The Great Helmet Debate

Is wearing a helmet when on your bike Compulsory by law? No.

Should wearing a helmet when on your bike be compulsory by law? Yes, in my opinion.

I remember when I was young I was made to wear a helmet when out and about on my bike. At such a young age this wasn’t such an issue but as I grew older the desire to wear a helmet was non-existent! It’s not cool to wear a helmet when you’re in your teens didn’t you know! Well that was my mindset during my teenage years but as I’ve grown older and wiser ***Cough Cough*** that mindset has changed.

So why and when did my mindset change regarding wearing a helmet? Around 10 years ago I was out on my mountain bike on Christmas Eve with my mate, it was a cold day but dry. As we were coming out of an industrial estate on the pavement, without warning we both hit black ice at the same time and made contact with the tarmac below, I would have loved to be a passing motorist to see the synchronised display we put on. My mate was wearing a helmet but I wasn’t so thankfully I just suffered a bump to my shoulder and some grazing, my mate however banged his head off the corner stone and cracked his helmet. This was the defining moment where my safety over looked how I looked when out on the bike. Boxing day I headed out and bough myself a helmet. This has not been my only meeting with the tarmac, I have now cracked two helmets, but they have done their job and I here writing this blog.

From that day on I have always worn a helmet when out on my bike, doesn’t matter if it’s my hardtail or road bike. My 5 year old also knows that whenever he goes out on his bike he must wear his helmet. You’ll quite often hear my boy shouting, “daddy, daddy did you see that? that man/woman/boy/girl just went past on their bike and wasn’t wearing a helmet!”.

So which helmet should I go for? This is down to your own personal preference. Helmets come in all different shapes, sizes, colours and designs. You really should try on several different styles to see which fits best. The prices can vary hugely between different models, brands, styles, material helmet is constructed with etc. So how much should I pay for a helmet? Again this is down to your own personal budget, all helmets must meet certain safety standards, but please check with the shop that the helmet you are buying is sufficient for what you’ll be using it for. I.E for downhill you really should look at a full face helmet for added face protection.

So in my opinion wearing a helmet when out on your bike should be made compulsory by law. As more and more people are getting into cycling, and commuting to work on their bike the risk of accident increases. You can be the most alert cyclist on the road but you can’t control what the driver in the car behind, in-front or to the side of you will do, or won’t do (look in their mirrors).

So what’s all your thoughts on making wearing a helmet when out on your bike compulsory by law?

Why not check out our range of helmets for all disciplines and age groups.

Stuart
IT Manager