Riding a bicycle is one of the best ways of seeing Chicago, especially along the lakefront, but every time that a bicyclist goes for a ride, he or she is continually confronted with a wide variety of hazards. That’s why groups like the National Safety Council recommend appropriate and proper fitting bicycle helmets for anybody who rides whenever they ride. Regardless of that recommendation, Chicago has no ordinance that requires wearing a bicycle helmet, even for children. Only messengers and delivery people on bikes are required to wear helmets, and that’s only when they’re on duty. As a result of the lack of a controlling ordinance, most riders don’t wear a helmet. Even bike share riders from businesses like Divvy don’t have to wear them.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Bicycle Helmets
There’s no question that a properly fitted bicycle helmet can prevent serious head injuries. Estimates appear to a 50% reduction in such injuries when a helmet is worn. If a helmet law is in place, the chances of riders wearing them increase fourfold. The Chicago Medical Society relates that the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that 54% of all of the riders who died in bicycle accidents in the country weren’t wearing helmets. On the bad side of helmet laws, municipal entities shouldn’t require them because they operate to diminish the number or people who bike to and from work and elsewhere. Riders complain about their comfort when wearing helmets too. Tight fitting foam padding doesn’t allow skin to breathe in the summer, and that foam makes it feel like it’s going to freeze to a rider’s face and head in the winter. Helmets do nothing to enhance how a rider’s hair looks after taking a helmet off either.
Not one of the 50 states requires adult bicyclists to wear a helmet, and only a handful of municipalities in each state require wearing a helmet for riders under 16 or 17 years of age. Bad hair is enough to cause many bike riders to never want to wear a helmet. It might be an
irrational decision, but most cyclists would still rather die young and be a good-looking corpse.