5 Safety Measures That Don' Make You Safer



Helmets, anti-lock brakes, sunscreen -they all seem like they should make us so much safer and healthier, but as it turns out, they can actually put us in more danger, largely because we take our safety for granted once we have these protection measures in place. Read about these and other safety precautions that actually make you less safe in this great Cracked article.

Link

Bike helmets are a pet peeve of mine.

As far as I know, there has never even be a definitive study of how likely you are, if you have an accident while cycling, to land on your head.

It seems logical to assume that if you did land on your head they might be of some use, admittedly. But I don't think that anyone knows, scientifically speaking, how much.
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i ride into work 2-3 times a week and won't go without my helmet. i also play ice hockey and won't step on the ice without a helmet. sure you're gonna get injured with a helmet on, but you're less likely to split your head open. if it's concussions you're worried about, you're gonna get one with or without a helmet if you're hit hard enough. nothing will stop your brain from rattling around. bike helmets work, i strongly encourage them. but it's up to the wearer of the helmet to NEVER feel invincible... ever!
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Helmet Schmelmet. Side impact air bags? right... Helmets add weight to your head and when you're getting tossed around that doesn't help your neck from being broken. Side impact air bags do nothing to keep inertia from tearing your aorta from your heart. The day we get Testacle Cancer Awareness Three Day Weekend and see sexy men examining themselves, I'll send a dollar to the Breast Cancer Bandwagon.
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I never wear a helmet when bicycling, but I may have to rethink that. My brother was the victim of a hit-and-run driver while on his bicycle. He suffered a broken collarbone, broken rib, punctured lung and a severe concussion. His helmet was cracked nearly in two, but it was evident that it would be his skull that was fractured had he not been wearing the helmet.

I support the freedom to choose, but I can be honest and admit that a helmet DOES protect your head.
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playtrombone64: "but I may have to rethink that"

As you rethinking that, bear in mind that car drivers are less cautious near cyclists with a helmet than those without. That research was mentioned in the article.

Basically this whole debate is detailed in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Science:_testing_the_hypothesis_that_helmets_are_effective and there's scant evidence that cyclists with helmets are any safer overall than those without.
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Jesus christ, not this helmet bullshit.

Go in to all the silly statistics you want about their usage and motorists. I don't care
Go ask anybody with experience with crashes, such as emergency room employees about riders with and without helmets. Be ready for the horror stories

Helmet safety really isn't up for debate. Yes, it's a personal choice, do whatever you want.
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@ wyrda

From the link by Andrew Dalke:

"The protective effect of cycle helmets has been studied mainly through case-control studies and time-trend analysis.

Case-control studies usually show a large protective effect on head injuries while time-trend analysis usually show no protective effect at all. No randomized controlled trials have been done on the subject."

Interesting dilemma. So should I wear a helmet or not?
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Actually, the article misses out on, or omits, another fine point.

They're right about ABS; -alone.

BUT the addition of ESC/Traction Control when added to a car with ABS, Does have a very marked downward effect on accident rates.

And ESC is oftentimes so invisible, the Peltzman Effect does not occur.

++Love the Unintended Consequences cited in that article, though. Hilarious!
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The ABS one is interesting. I got my first car with ABS about four years ago. In those four years I've covered 60,000 miles and apart from doing it on purpose to see if it works, I've only made the ABS actually do anything twice. Both were for deer.
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As soon as I see the name Cracked in a Neatorama link I don't bother following it. I've found in the past that their articles are written with almost no research.
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If you want to take safety advice from cracked.com, then please, don't wear a helmet, you're already spoiling the gene pool. One thing will remain constant, if you fall, or get hit by a car, you will fare better if you are wearing a helmet. Yes, statistics say that we are inclined to do more dangerous things if we are wearing protection, but that doesn't mean that if you don't wear a helmet, you won't have an accident. You can be on either side of the statistics, (for better or worse) the problem is, you don't have a choice in the matter (because accidents are random, whether influenced by your actions to protect yourself or not). I have two friends that would be alive today if they were wearing helmets, so I think I'll keep mine on.
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I always shake my head at the people (mostly bikers, or "motorcyclists") who say helmets are actually more dangerous. They want to feel the wind in their hair. Sometimes I wonder if they haven't already fallen on their heads a few times too many.
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