The Helmet Debate

I recently had a very healthy debate with a friend about crash helmets.

I must admit my personal experiences have swayed my opinion greatly, but I try to point out to others, learning from mistakes isn't always the best way. Maybe learn from others mistakes, surely thats a win win, you've learnt but not made a mistake.

Anyway I digress. 

Obviously everyone has heard about the terrible incident involving a cyclist near the Olympic Park during the 2012 Olympics, this was a tragic incident and as my friend quite rightly pointed out a helmet would unfortunately not have saved this poor mans life, but that doesn't make me feel any less strongly about the issue.

In the last 7 and a half years I have spent a total of 47 minutes on a bicycle without wearing a Helmet. For those 47 minutes I was filled with dread, not because I feared for my life, but because I feared for the lives of those that I love. I have therefore decided to share my very personal experience in the hope that it will make someone else think, and wear a helmet.

As a student I received a phone call from the police, my mother had been in an accident on her bike. As I raced the 350miles home to be with my mother and my family I travelled by train and by bike. The sheer stupidity that I wasn't wearing a helmet didn't even register. 

It wasn't until my sister would not let me leave the hospital until I had a helmet, ironically my mother's which had been left at home, that I recognised the importance of wearing a helmet, not for yourself but the ones you love. 

I am very grateful that my mother is now fine and apart from a few little character changes, she is herself and happy along with my father. But for a while there it was touch and go, and I cannot even begin to describe what it was to see her, looking very unlike her and for a long time acting very strangely. 

The head and the brain are fragile and until you have experienced a head injury first hand it is difficult to comprehend that a single blow can change someone's whole character, even their eyesight. For our family it was the lesser known injuries and changes that were more difficult to digest, the 2 broken arms would heal, the fractures to the skull would heal, but the changes to personality and the loss of my mother's sense of smell were hard to gauge. Nobody was able to tell us if these were permanent.

The greatest fear I had was that this new mother, the post injury mother was not the woman my father fell in love with, it would be neither's fault if they no longer loved each other or even liked each other. It would be the fault of a blow to the head. Luckily my mother is left with only small reminders, she has scars, yes. She cannot smell anything and her glasses have a different prescription, but she is still my mother, she is back to normal.

I wear a helmet everytime I get on a bike, because I do not want to cause pain to those around me, I know there are dangers out there that I cannot protect myself against, but for the dangers I can I will try my hardest.

For my partner, my family and my friends I get the impression they like me because of who I am, maybe I should protect that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu4QzAIayTU

The Police

Brilliant! There are 2 kinds of cyclists that really really annoy me. 1. The fixie riders that think its fine to just whizz off the pavement onto the road and into my side, I understand that they like to go fast, but I will never understand the need to go fast an then brake all of a sudden. 2. The people that ride the 'Boris' barclays Bikes and have no road skills whatsoever. They swerve all over the road causing havoc.

This morning a wonderful thing happened, an example of both were annoying me on my way in to work, both went through the red lights at the cross roads before Southwark bridge, both got stopped by the police and fined.

Flashing vs Solid

Hmmmmmm, which beam is better?

I like a mixture of both. I'm a rear flasher, but I don't go full frontal, I must admit though I notice cyclists more if they're flashing me :)

Crazy BMW

Well today my friends, I actually nearly died. Some of you may say it serves me right for cycling on the Shepherd's Bush roundabout, but I had my fluorescent jacket on, I had my lights on and I had run no red lights, I was quite clearly in the correct lane and very visible. Maybe the man in his BMW didn't see me because he was texting. Yes that sounds accurate.

May I ask a potentially stupid question?

I'm going to anyway. If it is illegal to use a phone whilst driving, why do people think it is better to text than ring someone? Is it because the phone is more or less out of sight? Is it because it is cheaper.

Answer peeps. Don't fucking text while you're driving, you'll kill someone and then you'll never be the same again, they'll be dead and you'll be guilt ridden for the rest of your life.

Rant over.

Little action on the sun filled roads

Racerback tan lines and a dodgy knee, I did what all cyclists should hate on monday and decided to run into work instead, now my knees hurt. Silly.
The roads seem to fill up with Fair Weather Cyclists about now, its potentially the most annoying thing ever, because they behave like fish caught in a tide. No control or awareness at all.

Get off the roads!

I shouldn't say that I welcome all cyclists but I wish they were less of a danger to me, at this time of year I fear the Fair Weather Cyclist as much as I do the motorist.

Ah well the adventure continues...

2010 cycling

WOW! It has either been freezing cold or i've been on holiday. I've been rubbish. Got a new helmet for christmas and it matches my bike. What a loser I am.

Anyway will post next week, might even get my helmet cam back off Dhrubo. Catch some nice morning footage of motorists trying to kill me.

The problem with cycling

So it could be any number of things;

maybe i'm referring to the rain, maybe i'm talking about the generally crap driving abilities of London motorists.

But today i'm referring to the general grumpiness of drivers. Taxi drivers hate us, car drivers hate us, bus drivers hate us & lorries seem to think we are the spawn of satan. (I think this is because they have to actively look at the road) The irony I spotted over the last two days was that on Tuesday (heaven forbid) I went through a red light. I stand by my decision to do so as it was my safest option, but a taxi driver pulled up next to me and asked me why I did so, I explained that it was safer to get out of his way because he was very close to me. Today (Wednesday) I stopped at the same lights, and on pulling away when the light went green, the driver of the car behind me, who was very impatient, shouted at me out of her window for taking too long to pull away.

My question to motorists is, which would you prefer?

1. I go when it is safe for me to do so. Breaking the rules, but allowing you and I to progress at leisure.

or

2. I wait and follow the rules, and you patiently wait for me to pick up speed as i'm using my own energy to move forward rather than petrol.

As the great lottery advertising once said.

YOU DECIDE

T.A.C.