Should My Children Wear Bike Helmets on Bike Rides?

Someone posted another question like this on Mamapedia recently. I don't remember the answers specifically, but I vaguely remember something about not wearing a helmet being a bad idea. Something about concussions and death and stuff like that.

A helmet should be worn every time without exception. If they are on a bike or scooter they wear a bike helmet. No discussions. Even in the drive way. No exceptions.

YES YES YES x1,000,000. Kids AND adults should ALWAYS wear helmets when riding bikes.

It's the law here. But regardless, helmets are essential.

ODS is a competitive cyclist. He has had some scary wipe outs. I can't imagine how much worse they would save been had he not been wearing a helmet. Don't risk it.

What the hell does being close to home have to do with avoiding a head injury?! Have you ever seen a kid with a head injury from a bike fall? Yes. Your children should wear helmets, even in the driveway. It is completely irresponsible parenting to do otherwise, and where I live, you are breaking the law. If the butt goes on a bike seat, if the sneakers go on a scooter, the helmet goes on the head - end of story.

Oh my god--- you didn't wear a helmet and look what happened?!

Apparently that happened to another poster who thinks safety is a 'new normal'. Look at what happens!

DUH-YES! Always wear a helmet. Magical thinking doesn't protect you from brain injuries.

Added: a few years ago, my ex-husband decided to ride without his helmet, ended up hitting a pothole in the road at night, woke up in the hospital to discover that they'd had to operate to relieve the brain swelling or he would have died. The only saving grace, in my opinion, was that A. someone found him in time to get him to the hospital and B. we weren't married any more, so I was not financially responsible for his inane stupidity. It's just stupid not to wear a helmet.

nope, just if you want to protect their brains.

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Our neighbors son was riding his bike without a helmet on his driveway this summer. Fell on his head, cracked his skull and had to be airlifted to the hospital. Spent the ENTIRE summer in the hospital....Family vacation canceled....all summer activities canceled.

Can you imagine being the parent having to explain this to all the medical staff, family members, teachers, friends........your own kid

Your choice... how are you going to feel when they get their brain splattered or crushed because of the inconvenience of wearing a helmet?

It depends on how important your children's lives are to you.

Do you put seatbelts on when you get in the car, or do you wait until you are out of your neighborhood?

of course not.
it's only their heads, after all.
now if it were their asses that needed protection, that would be a whole 'nother thing.
khairete
S.

Every time, every ride. Helmets save lives, & protect against injuries. The expert cyclists in the Tour de France wear helmets, why should your family be an exception?? T.

Tell me this is a joke, please.

You think your child won't get a severe concussion if her head hits your driveway? Of course she will. Read Elayne J's response again.

Hell, yes.

And you and your husband should, too. No exceptions, no rationalizations.

Can't believe you even have to ask this.

This has been asked and answered before.

The answer is: no of course not! Helmets are not necessary. Oh, unless they have brains and skulls that you wish them to keep in good working condition. There is no after-market replacement brain currently available for purchase. Then you want them to wear a helmet. Your decision.

Being close to home, and knowing the terrain, are ridiculous excuses for children - or anyone - not wearing a helmet. Terrain has NOTHING to do with a sudden flat tire or broken bike chain, a rock or pebble being kicked up so that it startles the rider, a squirrel that darts out in front of the bike, being distracted, a car that takes a wrong turn or loses control on the block, etc. If your excuse made sense, then home safety common sense wouldn't be necessary. Do you leave toys on the stairs where someone can trip on them? Why not? You certainly know your staircase and you're in your own home.

Everyone in your family needs a helmet, unless someone doesn't have a brain. Assuming every one of your family has a functioning brain, then helmets are a must. For EVERYONE.

Make the decision now to enforce safety. In about 8 years when your oldest child is able to get her learner's permit to drive, are you going to tell her that seat belts and turn signals aren't necessary if she's only driving to a friend's house nearby and she knows the terrain?

Be the adult.

If your child falls and hits his/her head, it doesn't matter if they are on your front porch or two miles away, they have still fallen and hit their head.

I understand not being worried when they are close to home, but it's really not relevant. If they are riding a bike, they can still fall and hit their head.

My son is 4 and knows hes not allowed to sit on his bike until his helmet on.

An animal could run across the road in front of them. Some idiot could drive his car too fast down the street. Anything can happen to make your kids jump and possibly hit the pavement.

Did you go for a bike ride without a helmet, fall off and hit your head? This is a stupid question. I hope your kids wear their seatbelts in the car even if its a quick ride to the store.

They should always be wearing helmets any time they are on a bike or scooter, with no exceptions. Just because they are in the drive way does not mean a crash cannot lead to serious brain injury. If I catch my kids on their bikes or scooters without a helmet they lose bike privileges for the rest of the day. Safety first.

As for those saying it is no big deal because we didn't have helmets and we are still here, we are not all here. I have a friend whose brother has been institutionalized since childhood after a bike accident caused brain injury. I know I couldn't live with myself if that happened to my children just because I didn't want to enforce helmet rules with them.

We are a big bike riding family. The answer is a definite YES! Yes, they definitely need to wear their helmets when riding their bikes. They need to wear them on long rides and also on short rides near your house. You and your husband need to wear them too. You don't need to be going at a high speed to fall and hit your head on the pavement hard enough to get a traumatic brain injury. It's a good rule to start now and get all 3 kids used to it. I always wear my helmet and our kids cannot ride their bikes till their helmet is on.

Most cities have helmet laws now. It's the law here that any child under the age of 16 must wear a helmet when on a bike. If a police officer drives by and sees your children riding without helmets, you can get in trouble.

If you aren't smart enough to make your children wear helmets to possibly save their life, then do it because it's the law.

yes a helmet should be worn every single time on a bike. i make my kids wear them. if its forgotten for a few minutes of driveway riding i don't punish them i remind them to get it on. ( cars also pass by my house at an average speed of 45 mph so i am wary of the texting driver that may veer offroad and hit my kid)
so yes helmets are necessary . period.

You're gambling with your kids lives when they don't wear helmets EVERY time. Speak to your pediatrician if you doubt the advice you've been given here. I hope you reconsider your point of view.

They should wear helmets every single time they get on a bike. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Do you really think that freak accidents don't happen just because they're near their house? Tell that to my neighbor who, while walking her dog on the sidewalk in front of her house - on a quiet side street on a quiet Easter Sunday morning - lost her leg when someone driving down the street had a heart attack behind the wheel, lost control of their car and ran her over.

Riding a bike = wearing a helmet. All the time. Everywhere. Always - and that goes for you and your husband too.

Yes, to protect their brains. And because they will have the habit so ingrained so they will continue wearing them as they get older.

I suggest you make an appointment to talk who works in an ER or a trauma team. Your doctor can also explain why. Or a fireman.

I think you will see that most school age kids wear helmets.

They should wear bike helmets on every single bike ride, whether they are going offroading for three hours or to a house three doors down. Knowing the terrain has nothing to do with bike safety. Knowing the terrain doesn't stop another child or a dog from darting out in front of you. It doesn't stop a stick or a rock from being on the road (or the driveway) and having them lose control as they hit it.

Here is an example of how wearing a helmet can protect you on very familiar terrain: My son rides his bike or scooter to school every day. He has been taking the same route for almost five years. He knows exactly where he's going and what the streets/sidewalks are like. However, a few weeks ago, there was a large RV parked on the street with its side popped out, sticking out halfway over the sidewalk. My son was talking to his friend and didn't see it in time, and rode straight into the edge/corner of the side of the RV. His helmet stopped him from both smashing his head and potentially losing his eye, as he would have hit right on the corner of the RV if he wasn't wearing the helmet. He knew the terrain. But the RV isn't usually a part of that terrain. Things change. Accidents happen. Why take that risk?

Do you have a good reason for NOT putting them in helmets?

Just in case safety and protecting their heads isn't enough of a reason, it is California State Law that all children under the age of 18 wear a helmet when riding a bike, scooter, inline skates and skateboards. We have had police outside our elementary school giving written warnings to kids not wearing helmets; a second infraction would have resulted in a fine.

Yes. All the time. Even in your front yard. Even in familiar terrain, rocks and sticks can cause a bike to skid or slip. I worked with a gentleman several years ago who was riding his bike when a stray dog attacked his tire. He crashed and hit his head on the curb. He suffered a traumatic brain injury that caused permanent disability. Always, always, always wear helmets!!

My kids and I wear helmets every time we ride. It seems very foolish not to wear a helmet. Where I live it is law that all children under 16 must wear a helmet, an as adults we want to model that behaviour. I don't understand why they wouldn't be wearing helmets in the first place. Do they wear seat belts in the car?

You should search Mamapedia - there was an almost identical question a while back. And the answers were uniform: yes, wear helmets. Do you wear seatbelts in the car even if you know the road? Even if the speed limit is 20 vs. 30 vs. 60? Do you have them brush their teeth after small meals as well as big holiday meals?

Did you ask your local police department what the rules are for kids under 12? My guess is, there are no exceptions for helmet use. Did you talk to your pediatrician about helmets and other safety procedures? Did you read the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations? Have you seen the head injury and traumatic brain injury data? Do you realize that it's not just about kids' knowledge of terrain, but about sudden movements, traffic, and erratic drivers? Stray rocks and road cracks? You wear seatbelts even if you are a good driver, right? Because other people/drivers are in the mix!

I think the answer you will get from everyone in authority is to wear helmets all the time, including in the driveway or on the street, or put the bikes in the garage rafters and be done with it until the kids are old enough to accept responsibility.

I can't believe you will find anyone, anywhere, who will say there's a distance requirement or a terrain familiarity requirement for bike helmets. If you love your children, you will put them in helmets and also protect the brains of their parents.

Our rule is no helmet, no bike riding. Not even up & down the block. Knowing the terrain and going at slow speeds still won't prevent a head injury. All it takes is something like being startled by a dog bark or accidentally hitting a grass edge while distracted by something shiny, and down they go. Kids bonk themselves in their own driveways.

My kids (and us) wear helmets everywhere, even when we bike around our large property.
My sister had a biking accident and the only thing that saved her was she was wearing a helmet. My husband suffered a concussion from a mountain biking accident - he just flipped over and fell funny. He wasn't going at fast speed or on rough terrain at that point.

only if you want them to sustain traumatic brain injuries should they fall and crack their skulls open.

Helmets should be worn on all bike rides by kids and adults. Do you not buckle them up in the car when it's just a short ride?

I actually just read a few articles on bike helmets.

I was curious because of this question and something my pediatrician said to me after my daughter suffered a concussion. She told me that bike helmets really only protect the skin and bones of the head...that your brain still flops around inside your skull causing a concussion during a fall off a bike. (My daughter did not get the concussion during a bike ride but at school being hit by a chair).

So bike helmets do not stop a concussion they do stop more skull fractures and cuts/scrapes. They lower the risk of a brain bleed if you get the concussion but from the figure I found they can still happen while wearing a helmet.

I also read a new study out of England that drivers are less safe around you if you are wearing a helmet vs if you are not.

All in all some interesting reads...does this mean I am going to make my kids stop wearing helmets (probably not....but if they grab their scooter to dash to a friends house down the street and forget their helmet...I might not be as concerned as I would have been fifteen minutes ago).

I think Googling this issue would be a good idea...and to answer your question about long bike rides...yes, probably, but go read some studies for yourself.

Jeez people, be NICE! Pretty sure NONE of us wore helmets growing up riding bikes......and we're obviously still here. My kids are 12 and 14 and I don't make them wear helmets, I did when they were younger though.......Trust your gut, not everyone freaking out with what is the new normal.

Always. Even if they are just riding around the driveway and street in front of house. On family rides around the block. On trails. You should, too. They help prevent head injuries!!

That's you and your husband's call. I never wore a helmet and neither did my kid, but ymmv.

Do you wear a helmet? If not then it's sort of a double standard in my opinion. If you wear one they wear one. If you don't think it's enough of a danger for you to wear one then no one wears one.

I haven't been unfortunate enough to have any kids or grand kids that had a severe injury from riding a bike. But I know it does happen.