head injury. When my toddler started riding a bike, she got a helmet from day one. Too many horror stories from a friend in the medical field. Again, figured I'd feel pretty bad if my daughter died a preventable death. But it's not fear motivating me, just taking easy precautions.
Interestingly, my dad was in a bad motorcycle accident many years ago. The doctor told him he lived because he wasn't wearing a helmet. I always used that as an excuse for not wearing a seat belt. 25 years later, he died in a car accident that a seat belt would have saved him from.
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- 'WOW, what a ride!!!'"