Bicycle riders without helmets
 

I see people riding without helmets around TV. I assume since they are going slow they think they are OK.
Some things to think about:
I have seen seats snap off for no apparent reason. Bolts fail, posts fail. If it happens you are going down. If you happen to hit on your shoulder you head will then slap onto the pavement.
I have seen handle bars snap off.
Chains break.
My sister ran over a groundhog in PA. No injury to either.
I have seen snakes at the very last second. It shakes me to all get out but I have to say I have not crashed due to that.
I'm sure some safety commission has a list of crazy, unexpected things that have caused riders to fall.
Bike helmets: All are covered by CPSC since 1999. If it's $35 or $250 they all meet the same standard.
Just something to think about.

I see motorcycle riders without helmets, smokers puffing like chimneys, drinkers on the Squares, resturants and bars hopping into their carts and cars and driving home, sun bathers and pool people frying their skin, fat people eating more junk food, neighbors climbing on their roofs to clean gutters, people mowing lawns and using blowers without eye, foot and hearing protection, people in carts driving 21 MPH or even faster, people working on or crossing "active" golf fairways without hard hats, walkers at night without reflective clothing or lights, etc, etc, etc.
The point is, at our age if we want to bubble wrap ourselves, we probably know where to find the stuff. If not that's where survival of the fittest takes over.
Just my opinion:loco:

Darwin's theory solves most of these types of problems.:smiley:

I rode bikes all my life w/o a helmut. That is until a handful of years ago when my kids got wind of this and told me "if" I should wipe out and get a head-injury they weren't going to be doing the nursing care for me. This was "up north"! Back then too there was an ad that would be run (locally) on t.v. with an orthopedic doctor or some such specialist who also rode bikes. That ad would tell about the horrible possible head injuries that could happen (just from hitting gravel or whatever)...not to say broken bones etc. I've had bone-breaks not from this sport and have to say if I can do anything to not have others I'll wear the helmut and to heck with having a "bad hair day" afterwards. JMHO

Any time I see any type of biker without a helmet, I think "mensa candidate."

I think the same thing every time I see a fat person in the buffet line at the Golden Corral.

It's great to be free to make your own choices in life. Had an uncle smoke cigars until he died at 92 years. Had another friend die at 48 years from flesh eating virus. Had another friend at 46 die from blood clot. Had a work associate, worked out, was a vegitarian die from brain cancer at 54 years. Make your choices, live your life, ultimately you have no control over the outcome.

:a20::a20::a20:

too funneeee
 

:a20:You all are tooooo funnneeeee (mensa - golden corral).....:mmmm:

I know what you are saying and I agree with you. When I was young and carefree the thought of wearing a helmet never occurred to me even after my sister's head split opened when she hit the ground after flying off a motorcycle! Don't smoke anymore but I did for many years...I am sure my lung capacity would be much greater now if I hadn't smoked all those years! My point is now that I have found this wonderful paradise I want to live at least another 30 years! I am still carefree but not as young and I do wear a helmet when I ride my bike because I would just hate it if I fell off and landed on my head!

Now don't get me wrong, know the benefits of helmets And if I ride in or near traffic I will wear one. But just to play a devils advocate here...how many of you rode bikes for umpteem number of years without? I know when I was a kid, a helmet? Huh?? What are you talking about. Had plenty of skinned knees from wiping out on gravel roads...yep...before they paved our roads...LOL.

Basically people will wear them or not. If its not hte law then there is no requirement. I myself will likely invest in one just because I've already seen the crazy drivers :loco: both vehicle and cart down there and I assume riding on sidewalk is a no no.

Used to bike around the bicycle capital (shout out to sparta, wi) and would ride on the sidewalks on the busy streets, other streets I felt fine doing it. But people were heavily aware of bicyclists and weren't out to run them off the road either.

Darwinism doesn't work here
 

In other places, I would agree with you.

The problem here is that the idiots you see in The Villages riding without a helmet have already procreated.

It's called thinning of the heard.

Very good point, but in the "big picture" they have passed on the genes so it is a problem that will eventually solve itself. One of the reasons the dinosaurs died out was they had brains the size of walnuts--see the parallel?

Don't be so critical. How else would you know they are brain dead.

Darwinism in The Villages
 

So I guess it all depends on whether the offspring of the helmetless bike riders we see here get clipped by a car before reproducing. Judging from the bike riders' apparent IQs, their offspring are probably having kids at around the age of 14. If so, we cannot count on improvement of the human gene pool.

Just takes a little longer. Good things come to those who wait.

While I understand the concern, if I see someone not related to me doing something I think is foolish, I may shake my head, but I really don't feel the need to get innvolved. Now, if their foolishness poses a risk to me or my family or friends, I will be concerned enough to say or do something. But, absent any personal risk to me or my family, they are free to risk their lives or well being if they so desire.

Case in point. Last summer, we had renters on our street who had teenagers. They were driving golf carts up and down the street at high speed, then skidding them sideways by slamming on the brakes. Now, if they want to maim themselves, that's their business. But they were endangering my neighbors who like to walk around, or may be driving in their carts. Not to mention that they could lose control and go up on someone's yard and perhaps hit a house. I had to go out and shout at them to stop. And they did.

Now hold it, shouldn't this be in the political forum ??????

fumar..............:loco:

I think "Organ Donor"

Good grief, think of your spouse of significant other (who came here to live the dream) having to take care of you as a quadraplegic and/or vegetable.

If you want to maim yourself that's your choice, but don't do that to loved ones who'd have to spend every day watching you in a nursing home!

Life is for living
 

I have even seen people leaving their house!

Darwinism
 

This is why I am skeptical about Darwinism eventually weeding out the idiots from the human race. The idiot gene pool has become quite large and idiots tend to reproduce at a young age and have large numbers of kids-- generally out of wedlock.

bikes without helmets
 

I think it's great expressing the wisdom of wearing hemets. Many valid points. However, I think calling people idiots and disparaging their lineage, as well as generalizing and stereotyping is mean spirited. Makes me wonder about the validity of the Villages as "the friendliest place on earth"

Most of didn't have a seat belt or didn't use them for most of our lives. We are still here.

Isn't it amazing how many of us grew up as kids in the 30s and 40s and survived without a helmet riding bike, roller skating and boarding (a board with skate parts on the bottom).

We also survived driving without seat belts since there were none....as did our children...because there were none on the cars we owned.

Different time....different values....decisions were made on our own and not fear or economic or legislation driven.

btk

rules?
 

Way too many rules......Live and let live...

dont confuse the general population with the totv folks. there is not much comparison.

open casket
 

i wear one all the time,,, so if i get hit,,, i can have an open casket

Reason is very simple -- riding with no helmet means that the person has no brains to protect!!

Expect the unexpected. I worked in the TBI (traumatic brain injury) unit in a renowned hospital in NYC. Sadly, I had kids and grups (grownups) who fell on skates, from a bike and walking while on a phone on Broadway. The child on the phone went off a curb and fell onto the street a got a bump on his head (the back of his head).Skatergirl wore wrist and knee gear but no helmet. When the left side of her head met the curb, it hurt. The bicyclist was riding his dads old bike on fathers day as he had done for the seven years prior, as his dad was no longer with him. When Bill (biker) was pedalling to the top of the first hill near his home, he felt the chain snap. Bill went head over handlebars and "piledrove' his head into the asphalt. He remained conscious. A man watering his lawn watched the entire event unfold. The fire/rescue team in place, a medic said Bill was ok and Bill said 'I broke my neck''. Bill was able to lift his arms and snap his fingers; concussion only. Rolling his eyes, the medic said, 'sure. If you say so'. The youngster on skates lost his life from a bleed in the back of his brain as he was delayed going to the ER as they waited too long. imagine the guilt. NO HELMET. Skatergirl, last I heard, was still alive but hardly... no helmet.
My friend Bill DID have a helmet on which saved his life. His neck had 3 breaks but no sever in his chord. Because he was a weightlifter, his neck was so developed that it saved his life along with his helmet. Seems sometimes we can help us not to go before our time. He is now retired from dentistry but worked steadily thru age 78.

With that logic, should we have helmets on when we drive our cars and carts ?

Dumb
 

and dumber!!!!!!!!!!!!

I totally agree with your comments. I so dislike the mean spirited comments that are posted on some of these threads and am sad that it seems to be happening on a more regular basis. I still believe the majority of the residents in The Villages are truly friendly people.

You can lead a horse to water....

I'm surprised there is no law on motorcycles in Fl (as well as other states)

We wear ours and will continue to do so, if you knew when an accident was going to happen, there wouldn't be any.

yet there are others that still smoke in spite of the evidence :read:

I often wonder about the self righteous. It's OK to try to be as safe in everything you do, if that's the way you want to live your life. To belittle others who don't share the paranoia is pretty small.

There are many things is life that may be considered dangerous. Others might consider those things exhilarating, and what gives life that spice.

I like lots of others have rode my bike without a helmet when I was younger.I'm now 55 and consider myself to be not lacking in common sense therefore I wear a helmet when I ride now.I ride pretty often out on the streets of the villages & let me say with the way we all drive around here a helmet may not be enough protection(maybe a suit of armor is in order) I wouldn't ever consider hopping on my bike without wearing one.Please don't say I should be riding on the multimodal paths. I fear more for my life there than out in the road!!

even in politeness folks get their biased slam in ....I am not without common sense therefore I wear a helmet.....not very tolerant of others free choices...they aren't making fun of you for choosing to wear a helmet....eh?

btk

:BigApplause: Totally agree with you!

:BigApplause::BigApplause: