Right i do agree that the parent should have force him go wear helmet. As i was told this happened a few weeks ago where he rode into the streets without one and guess who got blame? The older brother. Instead of punishing the him for riding into the streets they yell and hit the older brother. Lots of fails here
1. Bike helmets are required in about half the states:
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/helmet_laws.html
Based on your IP, if your nephew lives in that state, or most of the neighboring states, his parents should have known it was the law & could have simply used the "I know you don't like it, but it's the law."
2. Saying they're not well off... and a couple posts later, whining about the price of gas to drive to Target?
3. Agreed, you sound kind of callous toward your family, but I understand that if circumstances have been similar over the years, it's kind of natural.
4. I'm really, really annoyed that there are people with children* who don't have health insurance for the kids. There's no excuse.
*I make exceptions for the Amish. They (at least the ones around here) pay their medical bills. Going to a benefit auction for that very purpose tomorrow. Might buy a storage shed or something - great Amish family; I chat with them frequently. One of the daughters cracked her head open, flown by helicopter, emergency surgery, etc. The whole Amish community comes together to help - sort of like an insurance policy - they pool their risks, but don't keep the money quite as liquid, though it only took 2 or 3 weeks to organize the auction.
The Amish have some good things like that. Not many people in our society have that sense of community. They aren't fat and aren't lazy tits like many of us. Of course, when you can't use gas it means you gotta work, too!
What's your point? Surely it isn't that kids shouldn't need to wear helmets because you got lucky and never injured yourself by being stupid and not wearing one.
For the record, my mom made me wear a helmet when I was a young kid. By the time I was 10, I was smart enough to understand why I should do it. Plenty of kids made fun of me, but that never bothered me. Teach your kids the reasons why they should do things instead of simply demanding that they listen. I've been employing that system with my kids and I can already see it working even though they're still very young.
Just a little older than you. Witnesses said that it was 3 complete cartwheels down the road on my bike. It was suggested that if the kids bike seat wasn't on the back, it would have been far worse for me. That thing was pile-driven into the road. Had a child been in that seat, it could have killed the child. Bent frame, totally destroyed both rims, the clip things for my feet were destroyed. Knee cap was perpendicular to my leg, probable small fracture to my shoulder, but that was about the only place not x-rayed. And most importantly, a bike helmet; the outside mangled, and the inside split right in half. I never ride without a bike helmet.40 years old never wore a helmet. I turned out fine.
Just a little older than you. Witnesses said that it was 3 complete cartwheels down the road on my bike. It was suggested that if the kids bike seat wasn't on the back, it would have been far worse for me. That thing was pile-driven into the road. Had a child been in that seat, it could have killed the child. Bent frame, totally destroyed both rims, the clip things for my feet were destroyed. Knee cap was perpendicular to my leg, probable small fracture to my shoulder, but that was about the only place not x-rayed. And most importantly, a bike helmet; the outside mangled, and the inside split right in half. I never ride without a bike helmet.
40 years old never wore a helmet. I turned out fine.
It's a bicycle not a motorcycle,
My point was rather obvious: just because helmets exist for that purpose doesn't mean not having one is all "ZOMG I'm going to die!" Even having a crash without one isn't "ZOMG I'm going to die!" It's a bicycle not a motorcycle, and this is coming from a motorcyclist who always wears all the gear all the time.
You have to remove yourself from the gene pool either by death or by inability to reproduce to win the Darwin Award.
Alright, I don't get it. Someone fill me in. What is this from?
One could argue that if the child were to die, it would be more of a Darwin Award for the parents since they deserve all the blame right now. Yes, the child was being stupid, but he is a child. The parents should not have let him on a bike without a helmet on.My point was rather obvious: just because helmets exist for that purpose doesn't mean not having one is all "ZOMG I'm going to die!" Even having a crash without one isn't "ZOMG I'm going to die!" It's a bicycle not a motorcycle, and this is coming from a motorcyclist who always wears all the gear all the time.
You have to remove yourself from the gene pool either by death or by inability to reproduce to win the Darwin Award.
D: Rocky 4
Bikes are inherently low-speed. It is not "horribly conceived" to say that they require less precautions to ride safely as the potential risk is MUCH lower. People have always blown it way out of proportion. "Easily?" Just because it's easily possible doesn't make it easily likely. Kids do other things that can "easily" hurt their heads, like play ball, climb trees, erect forts, build rope swings over swimming holes, sled, skate, and snowball-fight. Just how "easily" also depends on other factors. Many parents don't let their kids ride their bikes in the road in the first place which goes much farther towards protecting their precious heads.See my response to soulcougher73. Also, see ADDAvenger's post about survivorship bias. I asked what your point was mostly as a rhetorical question - I knew what your point was and hoped by pointing out that it was horribly conceived that you'd come up with something better. It could easily be "ZOMG I'm going to die!" the first time you have an accident on a bike considering how fragile a human head is.
The effort is better-spent elsewhere, like motorcycles in states without helmet laws and parkour. Seriously: free-running is extremely dangerous and yet I don't see anyone pressuring those kids to wear gear.