Posted on 06/01/2014 8:12:08 PM PDT by Huntress
Road safety campaigners have accused a leading neurosurgeon of putting lives at risk after he claimed cyclists who wear helmets were wasting their time.
Henry Marsh, who works at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London, said many of his patients who had been involved in bike accidents had been wearing helmets that were “too flimsy” to be beneficial.
Mr Marsh cited evidence from the University of Bath which suggested that wearing a helmet might even put cyclists at greater risk.
It showed that drivers got around three inches closer to cyclists who wore helmets because they perceived them to be less fragile.
But campaigners said his remarks, made during a discussion with Ian McEwan, the author, at this year’s Hay Festival, were “disappointing”.
Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said helmets were an important part of cycle safety. But said they should not be compulsory in case it put would-be riders off.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
“The monkey bars came in.....we lost 124 kids in one day.....”
Bill Cosby - Playground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqv38fP7cr0
In a training ride with dozens of riders, I was caught in a mess that happened in front of me. To this day, my mind won't recall what exactly happened.
I woke up in the hospital several hours later and was told I had a concussion and would have to spend the night for observation. My jersey and shorts had been cut off, I had a lot of road rash and several broken ribs. I was given a bag with my shoes and the remains of a Gyro helmet that the doctor said my head would have looked like had I not been wearing it.
As is done with all Gyro helmets, I sent the pieces back and it was promptly replaced by the company. As much as I didn't like them at first, I may not be sitting up typing right now, had I shunned wearing one.
PING
I'll keep on wearing my helmet while riding.
Ya, LOL - had to sit through like five CD’s of his with my g’pop and gg’pop to teach and explain to me what it was like growing up in the city. I live 600ft. up the side of a heavily wooded mountain on the Olympic Peninsula (when I’m not working in Oz) - so I had no idea of what they were talking about until then. Now I’ve been to many sites showing pictures of old NYC and have a better understanding of what their lives were like when they were eight and up ....
Well, Dr. Marsh, the neurosurgeon with a lifetime of clinical experience, better mind his Ps and Qs. Doesn’t he know this is “settled science”? Is he some kind of helmet “denier”?
Even if helmets aren’t effective, they look kind of cool and lots of kids in China are employed making them. And they make certain people feel good that they’re doing something for the children.
My oral surgeon was 100% against me going on a medication because it can cause osteonecrosis of the jaw. The problem was the doctor only saw the tiny fraction of patients who had this rare complication, not the 95-99% who greatly benefit from it.
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What the neurosurgeon said sort of agrees with what an emergency room doctor said of motorcycle riders about a decade or so ago.
He said there are two types of motorcycle riders, those who don’t wear helmets, they are called organ donors.
Those who wear helmets...............quadriplegics.
Was it a bisphosphonate (e.g. Fossamax, Boniva, etc.)? I was on one of those for a while, and my dentist would not do any major work on me until I was off it for at least six months. He told me that osteonecrosis is rare, but is so awful he would not risk it.
It is like a bisphosphonate, it is called Denosumab. It works on a different principal and the risk of osteonecrosis is unknown (but does occur). What makes it worse is my treatment is for bone tumors in the jaw. I too can have nothing but cleanings until I am off the medication.
Helmets are generally wise; should they be required (and if so when) is the question.
I twice conked a helmet on the ground and was glad it was not the corresponding part of my head that had conked.
Nicely stated.
The neurosurgeon's analysis is different from an epi study, which would have taken a large sample size, included reporting bias and other errors.
I focused on the "too flimsy" comment. Flimsy can be good when it comes to impact attenuation.
I will wear my flimsy helmet as well.
.
I'd think that would depend on whether it's true or not. I'm so sick of people who act as if their opinion should be treated as sacrosanct and anyone who dares disagree should be treated as wrong, and probably malicious, and punished, without ever debating the issue on its merits.
Good question. Is this an actual scientific study.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation in the USA, which HAS accessed scientific studies, always recommends the helmets, though keeping its hands off of political treatment of the issue.
Maybe there is a perverse point here. Basket cases with a helmet might have just died without the helmet.
But there is good reason to question whether this is scientific. He does not get a view into all accident cases, just some of them.
OK, just read the first couple sentences. Still reading the entire article.
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