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1. Embed this notice
   Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 13-Oct-2025 11:29:21 JST Paul Cantrell

   • Thomas 🔭🕹️

   In elementary school, one of my classmates was hit by a car on his bicycle. He must have been about 9. His head went through the windshield.

   He was fine.

   The windshield was not fine. His helmet was not fine. The teacher had him bring in his mangled helmet to show the whole class. Nobody had to tell us he’d be dead if it weren’t for the helmet. It was obvious.

   I still remember this vividly 40 years later.

   I wear a helmet.

   Re this from @thomasfuchs:
   https://hachyderm.io/@thomasfuchs/115364452251790863

   • Thomas 🔭🕹️ repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 13-Oct-2025 11:44:06 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • FeloniousPunk

     Re this from @FeloniousPunk, also crucial to note that while cars are probably the greatest head injury while on a bicycle, they’re not the only danger. Wear a helmet on the trails too, kids.
     
     https://beige.party/@FeloniousPunk/115364512759368085

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 13-Oct-2025 11:45:36 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     Yes, I admit it: preventable safety hazards are one of my favorite genres.

   • Embed this notice
     That One Walnut (thatonewalnut@mastodon.social)'s status on Monday, 13-Oct-2025 22:35:30 JST That One Walnut

     in reply to

     • Thomas 🔭🕹️

     @inthehands @thomasfuchs

     Well I’m Dutch so I don’t need one, they look stupid so to fix that our government has made bikeable cities!

     Also, we don’t suck at biking, and even IF we fall, we aren’t crybabies since our skulls got smashed and we are dead.

   • Embed this notice
     Jeroen van Tol 🍋 🐸🔻 (thedutchchief@mstdn.social)'s status on Monday, 13-Oct-2025 22:36:28 JST Jeroen van Tol 🍋 🐸🔻

     in reply to

     • Thomas 🔭🕹️
     • That One Walnut

     @thatonewalnut @inthehands @thomasfuchs But in The Netherlands we know that walking is as dangerous as biking, and we don't wear helmets when we walk. And we know that there are hardly accidents with cyclists where a helmet made a difference. All the pros here, N=1.

   • Embed this notice
     Janne Moren (jannem@fosstodon.org)'s status on Monday, 13-Oct-2025 22:46:01 JST Janne Moren

     in reply to

     • Thomas 🔭🕹️

     @inthehands @thomasfuchs
     I'm a (former) neuroscientist. A lot of our human data comes from accident victims, and I've met a few of them.

     If you break your leg you might have a limp. If you break your skull you may never again go to the bathroom without help.

     I always wear a bicycle helmet.

   • Embed this notice
     Hashbangperl (hashbangperl@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 13-Oct-2025 22:51:32 JST Hashbangperl

     • Thomas 🔭🕹️
     • Jeroen van Tol 🍋 🐸🔻
     • That One Walnut

     @thomasfuchs @TheDutchChief @thatonewalnut @inthehands I've fallen at similar speeds on bike (about 10-165km/h, the speed and force that helmets are designed and tested for and where they work best) with and without a helmet, the difference was some nasty bruising and cuts, uncomfortable for a week, and I really don't recommend it, but not a real danger of brain injury and no concussion, so if I'm cycling gently off-road, I will sometimes not bother with a helmet, same as I don't wear one when jogging or running (equal number of falls where I've hit my head and similar forces involved, and more per-mile) or driving.

   • Embed this notice
     Boris (kviksilver@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 14-Oct-2025 00:01:13 JST Boris

     in reply to

     • Thomas 🔭🕹️
     • Miguel Arroz

     @inthehands @thomasfuchs @arroz among the two wheeled overpowered death machine lovers crowd 🏍️ there is an acronym ATGATT… look it up, it’s a very good rule to live by…

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 17-Oct-2025 13:57:56 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     The replies to these posts fell into three groups:

     1. Cyclists who’ve never had a severe crash involving their head but are happy to wear a helmet

     2. Cyclists who’ve had a severe crash involving their head and are happy to wear a helmet because it saved their life

     3. Cyclists who’ve never had a severe crash involving their head and are happy •not• to wear a helmet because they insist it doesn’t make a difference

     One quadrant is notably absent.

   • Embed this notice
     Oliver Kohll (okohll@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 17-Oct-2025 16:34:26 JST Oliver Kohll

     in reply to

     @inthehands used to, I have to admit, be a mild 3, now happy to say a 1. An increasing number of electric bikes weaving around in fast traffic with balaclavas but no helmets, which is bound to end up badly.

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 00:25:00 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • Jef Poskanzer

     When I posted the previous post, I wondered how long it would take for this image to show up in the replies. The answer, thanks to @jef, was 24 minutes.

     Fediverse, you’re all right.

     https://mastodon.social/@jef/115387823731511343

   • Embed this notice
     Mx. Eddie R (silvermoon82@wandering.shop)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 02:18:36 JST Mx. Eddie R

     in reply to

     • L'égrégore André ꕭꕬ

     @Mabande @inthehands
     Lol, yeah, I love that one. Helmet and seatbelt laws lead to an increase in injuries *because more people survive*. The more injuries are coming from *fewer dead right theres*, but if one doesn't look at the context it leads to silly arguments.

   • Embed this notice
     L'égrégore André ꕭꕬ (mabande@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 02:18:37 JST L'égrégore André ꕭꕬ

     in reply to

     @inthehands My "favorites" from #3 are the ones who argue helmets doesn't protect against concussion, citing all sorts of correct studies and drawing the wrong conclusion, refusing to understand that the helmet shift the outcome from dead to concussed (or even concussed to uninjured for that matter).

     [edit: post based on prev. experience from helmet discussions]

     Paul Cantrell repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 09:30:50 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️
     • Lyn
     • Mitch Impey

     @frogglin @mlanger @grumpy4n6

     People just need to stop having accidents on purpose!

   • Embed this notice
     Lyn (frogglin@theblower.au)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 09:30:53 JST Lyn

     in reply to

     • Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️
     • Mitch Impey

     @mlanger @inthehands @grumpy4n6 When i was in the states I said to my then partner "Why are none of the motor cyclists wearing helmets?"
     He said "There's no law to say you have to"
     I said "But what if they have an accident?"
     He said "The idea is to NOT have an accident"

     Mm. the thing about accidents...

   • Embed this notice
     Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️ (mlanger@mastodon.world)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 09:30:54 JST Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️

     in reply to

     • Mitch Impey

     @inthehands @grumpy4n6 You could say the same for motorcyclists. We still have a few states that don't require helmets and plenty of people who won't wear them.

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 22:57:47 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • glyn

     @underlap

     Oh, that is heartbreaking. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. Thank you for sharing this story where it can make a difference.

   • Embed this notice
     glyn (underlap@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 18-Oct-2025 22:57:48 JST glyn

     in reply to

     @inthehands A friend of mine did not wear a helmet while cycling off road and was found unconscious. Apparently no-one else was involved.

     He never regained consciousness and died a few days later leaving a wife and four children, including a baby.

     I wear a helmet.