Cycling Geelong member, Geoff Andrews, was injured recently when participating in The Great Victoria Bike Ride. It’s good to know that, despite facial, neck and chin injuries, Geoff is up and about again.
He writes…
Dr. Ian Davidson, Director of Emergency Services on duty looked at my cycling helmet & said it saved my life. Thankfully I was only travelling at 20 kmph when a small stick flew up & went into the spokes of my front wheel so head first over the handle bars into the tarred road on my chin.My sun glasses broke & went into my nose!
I am very grateful for superb nursing care for 5 days in the Neurological Sciences Ward at The Epworth Hospital in Richmond Melbourne.
The evidence is there. You bike helmet may save your life one day. Don’t leave home without it.
I’ve hit the tarmac at least 3 times and lost my helmet to it. I believe!!!
My Commiserations regarding your unfortunate mishap with the stick. I wonder what the serious head injury rate is in the European cities where there is a bias towards cycling and public transport. There are no doubt plenty of papers on the subject. I could be talking through my hat here but I suspect there is negligible evidence that helmets reduce head injuries in the city areas.
Clearly cycling on the open road and in all the forms of cycling sports it makes definite sense to wear a helmet. Personally, around Geelong it makes wearing a helmet and any other safety gear a must because of roads and bike lanes in poor condition, bike lanes that vanish into roads, 50% of motorists with attitude problems. It is good to see Myers Street in front of St John of God hospital has made the cycling lanes better. I exchanged a number of emails with their OHS officer about cars turning left into the underground parking – the main offenders were their pathology cars. They have since informed me they have instructed all drivers to watch for cyclists.
When I suggested some other changes they said “no other car park in Geelong has carried out my suggestions”. I mentioned to them if an accident happens at an entrance or exit it will be treated as a road accident, however, civil litigation could be commenced against St Johns for negligence. I posed the question to OHS that if they would use as their defence in court “no other car park in Geelong does it”. I noticed a couple of weeks later on more definite traffic signage in place.