Be Safe

Time for a soapbox and a short detour….If you don’t wear a bike helmet when you ride its time to get one.

I grew up in a time when bike helmets really weren’t talked about or considered.  We did some pretty crazy stuff – and it is pretty incredible I didn’t spend anytime in an ER room or worse.  Plywood ramps on cinder blocks, jumping off the boat docks into the river, dirt trail rides through the woods through a variety of obstacles, riding on highways  – they all provided a lot of fun and we did it all without helmets. 

But now there are great lightweight helmets.  Statistics are published about bike accidents and fashion, denial, or apathy still take center stage.  I can sympathize with some of the adults that still live in the past with this – but its time to accept the fact that you are much safer with a helmet.  The cyclists that blow me away though, are the ones I have seen in the past couple of weeks that are just flat out…..well….stupid.

• The rider that hangs the bike helmet off the handlebar by one strap and the other strap dangling and swinging right next to the front wheel asking to get hooked in the wheel. 
• The rider that has it loosened to the point of sliding off the back of their head like a cowboy hat.  
• The one that has it looped over their arm so it looks like a makeshift elbow guard.
• The one that has it strapped on their pack rack. 
• The parent with a bike helmet on and the child in the bike seat without.

Be a leader that will lead another day and lead by example.  It is more than a good idea and the kids are watching.  Put the helmet on – it’s fashionable, it’s cool, and more importantly you will be able to make a difference a little longer.