This week Patrick and Lori consider helmet use, particularly when running errands or commuting. Both admit that their views—and behavior—have evolved over the years.
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Bicycle helmet wearing is associated with closer overtaking by drivers: A response to Olivier and Walter, 2013
Pactimo Men’s Zero-Weight Sleeveless Base Layer
I listened to your podcast this week regarding helmets and knew you (and Peter Flax) were onto something. Due to life choices about where I live in relation to work, I am not a cycling commuter, but I am an avid cyclist who keeps his gravel rig in his office during the week, so it doesn’t have to make the car commute “to town” with me all week long, allowing for daily afternoon rides. I have long agreed anecdotally with Peter’s hypothesis that people, regular people, a la foot peds, car drivers, etc. would very likely treat cyclist differently if we weren’t kitted in our skintight Cirque du Soleil costumes.
Earlier this week, having just returned to Late August in Little Rock, Arkansas with high humidity and 100+ degree temps, from a week of heavenly weather in Crested Butte, Colorado (Patrick, you were apparently in Memphis recently, so you feel me…) todays “beautiful” high temp of about 85ish degrees and a sour mood combined to be a great excuse to go outside and feel the wind flow over my bald pate on the way to lunch. My outfit for the ride, Levi’s 501 blue jeans, a ClubRide pearl snap shirt and, well, that’s it. I bypassed my helmet on the way out the door and began paying attention.
My route carried me on mild traffic surface streets for about four blocks to the Arkansas River Trail (ART) then back to a couple of blocks of surface streets, then finally to a great lunch spot. Round trip, I encountered about 30 vehicles, about evenly split commercial and personal. Once on the ART, the ped traffic I passed included some 20 souls with a few pets thrown in the mix.
Allow me to share my experience. I. Was. Human. The vehicles that passed, waited for clear roads, then passed with real care, and distance. The humans, and I assume, their pets, smiled, and a couple even waved! not the pets… I. Was. Human.
Would I recommend my outfit or helmet choice for more than a quick jaunt to lunch in this very specific situation? Heavan’s NO! Levi’s 501’s are NOT cycling apparel. But they cover my hiney nicely and are appropriate for my typical workday. The ClubRide pearl snap shirt is a great casual cycling shirt, hell, I have ridden a metric century and ground out several gravel rides in one, of course with a nice pair of bibs. But! Would I recommend this outfit to make oneself human to a seemingly inhuman public? ABSOLUTELY!
So, if we’re casting votes, yay or nay, for helmets on certain low consequence rides. Well, I guess my vote is… Ugh! I don’t know. You need to weigh out your own decision. For me, today, in this situation, I would definitely go “sans helmet” again. I became a human facing the public. I will keep my helmet on for the times I am being a cyclist. Perhaps one day society will see me as the human, husband, father, son, friend, I am when I have the Styrofoam bucket on my head.
Yes, Jeremy, I feel you on Mid-South summer heat+humidity. Yeesh.
I’m having a conflicted reaction to your anecdote. I mean, yes, it’s nice to hear confirmation, but good grief, it’s depressing. Most of all, I applaud you for having an open mind and checking things out for yourself.