Helmet head, if you don’t mind
So I get that people are in the mood to save money AND the world. I’ve seen more people on bikes in Walla Walla in the last few months that I did in the previous 13 years. Some of this scene is adorable…husband and wife biking to work, looking earnest and a tiny bit righteous. Exactly how I would look if I could ride to work. And, yes, I suppose there are people riding into work here from Milton-Freewater, but I know my bad knee would give out on the other side of Stateline.
But here’s that part I can’t wrap a tire spoke around. Why is it bikers of my generation aren’t understanding the whole helmet issue? There you are, on your fat-tired, old-fashioned Schwinn, or something, with a bulky briefcase wobbling by your side, and your precious gray head unprotected. You’re cautiously pedaling past, shifting that bag with every slow turn, your Doc Martins firmly on the pedals and your dress trousers rolled up at the ankle…WITH NOTHING ON YOUR HEAD BUT BIFOCALS.
Please, I’m begging you, get a helmet. Put it on your Christmas wish list, whatever it takes. No one wants to see your face on the obit page because you didn’t understand that a helmet is as important to think about as global pollution.
You, the just-past-middle-age-guy-with-the-ponytail…we get that you’re cool, riding downtown to work in the morning, we get that you care about the environment.
Just care about the environment surrounding your brain, that’s all I ask.
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Obviously the graying folk of our generation are more concerned about how their helmet head LOOKS during the Rest Of The Day than about a possible moment’s lapse in their mature saftey outlook. Easier to claim, “I forgot”–especially at this age–than to wear mashed hair all day. JAM
Well said! I have similar thoughts. It also really bothers me when I see people pedaling away with a cigarette dangling from their lips. So…are you riding for your health? If so, you’re doing it wrong!