Wear a helmet, save a life

I got to yell at my older sister the other day, and for the first time it was not as the… I got to yell at my older sister the other day, and for the first time it was not as the whiny kid brother. All younger siblings know the annoyance of the nagging older brother or sister, and I hope they all get the chance to experience the vindication of finally being able to correct their older sibling in righteousness.

See, I saw my older sister riding her bike around Oakland without a helmet. Oh, and, boy, did I ever tell Mom.

Anyone who has ever passed a Cathedral of Learning bike rack around mid-day can tell you that bikes are quite a popular form of transportation on campus these days, which is great.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who comes close to vomiting a little bit when hearing about a South Oakland resident with the laziness and the nerve to drive to class.

But those situations are not so common in good weather, so I will save that rant for another day. Right now, my problem is not with the driving yahoos out there – and there are a lot – but with the riding ones.

I ride bikes and wear a helmet – usually at the same time. It just makes sense. So it just amazes me that, with all of the propaganda for helmet safety that kids are subjected to in their formative years, people would forgo a helmet.

Does a helmet get in the way of their hipster image? Does it ruin their hairdo? Or are they just too darn invincible to need a device made for mortals?

Trust me, by observing the dubious skills displayed by most of the bicyclists in Oakland – including my own – it’s easy to see that no one is too good for a helmet. Besides, no cyclist can ever control his fate, not when motor vehicles are at the root of most bicycle-related deaths.

Riding without a helmet is the ultimate form of arrogance. And while it’s not illegal for anyone over the age of 12 to not wear a helmet in Pennsylvania, there are reasons why it is highly recommended by safety experts, and why the governing body of professional cycling mandates helmets for all of its riders.

If any of the bareheaded riders out there are somehow more indestructible than Lance Armstrong himself, I would certainly like to meet him or her.

Bike crashes can kill, it’s that simple. In 2005, 782 people were killed in bike accidents in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Of those killed, 86 percent were not wearing a helmet. Are they still too cool for one?

Bicycles put more people in the emergency room for head injuries than any other sporting activity. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 151,024 trips to the ER were made as a result of bike-related head injuries in 2004. In comparison, baseball injuries were a distant second, causing 63,234 such trips.

So when I saw my sister cruising down Forbes Avenue sans-helmet, I lost it. First, I sent her a nasty text message. Then, I sent her a nasty voicemail. After that, I went to her place, grabbed her helmet, tracked her down outside her class and handed it to her.

Of course, she wasn’t pleased about all of the fuss, but I think she will get over it. Because, when it comes down to it, wearing a helmet is not just about the person under it.

It’s about the parents, bystanders, drivers, other bicyclists and paramedics who will have to deal with the arrogance of a lidless rider, should an accident happen.

It’s also about the kids at Frick International Studies Academy, just across the street from the Litchfield Towers, who have a great view of cool-looking older folks riding their bikes without helmets.

In the same way that talking to friends and relatives about the dangers of smoking or drug abuse has become encouraged, we should also encourage helmet safety talks.

Of course, the statistics related to bicycles and helmets are not nearly as shocking as those related to smoking, but they are pretty darn senseless.

There are simply no excuses for this kind of recklessness. In a minute-long Internet search, I found plenty of helmets available for less than $20, and many more for less than $40, so the price can’t be much of a deterrent.

Wearing a helmet is cheap and undeniably safer than the alternative.

A plastic and styrofoam hat might not be the coolest thing to wear around town, but neither is a plaster cranium cast.

If you happen to be cruising around Oakland helmetless, know this: Jack is watching. E-mail him at jhm15@pitt.edu.