By: Erik Schmidt
The exercise, the freedom, the wind in your hair: riding your bike is one of the best things you can do, both for yourself, and for the environment. But it’s important to put safety first. That’s why whenever I hop on my bicycle, I always make sure that I put my helmet on my handlebars so that my head will be protected if I fall off because I’ll quickly strap my helmet over my head just before impact.
Head injuries are the leading cause of death and long term disability for cyclists, and some of the drivers out there are downright insane. Sometimes when a car doesn’t see you and comes barrelling from behind, you barely have enough time to veer out of the way, or alternatively, stop steering, grab your protective headwear, and securely place it on before the car’s hood careens into your skull.
We all have friends who failed to follow these safety instructions. My friend Mitch thought nothing could hurt him, which is why he didn’t feel the need to put his helmet on his handlebars before heading out. If he had maybe that Mac truck wouldn’t have done quite as much damage.
Just as important as not wearing your helmet until the very last second is which helmet you choose to sling in front of your handlebars to dangle just inconveniently enough in your way as to create a mild steering hazard. I always go for the skateboard, or full coverage, helmet, because they are the heaviest and look the coolest. Others choose the lighter ones that have all the air vents in them, but to be frank those are just for assholes who want to look sporty. Some of those people even wear their helmets the entire time they’re riding!
I feel that it’s a moral imperative to teach our children responsible riding techniques as well. When I rode my son to daycare, many of the other parents were impressed at how I was able to teach him to grab both of our helmets from in front of me and place them both on our heads just before we went into a ditch. And that’s why we’re both okay to this day.
In the end, this is all common sense. Just like how I put on my seatbelt every time I’m in a car that’s about to hit anything larger than a cyclist.
