Indeed, always wear helmet because it will save you when you don’t expect it!
For 2 years I’ve been riding about 8-10 miles a day on different boards, always with helmet on (sometimes my Bell, sometimes my TSG Pass). I had my fair share of falls, but never remotely close to hitting my head, so I started feeling that I am experienced with falling well and that the chances of falling on my head were really low -but still kept wearing it always because it was easy and because you never know.
Well, about 2 months ago the helmet saved my life, for the first time -I am still not sure exactly how it happened, but bottom line is I landed on my back and felt the back of my head bounce hard against the road. From the sound and the shock of the impact that I felt half-way down my spine (that was from my head bouncing, not from landing on my backpack), I could tell this day the helmet saved me from something really bad.
Nobody has complete control of the environment, no matter how experienced they are. Pick any odds per ride you like, 0.1%? 0.01%? It doesn’t matter, they may sound low but they are never zero. Other injuries are not the end of the world but a helmet is the only thing that can make the difference between getting up without a scratch and being dead or in a comma.
Last thing the football coach would say to us after practice with a high school dance that night: “Remember boys, if you are going to hold hands, wear a glove.”
Is that two falls or is that one really fast fall with two independent head slide scenes? Shhhhhh … he’s going to be doing a double head stand with a full twist dismount
It is every rider’s choice whether to wear a helmet and/or other pads. But please follow @longhairedboy’s first rule for the forum. Don’t be a dick. If you hurt something and it wasn’t padded, I’m sorry that happened to you, but don’t hire any lawyers.
Helmets are the very minimum protection we should all wear. The rest is personal preference but usually after the first fall the very next purchase is some road rash preventatives. As for should you wear a helmet then yes you should but its your life your choice.
What is also your choice is letting someone else ride your board without a helmet. Thats on you if it goes wrong. I very nearly lost my eldest son last year when he hit a drain cover going about 15mph ish around a steep corner at full lean the board flipped and he hit the curb. Had to be resuscitated in the ambulance. No helmet and I fucking knew he was on it without one. He has been riding skate parks his whole life and doing crazy downhill. He refused the lid and nearly died but it was my board so my responsibility. I should have made him wear it or not let him ride it. Aside from the injury he now won’t go near a skateboard at all. So something he loved to do is now something he won’t. Thats on me too.
Hes fine now. Took some rehab and work but he is back to work and good. When you hurt your kids be it inadvertently or not its not something easy to straighten out. I’m pretty passionate about safety regarding others now as @Kingdom421 will attest. Sorry Jarod but things are not easy to see unless viewed with hindsight and by then it could be too late.
Peace bro.
I meant gets over his fear of riding. Fear shouldn’t stop us. Also, being properly equipped (or helmeted / padded) helps drive out fear. Especially if it happens again this time while properly equipped, and he sees the difference it makes.
I hope he does brother because the kid can ride a board. Like a natural. Be a shame if he stops completely. I have him hitting the water so hopefully he gets his confidence back.
I often punch water too. I just ride down to the beach, take my trousers off, wade in to around waist height and then go full rocky balboa on the incoming waves.
My wife made me get a helmet after I said I was going to build a board. And I gave her the same crap I gave her when she said I need a helmet for riding a push board. Well fast forward to now I still don’t wear a helmet for my push boards but I do for esk8 because last year I had a crash and smacked my head and ended up with broken ribs bad road rash and a concussion but it would have been worse if I wasn’t wearing my helmet.
I usually only wear a helmet when going for longer rides. On the way to work (3 minutes) I only go around 20km/h on very easy roads… but yeah you never know when it can hit you… so thinking about wearing a helmet as well for my ride to work
Do it bruv, crashing on the way to work is no fun, and doubly so without any pads or especially helmet. Wouldn’t be great to show up with a concussion lol.
yeah well… you always only consider the times nothing happened… but a helmet is there for the times when something happens… might start wearing one starting tomorrow
