Helmet head!

 I’m so excited.  I have bought a mountain bike.  It really has been a blast!  Especially my first trail ride.  What I noticed though is many cyclists are not wearing a helmet.  And for the life of me I cannot understand why.  I really can’t.Now here are the laws in Ontario about wearing a bike helmet.  (Quite frankly everyone should wear a bike helmet.)  Every cyclist under the age of eighteen must wear an approved bicycle helmet.  Parents or guardians shall not knowingly permit cyclists under sixteen to ride without a helmet.  There is a set fine of $60.00.In reading the laws for cyclists, we basically have the same laws as driving a motor vehicle.  Did you know we need to have a bell or horn on our bike?  And it has to be in working order, of course.  The set fine for failing to do so is $85.  Guess what I’m buying this week.If you really want to be bike savvy, there’s a great Cycling skills handbook that you can find on line.  Click here,  it’s a great resource!Back to why you should wear a helmet.  I really don’t want to bore you with statistics, because there have been plenty of statistics published for many, many, years on how wearing a helmet helps prevent head injuries,  but here is a bit of information on fatality facts.  This is from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety United States on Bicycles in 2013:“each year about 2 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths are bicyclists. In a majority of bicyclist deaths, the most serious injuries are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. Helmet use has been estimated to reduce head injury risk by 85 percent.  “I don’t know about you, but I like having my cranium in one piece.The reality is you have some control and total responsibility over how you operate your bike, but you really have no control over what might take you by surprise on the road or what another driver in a vehicle might do.Check out this video of two cyclists riding in Upstate New York when a deer ran out and struck one of the them.  You should see the condition of his helmet and his bike! But check out the condition of his head. It’s intact.Enough said.  Wear a helmet.  We like having you around and so does your friends and family. What is your reason not to?