Safety gear

LDPanda · Safety gear

Well, it seems to be a hot topic over on the Fish right now, helmet or no helmet, pads or no pads. It got me riled up enough to actually post over there on that hellhole of ignorance and selfishness. Of course, my point was lost among the rabble of self-absorbed teenagers (sorry to any of whom are over here). So, here it is again, my first, last, and only words on the issue of safety gear, I hope the audience here is more receptive.

There is no debate, if youre not wearing a helmet youre disrespecting the sport and every other skater out there. Whether or not you wear pads is your own deal, i dont care if you get a booboo on your elbow but helmets are a life and death matter. Every skater that dies or is seriously injured because they werent wearing a helmet hurts the entire community by focusing the attention of parent groups and law enforcement. And yes, you can die going slow, its not a speed issue. If you hit the back of your head while traveling 10mph or 40mph there is always a chance of a subdermal hematoma in the brain causing death in a matter of hours.

Its simple: wear a helmet every time. If not for yourself, for the rest of us.

blake

hey speak of the devil its a hot topic on NWLB to. Keepinitreel i think on NWLB decided to start a thread to maybe start a ride for saftey kinda thing (kinda like walk for a cure.) and when i get more info i will post up about it.

wafflesole

Agreed on all points. Helmets are essential. But i feel it should be an individuals choice. By more people wearing helmets all the time, more people will follow suit. Forcing peope (over 18's) to wear helmets at all times will not work.

in my opinon.

northcoast

i've brought up safety on my college's longboarding facebook group, and was nearly laughed out of the group (doesn't matter, cuz i'm the admin and i could ban all their n00b asses). but, really, this debate came up on a bike forum recently because of the inherent safety issues, and actually skateboarding was brought up too. i'll always wear a helmet, bike or skateboard, because i've had enough massive wipeouts to know the value of helmets first hand...i'll always tell people to wear a helmet, and i'll always be amazed at how much worse i get hurt when i wipe out in my safety garb than they do in their board shorts, but at the end of the day, it's a personal choice. it's like boning a girl without wearing protection!

edit:
got a link to the fish thread? being banned, i can't readily peruse the forums at my leisure anymore

stocago

My LDP safety gear includes helmet, knee pads and half-fingered gloves.

I would much prefer the freer feel sans gear, especially living in the hot, humid state of Florida.

After a 30-year layoff from skateboarding, I've been back at it for the last year and a half and I've only gone down twice, but both times in the last month. I have had plenty of close calls.

My cousin died skating several years ago while riding without a helmet in a shopping center. Witnesses said he was cut off by a car. He didn't have a scratch on him except for a bump on the back of his head. He was the father of two young girls.

So I wear a helmet because of him, and for my wife and kids. I wear kneepads because walking is my livelihood.

Here's the link:
http://www.silverfishlongboarding...u-dont-clutter-other-threads.html

LDPanda

Thats one link, the other link is called something stupid like "the no helmet club" or something and is actually advocating not wearing helmets. I cant understand the stupidity of some of these a-holes. Im sorry if i seem a bit too passionate about this but helmets arent just a personal choice in my eyes. Its also about the impression that the community gets. First off, property owners dont want dead kids on their property so everytime they see a skater with no helmet it makes them less likely to allow skating on their property. Second, as tragic as skateboarding deaths are, they also have the effect of galvanizing the arguments of parent safety groups and law enforcement to ban skating in public areas and encourages them not to build skate parks. Third, kids see skaters and think theyre cool, when kids see skaters without helmets that gets passed onto the next generation. I want my little brothers to see responsible skaters, not stupid pricks.

I understand a lot of people dont wear their helmet when "commuting" or "cruising" but i have never heard a convincing argument why. Ive heard "it looks gay" which aside from being homophobic is a stupid reason for doing anything. If you live your live by "whats cool" then i feel very sorry for you. A person like that can never grow, they only change along with whatever happens to be popular at that moment. Ive heard "its inconvenient" which is another BS reason as if you keep your helmet with your board it will never take more than two seconds to put it on or take off and you can hang it off your trucks when youre walking around. the closest thing ive seen to a valid excuse for not wearing a helmet is that theyre hot, which may be true but can be helped with a better helmet designed for hot weather. Besides, i think we can all agree that mild discomfort is preferable to death in all cases.

I was really disappointed to see some helmet-less riders at the seattle ultraskate VI but its an individual event so i kept my mouth shut. Generally, when i see a rider with no helmet i dont give them the time of day. I dont even talk to the pretty girls at alki beach riding around if they dont have helmets on. It just shows they dont take skateboarding seriously.

stocago

Don't be a hater! Wink

I think it's proof of de-evolution.
Here it is:
http://www.silverfishlongboarding...ng/97445-no-pads-helmet-club.html

I can understand how some adults will choose not to wear helmets, but I cannot believe how many kids ride bikes, scooters and skateboards without them. I blame the parents. I make my kids wear them. I think it's actually a local law, but is not enforced. Law or no law, my kids will wear helmets.

pavedwave

Ian the Groove Worshipper

I do agree that helmets and safety gear are and should be a matter of personal choice.

But along the lines of safety, I've decided that I'm going to change my kingpins every month or so. There is no excuse for not doing this, especially if you are approaching 200lbs. Perhaps you may feel this borders on the paranoid or neurotic. Yet there have been too many horrific postings about violent and unexpected crashes after kingpin snaps, which could have been prevented. I have yet to see any postings describing a Grade 8 kingpin snapping within a month of being replaced. If I can prevent an unexpected bail and equipment failure out on the trail for a 60 cent part, I'd be a lazy fool not to. You can buy Grade 8 Kingpins at a local fastener supply store for far less than any skate supply store. It's cheap insurance.

northcoast

man oh man, i'm glad i got out of there when i did.

pavedwave

pavedwave

http://www.bikeforall.net/news.php?articleshow=644

Judge blames dead cyclist in "extraordinary" court case against illegal driver

CTC has condemned a judge's decision to reduce the sentence handed down to an unlicensed driver because the cyclist he killed - valued by a judge as worth £15 - wasn't wearing a helmet.

Denis Moore, 50, collided with cyclist James Jorgensen, 55, last September on a roundabout in Seaham, County Durham. Jorgensen died eight days later of severe head injuries. Although the court was told that Moore was only driving at around 20mph, Moore's solicitor acknowledged that his client had suffered a "momentary lapse of concentration."

At Durham Crown Court last Friday, Judge Richard Lowden gave Moore a 24-week suspended prison sentence. He said the fact that Jorgensen had not been wearing a helmet was a "mitigating factor" and Moore's sentence would be reduced accordingly.

Shaine

While being quite self-hypocritical with this comment; Helmets a far more about that potential collision with a vehicle. It doesn't matter how good you are or what kind of street skating you're doing, this is always a possibility. Coming from someone working in the ER, it does make a big difference in the outcome. Am I saying there's no need when there are no vehicles in the equation?-Absolutely not, its just that a head injury is likey in a bike/skate'/ped vs car scenario when you look at the physics of the impact.
I do not wear a helmet often enough myself I will admit, and I know better.

Arjen

After all I've read about helmets I want to buy one myself. The only thing I do is cruising, LDP and some dancing. Should I look for a multi-impact helmet (like most skate helmets) or a helmet with EPS, wich is more safe but can take only one hit?

LDPanda

My personal opinion here is that multi-impact helmets are the way to go for flatland/dancing/cruising/commuting. I find them to generally be more comfortable and youre not gonna break them with a little rough handling. A single impact foam can be destroyed just by dropping your helmet on the pavement (or getting pissed off and tosing it across the park). Good for you for stepping up!