If you’ve got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet! by Dr.Iain Corness

[impulse]

Kind of misleading- a motorcyclist is 35 times more likely to die in a crash (and many times more likely to be injured) than a car driver.

+1.

You've crossed the safety Rubicon when you strap yourself on a 2 wheeler and not inside a 4 wheeler. Wearing a good helmet is smart, but it doesn't make scooters safe. Just a little less dangerous.

US and Aus studies indicate you're 20-40 times as likely to die in a km on a scooter than a km in a car- helmet or not.

There's a narrow band between a scooter accident where you'll survive even without a helmet, and an accident where even the helmet won't save you. Key word: Narrow.

Helmets reduce that risk of death by about 40% (0.4). Good deal, but not nearly as good as 2 doors, 4 wheels, seatbelts and a roof.

[impulse]

Is the reason that motorcycle head injuries are low in this graph is because of mandatory helmet laws which are enforced resulting in less injuries while riding a motorcycle? Interesting deduction.

No, it's because so few of the vehicles in that country are scooters, and such a low portion of passenger km are on scooters..

Divide those numbers by the km traveled in cars, vs the km traveled on scooters, and you'll find the scooters to be much more risky per km (and per vehicle)

Edited January 24, 2015 by impulse

[inzman]

My point seems to have been missed. I deduce that countries that have and enforce helmet laws have lower incidents of head injuries per kilo driven.

[impulse]

My point seems to have been missed. I deduce that countries that have and enforce helmet laws have lower incidents of head injuries per kilo driven.

My bad. And my apologies.

[Rhys]

Riders will exercise their rights, to wear or not wear a helmet... not much else

just like we should not drink too much, smoke, do yABA,

DARWINISM IN ACTION...

[speedthrills]

I agree but there are certain people who simply don't care about themselves or their kids. Otherwise they would wear a helmet. Embracing death seems to be of utmost importance to some. Let them be.

let them be fore sure!! not up too you or otheres to choose. many people like to life on the edge and not scare too much. scared too much about what if somethings happening all the time???? maybe for many people nothing bad happens in lifetime, so much worrying for nothing. i think you think too much man.

[ttakata]

I'm in Koh Lanta now and half the people Thai and Farang are riding around with no helmets.

Dark and twisty mountain roads too.

Their choice.

Only kids should be forced by law to wear a helmet IMO.

Watch a movie called "Idiocracy" and you will appreciate the idea of weeding out the dumb people from society.

[wantan]

^

But no toddler i see on a bike wears a helmet! Imo just a side effect from the lax helmet enforcement.

And where do you think is the age a helmet should not be mandatory? Imo stupid to first make them wearing a helmet and then, one day the magic birthday comes, they can ride without helmet. Totally wrong approach imo. Its like saying "a helmet is for babies, not for grown ups"...

[dave_boo]

^

But no toddler i see on a bike wears a helmet! Imo just a side effect from the lax helmet enforcement.

And where do you think is the age a helmet should not be mandatory? Imo stupid to first make them wearing a helmet and then, one day the magic birthday comes, they can ride without helmet. Totally wrong approach imo. Its like saying "a helmet is for babies, not for grown ups"...

Just as stupid as voting age, military service age, drinking age, etc.

But not as stupid as the fact that in some places you can join the military and be sent off to kill someone before you can legally drink.

[papa al]

i have a 800 USD head then!

for Thai people, especially young ones, they like to show their face to the girls/boys around and dont want helmet hair! some even think wearing a helmet is for cowards and people around might stamp them as a coward!

one thing they forget though, if they hit their face badly or die, no one will remember their faces after a couple of days!

where we come from, riders praise each other with the price and quality of their helmet.

112:

Nice going on the price & quality of your helmet.

You deserve high praise for that.

Way to go!

Keep up the good work.

You da man!!

Great!

thanks for your high praises then!

do you have a problem with the price of my helmet papa? yes, i know, it is the around the same price with your carbed cbr150r but some give importance on these kind of things. extra safety, quality, comfort, less noise, style, colors, graphics, a helmet from a company who can spend good amount of cash to R&D etc. back home we believe, a good quality expensive helmet will show you more handsome:)

you sound like an envious guy with ego problems at times, you know?

112:

You nailed it!

Ego, envy, not hansum..

Big problems for me.

I pray to Buddha every day that I could be ego-free, like you and the Dali Lama.

You are truly a role model for me and many others around the world, I expect.

Edited January 27, 2015 by papa al

[ll2]

i have a 800 USD head then!

for Thai people, especially young ones, they like to show their face to the girls/boys around and dont want helmet hair! some even think wearing a helmet is for cowards and people around might stamp them as a coward!

one thing they forget though, if they hit their face badly or die, no one will remember their faces after a couple of days!

where we come from, riders praise each other with the price and quality of their helmet.

112:

Nice going on the price & quality of your helmet.

You deserve high praise for that.

Way to go!

Keep up the good work.

You da man!!

Great!

thanks for your high praises then!

do you have a problem with the price of my helmet papa? yes, i know, it is the around the same price with your carbed cbr150r but some give importance on these kind of things. extra safety, quality, comfort, less noise, style, colors, graphics, a helmet from a company who can spend good amount of cash to R&D etc. back home we believe, a good quality expensive helmet will show you more handsome:)

you sound like an envious guy with ego problems at times, you know?

112:

You nailed it!

Ego, envy, not hansum..

Big problems for me.

I pray to Buddha every day that I could be ego-free, like you and the Dali Lama.

You are truly a role model for me and many others around the world, I expect.

thanks again papa.

i like it when you are pampering me:)

[wantan]

I prefer wearing a helmet and i like the idea others doing it too. Can't say why, its not that i love everybody out there. But i dont like seeing other people suffering and dying.

There is a helmet law saying you have to wear a helmet. A law has to be enforced to make sense.

If government decides they dont want to enforce this law they should get rid of it and make riding without helmet legal. Its simple as that! Either you want to protect people or you want offer them freedom of own choice. But hey, TIT, and Prayut will not change it.