Humans are an interesting bunch. Out of all the interesting living beings on this planet, we stand out like Keith Richards at an insurance sale. Of course there are many reasons for this and one of my favorite ones is the invention of the helmet. Like Jerry Seinfeld said before: Why did humans invent the helmet? Well we were engaging in activities that were cracking our heads. But unlike any other sane living being, we chose not to avoid these activities. Oh no. We chose to make little plastic hats so we could continue our head-cracking lifestyles.I am an avid motorcyclist and here in the Netherlands, you have no choice. Helmets are mandatory. Anyone you talk to here is basically 100% convinced that helmets are a good idea. But in America, the discussion is far more interesting. Pro-Helmet people and Contra-helmet people battle eachother fiercely, throwing back and forth seemingly solid statistical data. Anyone with even the smallest amount of knowledge about statistics knows that it's all about interpretation of the numbers. Given enough reasoning, you can prove an elephant can hang from a cliff with its tail tied to a daisy. So the statistical discussion is not that interesting to me. But if you take the statistics out of the equation, you are left with a rather simple discussion. The contra-helmet people will tell you that a helmet will restrict your view, muffle your ears from hearing the sounds of traffic and will snap your neck like a twig under the extreme G-forces that will occur during a crash. The pro-helmet people will tell you that it's better to have a sheet of plastic between you and the road when you slam into it. I have to be honest, I felt there is merit to both agruments.
As the picture at the top of this blog will testify, I am guilty of riding without a helmet as well. This particular picture was taken on one of the busiest highways snaking though Miami. Up to now, I have clocked about 3000 kilometers riding Harley Davidsons in America and about three times that riding a Kawasaki in Europe. Remember that statement about the "unrestricted view"? Well if you go over 50 km per hour, you need to wear goggles. If you don't, the wind will basically blind you. Try looking straight into a hairdryer and you will get an inkling of what I mean. These goggles restrict your view just as much as a helmet does! Second, sound! Believe me, with wind blowing past your ears, you won't here much more than: WHOOOOOSH. As for the neck-snapping, i can't testify to that as I have never crashed. But a head weighs about 5 kilograms, a helmet weighs about 1 kilogram. I'm not sure the 20% weight increase will suddenly make a dramatic difference.
So, no reason to not wear a helmet? Well, there's a catch. There is simply no substitute for feeling the wind in your hair as you ride along the highway at 140 km per hour. The feeling of freedom is simply astounding. And there you have it! Here the pro and con camps are battling eachother on the basis of fact and statistics. And all the while, the real crux is an irrational one. It's the same reason why people jump from planes with an oversized unbrella strapped to their backs. Sometimes you just want to something that makes you feel free. I know, it makes no sense. But be honest! you feel it to..... don't you!
Jeroen Breukels
