Every single day on the lovely Capital Crescent trail, my trail, I see loads of bikers. Triathlete bikers with all their gear, little old lady bikers with all their gear, fancy-ass D.C.- lobbyists/lawyers on bikes (you can just tell), CIA agents, kids riding to school, and toddlers trucking along with their parents in tow. I can't even begin to count how many of these idiots are wearing their helmets like this:
In fact, just the other day, I saw a girl who was about 10-years-old riding with both her parents (neither one wearing a helmet) wearing her helmet like it was a sun bonnet. She fell splat right in front of me. I immediately went to see if she was OK, and her parents said she's fine, she's fine, and the kid said "I'm fine, I'm fine" and I said, "She needs to wear her helmet corectly because next time, when she falls on her forehead, she might not be so fine," you stupid morons.
Or something to that effect.
What really kills me is when grown-up normal looking people are wearing their helmets like this:
Is that better than no helmet at all?? You bikers out there, tell me!
Cuz every single time I see someone wearing a helmet like they're trying to get a suntan on their forehead, I most desperately want to correct them and thereby, possibly save their lives. (But then, I want to correct most people about something, so there you go.)
I want to say, "People, The Helmet is not an accessory!"
Please wear it like this:
Wow, I'm grouchy.
</rant>
17 comments:
Are you serious? I had no idea. My kid has been wearing it wrong the whole time. Thanks!
I commend your blog post production skills but you sure are ranting today.
Tell me my fortune, please. I need some good grounding.
i think you probably just educated hundreds of people, including me! -- lol re: toenail polish, do you like how artfully it's chipped off? hehe
I like how their exposed forehead will hit the ground first so that it destroys all cognitive function and just leaves them a vegetable on life support for the next 48 years.
I especially like the fashion mavens that wear their helmets on their handlebars. They're the coolest.
OK, first I had to go and check the pictures and make sure that my children and I wear our helmets correctly. Phew.
Yeah, I'm totally right there with you - those idiots - wearing their helmets wrong. Pshaw!
My personal favorite is when the kid on the back of the bike has one on, but not the adult at the front.
Yes - a helmet worn incorrectly is better than no helmet at all but not by a lot. At least if you fall sideways the helmet will hit first. If you endo or crash broadside into a vehicle that turned in front of you, all bets are off.
I think people wear them wrong because they don't know. Why they can't figure it out is anybody's guess. Anyhow, thanks for the PSA.
I like your post and Nancy's comment. They are suitably cranky.
I am also cranky about this subject. And I'm sorry to say I notice way more women wearing 'em this way than men.
Then again, I'm bald and have no pretty hair to mess up so I want that thing covering most of my head. :)
look at it like this...
DARWINISM baby. darwinism. ;)
it's really amazing how many people you see biking without out helmets at all! are they trying to be "cool" or something? worst case was at the CSC invitational Kid's bike segment, i thought this one little girl wasn't wearing any helmet, turned out it was hanging around her neck, not at all on her head. she shouldn't have even been allowed to continue in the race!
Hear hear!
BTW your last post? SOUNDS. LIKE. HELL.
Better to be on the bike with no helmet or a poorly worn one than not to be on the bike.
Last weeks story...neighbor boy wears his helmut wrong. Neighbor boy fell off bike. Neighbor boy has a huge, discusting tennis ball bump on head. Neighbor boy rushed to children's hospital. Neighbor boy is OK, but wears a skateboarders helmut now.
I completely agree. I hate seeing people wearing their helmets all wrong. If you wear 'em like that, then don't bother at all. They are just begging to get knocked right in the forehead.
Yikes, I'm going to remember this! Based on what I'm reading here, it's a good bet that my local bike club may possibly bury me to my neck and stone me if they catch me wearing my helmet wrong!
I have to disagree profoundly with jank! That's not an honest choice, and the only choice I give my kids is ride with the helmet or don't ride at all.
dang. I've been wearing it wrong. Thanks for the illustration :)
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