Today I have a little rant…and a simple solution. The weather has been awesome these past couple of weeks, and it’s great that people are out riding bikes. As an avid cyclist, I love this. However, something has been driving me crazy each time I’m out on the roads and pathways. It’s when I see people not wearing bike helmets while riding!
I liken it to smoking. These days, there’s no excuse for not knowing better.
30+ years ago, wearing bike helmets wasn’t a “thing”, but we’ve learned a lot since then, and I like to think we are a lot smarter about our actions now. There is so much information about the serious consequences of concussions and their lingering repercussions on mental and physical health.
Why do people fail to do such a simple thing to safeguard their health? Is it because they…
- Don’t want to mess up their hair?
- Think they will look bad?
- Feel bike helmets inconvenient?
- Believe they won’t have an accident?
- Don’t understand the impact?
I’m sure it’s a combination of all these, but regardless of the reasons, here’s a simple suggestion…
Whether you are riding a beach cruiser, taking your fat bike to pick up milk at the store, or commuting to work on the pathway, WEAR A FRIGGIN’ HELMET!
Here are some simple solutions:
- Helmet hair
- Use braids, beach spray, silk scarf, or just rock the helmet hair look!
- Think they will look bad?
- Get a cool looking helmet, and add some embellishments to make it your own style
- Feel helmets are inconvenient?
- Are they less convenient than a cracked skull?
- Believe they won’t have an accident?
- S**t happens. Sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes we are at the mercy of other people’s mistakes. It’s not a matter of it, it’s WHEN!
- Don’t understand the impact?
- Just Google TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) or concussion. There’s enough info to last a lifetime.
- Here are a couple in case you need extra guidance (Weill Cornell Medicine, CDC.gov)
I find it’s the people who don’t ride regularly that are the worst culprits. Most (but not all) avid cyclists wear bike helmets consistently. These infrequent cyclists are people with the lowest bike handling skills, least road sense, poor cycling etiquette, and are at the highest risk of an accident/collision.
On Saturday when I was out for a ride in the city (wearing my bike helmet), the pathways around downtown were packed. I passed dozens of people who (IMHO) were on the verge of crashing or causing an accident.
So, even if you feel you are a rockstar cyclist and would never crash on your own, you can’t always account for the actions of other people. Even if you aren’t seriously injured, crashing on a bike just sucks in general. To me, it doesn’t make sense to take that chance.
My rant gets taken to a whole new level when I see parents not wearing bike helmets when riding with kids (in almost every instance, the kids are wearing helmets).
What are these parents thinking? What message is this sending to their kids? Perhaps they believe that adult heads are immune to damage from concrete and asphalt. In reality, it comes down to the old “do as I say, not as I do” mentality.
This situation likely exists because people don’t take the time to think about the impact of their daily actions. Taken further, this situation speaks to the larger picture about your personal “brand”, your “values”, and what you believe in (but that’s for a different post)
People may think I’m silly for making a big deal about this, but I firmly believe that the small stuff matters.
To bring this back to health, happiness, and personal performance (other than the fact that not smashing open your skull on concrete is good for your long-term health), I strongly believe that small daily actions are indicative of long-term health (and success).
What small daily actions are you taking to improve your health, happiness, and personal performance?
Getting outside for a bike ride to enjoy the great weather is an excellent option.
If you decide to do this, WEAR A BIKE HELMET! Your future brain will thank you.
If you don’t ride bikes and want to find another way to be active, we at FRESH! would love to help. Just book your FREE Success Coaching Session, and buy your ticket to a healthier and happier life!
