A CBC interview about helmet safety piqued my interest.

I learned that in nearly every study of hospital admission rates, helmeted cyclists are 80% less likely to receive serious head and brain injuries —but these stats apply only for those who get into accidents.

So here’s the flip side –research says that helmeted cyclists bike faster, take more risks, and ride in riskier environments.

We’ve also discovered safety feature in cars give drivers a fall sense of security – what psychologists call “risk compensation”.

The University of Guelph’s driving lab put drivers in a simulator and told them to watch for moose.  Drivers sped up when they knew their cars were equipped with special moose detectors. “The moose would be in the back seat before people stopped the car,” remarked the lab’s director.

Risky behavior. At every horse show I see impetuous riders – climbing aboard fresh, distracted or green horses – prey animals in a busy, unfamiliar environment…but these riders are wearing their helmets. Yikes!

Compare two riders who’ve brought their young horses to the horse show: the western reiner, on a supple, focused, carefully prepped horse who chooses not to wear a helmet, and the helmeted rider on the distracted, jigging horse – resistant to rein aids and without lateral cues installed.

I guess in the event of a fall, the helmet will minimize damage.  But wouldn’t it be better not to fall in the first place?

I guess the best overall solution would be to ride it as if you had no helmet…  and then wear one.