Why Bike Helmets are a Good Idea

Consider this my public service announcement. Bike Helmets. A very, very, very good idea.

To illustrate, here is a picture of my son's bike helmet after a crash this afternoon on the bike paths at the lake. He is five. He was riding downhill. Not a steep hill, but steep enough that he got to going a little faster than he probably ought to have and lost control. His front wheel spun around on him and he ended up hitting the pavement, the back of his head first.



This gives you a little better view of the actual cracking in the back of the helmet. Note that the helmet held together well. In fact, it feels firm to the touch. The pieces, though you can see the cracking all the way around that little v-shape in the back, are not loose at all.

Note the white dot at the top right of the V portion. That's a rock, solidly embedded in the helmet. It was not a large rock, but the fact that it was so firmly embedded in the helmet really says something to me about how hard he hit.

And here is a view of the interior of the helmet. You can see here how far up into the top of the helmet the crack traveled.


Now, I don't know exactly how these helmets compare to the strength of an actual human skull, but I am very, very glad not to have found out. Helmets can easily be replaced. My baby will be getting a new one tomorrow.

Though I hate to dwell on the morbid what-ifs, I somehow think that our little bike ride at the lake today would have had quite a different ending if my son had not had that helmet on.

If you bike, wear a helmet.

That's all I'm saying. Wear a helmet. They work.