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To each their own, my first few years of riding I rarely wore a helmet. I wouldnt judge anybody for doing the same, knor should anybody else. Maybe I just got old, maybe it was the kids but I started wearing a helmet all of the time all of a sudden. No conscious decision as to why.
I see 2 distinct groups, those who are ignorant/uneducated about the reasons WHY a helmet is such an important piece of gear. These individuals simply need a little education ~ no judgement found from the Vast majority of people I've been associated with in the past 20 years.
The other group are those who think they know better, are above the statistics, are better riders (and somehow are immune to the bad/distracted drivers out there) that choose not to wear a helmet. Those people deserve the comments like "$10 head? $10 helmet!" Just because an idiot doesn't think they are one doesn't change the fact that they are (and that THEY are responsible for higher insurance premiums, more expensive medical costs, etc... that the rest of us are forced to pay). So let the judgement fly for those people, maybe they'll wake up sometime before the inevitable occurs.
As it is, with the new socialist health system, I can see people being turned down for care if they ride a motorcycle. That means ALL of us, gear or no gear, so it probably won't matter in a few years anyway.
As a cyclist, I crashed during a race (final 300 meters, last corner, everyone was setting up for the sprint), at 28mph. All bicycle sport helmets are the same safety wise, they weigh about half a pound. I hit my head when I hit the ground, cracked the helmet slightly. I got up, and rode to the finish line. When I got home I bought a new helmet at the bike shop and went riding that evening.
For any of you who say that a bike or skateboard helmet is not much better than nothing, you are delusional.
No kidding a real full face motorcycle helmet is best. But if the guy is seriously either not going to wear any helmet, but might wear a skateboard helmet, it's definitely something.
My fiance recently bought a snell full face helmet for $100 on amazon for riding her scooter. (high vis yellow btw).
If you're trying to convince the guy to wear a real helmet, I understand that.
You could also be original like a bunch of the cruiser riders in my area and wear a steel WW2 era army helmet with glued on viking horns. If it can stop shrapnel it should help in a crash, and the horns should scare off some predators. Another good option would be a bandana that you have blown your nose on a few hundred times. The snot undergoes a chemical reaction, making the bandana stronger than kevlar. Another wise choice.
I just consider the physics involved. IIRC the energy to be dissipated, in your head or in the helmet lining, is a square function of impact velocity. Thus a 20 mph impact falling off a skateboard or bicycle creates x energy then a 60 mph impact falling from a motorcycle creates 9x energy. I strongly suggest wearing a helmet appropriate for the activity.
Maybe consider what people are doing with skateboard/bike helmets. Is it the best for the job, no. Has one saved a nyc courier speeding at 20mph and is hit by a taxi doing 35-40? A boarder or bmxer loosing it on a 15ft half pipe or a long flight of steps?
A motorcycle helmet IS the best choice for a motorcycle, a skate helmet is not akin to just wearing a bandana. Now if he said hard hat or batters helmet...
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