When in North Park recently, I have been really happy to see, so many people out riding bikes.  What has not been so good, is to see is how many of those cyclists do not wear a bike helmet.

Just by counting rough numbers, I estimate that 30-40% of the people riding bikes in this urban park, are not wearing a bike helmet.  It is shocking to me that these people are not willing to put on a simple, low cost safety device that could save their life.

The other day, I saw a father riding his bike with his daughter, who looked barely two years old, in a front mounted child seat by the handle bars.  Both father and daughter were zipping along without a helmet on.  It is scary to think about what might happen if they were involved in a crash.

I myself was involved in a bike crash earlier this year.  The crash happened in an instant, and was the result of a car pulling out in front of a group I was cycling with.  I was lucky. I was going slowly, and did not hit my head on the ground when I went down.  Unfortunately, a lady cycling in our group was not so lucky. She ended up with a bruised brain, but if she had not been wearing her helmet, the crash would have been much more severe, maybe even fatal.

Bike helmets are relatively low cost safety items, and most manufacturers with replace your helmet at a significant discount, if you crash in it.  It is a small price to pay, for possibly saving your life.

Please… if you are out cycling, wear a bike helmet.