Parachutes in commercial aircraft.

[Moonbear]

Here's the newest high speed impact resistant helmet.

http://66.132.232.61/prodimages/R13014.gif

[/URL]
Uh oh, I caught you. Obviously you didn't read all those links I provided, or you'd know that most collisions of bicyclists' heads with hard surfaces happens at the front of the head not the top of the head; some lethal injuries in helmet-wearing riders occur when the impact is just below the front of the helmet. (Well, darnit, after I read through all that information on bicycle helmets trying to answer hitssquad's question only to find that's not the question he asked, I'm going to use that information for something! )

 

[hitssquad]

You might find the phrase "risk compensation" interesting and useful, though, Moonbear. It implies that if car drivers wore helmets, they would drive more-recklessly. More-reckless driving implies that more bicyclists would be killed. EnumaElish said, "I also think bicycle helmets could be made mandatory for car passengers and they could end up saving lives." But maybe that would not be the case.

 

[Moonbear]

You might find the phrase "risk compensation" interesting and useful, though, Moonbear. It implies that if car drivers wore helmets, they would drive more-recklessly. More-reckless driving implies that more bicyclists would be killed. EnumaElish said, "I also think bicycle helmets could be made mandatory for car passengers and they could end up saving lives." But maybe that would not be the case.

That's also addressed in one of my links above...the one that's anti-helmet laws. Well, it's addressed in the context of bicyclists taking more risks if they wear helmets, not drivers taking more risks, obviously. I would think wearing a helmet in a car is redundant if one wears a seatbelt. It's the unrestrained driver/passenger who goes through the windshield head first. I don't know what other sorts of auto accidents result in severe head injuries, but they probably would be quite different in terms of how the impact occurs than what a bicycle helmet is designed to protect against. The helmet wouldn't do anything for the risk of smacking your face into the steering wheel, but then that's why airbags are also installed.

Locally, we seem to have had an abundance of car accidents recently where drivers were unrestrained in one of the vehicles. It really makes the message clear of just how much seat belts help when the unrestrained driver is ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene or dies soon after arrival at the hospital and the restrained driver walks away uninjured except for a bruise on their shoulder from the seatbelt.

 

[hitssquad]

Automobile head injuries and side-curtain air bags

I would think wearing a helmet in a car is redundant if one wears a seatbelt.

Persons who wear seatbelts sustain head injuries, Moonbear. That is why people spend extra money on cars that have side-curtain airbags.
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5Fratings/ce/html/side/s0411.htm

In the first test, the driver side curtain airbag deployed improperly, with the result that the driver dummy's head was hit by the impacting barrier. Subaru found that the side curtain airbag manufacturing facility had been assembling the airbags incorrectly. This led Subaru to correct the assembly process for the side curtain airbags on models produced after June 1, 2004. Also, Subaru initiated a safety recall to modify, at its cost, vehicles produced earlier. The Institute tested a second Legacy with the modified airbags, and the driver side curtain airbag inflated properly, preventing the driver dummy's head from being hit by the impacting barrier.

 

[Moonbear]

Persons who wear seatbelts sustain head injuries, Moonbear. That is why people spend extra money on cars that have side-curtain airbags.
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5Fratings/ce/html/side/s0411.htm

So that's a side-impact. Since (I think) we're still talking about bicycle helmets, those aren't tested for effectiveness against side-impact (and they don't really cover much of the side of one's head anyway), so we can't really determine if a bicycle helmet is going to help with that sort of head injury. Since most of the side of the head is not covered by a bicycle helmet, I'd lean toward thinking it's not going to help.

 

[hitssquad]

Bicycle helmets go down on the sides to right above the ears, Moonbear.

http://www.lori-and-al.com/blogs/about_town/images/0818_meinhelmet.jpg

See how the dummy's head is tilted so that the top-left of his head smudged the curtain?

http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5Fratings/ce/html/side/photos/s0411_3_grab.jpg http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5Fratings/ce/html/side/photos/s0411_4_24.jpg

Even if some of the rest of his head hit in this test, a bicycle helmet might help keep those parts from impacting.

 

[Moonbear]

Bicycle helmets go down on the sides to right above the ears, Moonbear.
...
Even if some of the rest of his head hit in this test, a bicycle helmet might help keep those parts from impacting.

Okay, somehow I was thinking of bicycle helmets fitting differently (I don't bike, so have never worn one, and was thinking they were more open on the sides). So, they do cover the relevant places, but since what you're images are showing are side-impact tests with side airbags, I'll refer back to my initial point.

Seat belts and airbags work much better by ensuring your head doesn't hit windshield or pavement.

Granted, I was only thinking of forward motion and front airbags at the time, but I think you've provided sufficient reason to also consider side-impact and side airbags.

There must be data available about the speeds or force of impact at which side-impact airbags are effective and when the force of impact would exceed that at which the airbags are effective in preventing head injuries. Only with that information could we make some determination of whether a helmet or an airbag might provide better protection. (I know, the burden of proof to find that is on my side now; I do need to do some actual work today though, so won't be looking for it any time soon...if you have any of that information readily available, I would appreciate it if you'd share it).

( I hope nobody was still interested in discussing whatever the topic was that we started out with...oh, right parachutes in planes...we've strayed quite away from that.)

 

[hitssquad]

There must be data available about the speeds or force of impact at which side-impact airbags are effective and when the force of impact would exceed that at which the airbags are effective in preventing head injuries. Only with that information could we make some determination of whether a helmet or an airbag might provide better protection.

The cost of each option does not matter?

 

[Moonbear]

The cost of each option does not matter?

That would depend on how similar the effectiveness is. If one is going to provide little to no protection and the other substantial protection under the conditions of typical car crashes, then cost (monetary) would be weighted less based on effectiveness. But, if both provide similar protection, or at least some reasonable degree of protection under typical crash conditions, then weighting cost vs benefit becomes more of an issue.

Of course, if we do end up factoring in cost, then we also need to consider what other injuries are prevented. We've been focusing on head injuries, and that's all that a helmet will prevent. Airbags and seatbelts prevent additional serious injuries to the upper body that are not prevented by a helmet.

I'm also not certain if the original suggestion of wearing a helmet was intended to mean instead of or in addition to seatbelts and airbags. I can't tell from the first reply that mentions it. If it's in addition to, then we'd have to show that a helmet combined with other safety equipment provides sufficiently more protection than not wearing the helmet to justify all of the costs (including enforcement). If it's instead of, then we have to take into consideration all of the possible injuries, not just head injuries.

 

[hitssquad]

Right now, side curtains are usually optional/not-available:
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle%5Fratings/side%5Fairbag%5F01%5F02.htm

There is an opportunity for the car consumer to decide between helmet and curtain.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Perhaps people are not as cynical as they were when I was a kid. Then the standard answer was that the airlines preferred to pay off the relatives of the dead than provide lifetime care for the injured.