Re: Coultas imprisoned for 4years

red.sight@xxxxxxxxx said the following on 29/02/2008 14:01:

So, is a helmet really useless, then? Is it worse than useless?
Talking purely physically, the idea of something ablative or
destructive to absorb kinetic energy rather than having it hit the
skull directly seems a potentially good idea.

A helmet does have some use in preventing injuries from minor bumps and scrapes. It will not protect against being hit by a car travelling at any speed, and there is some evidence to suggest that it can in fact increase the risk of injury. I wear one when riding off-road when I'm more likely to hit my head on a low branch or come off the bike, for instance.

If they're a bad idea - why do many cyclists wear helmets during
sporting events?

Misguided insurers.

As an utter newbie, perhaps you could point me at some scientific
study demonstrating that helmets are worse than useless in cycling
accidents in general? That'd be lovely, thank you.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/

Welcome to this group - you would happen to choose the single most controversial subject to start out on :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/
.

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