Why we should take bike safety on campus more seriously
I was lucky to have survived my crash
In December, while on a training ride with the BU Cycling Team, my bike slipped from beneath me on wet pavement and my body slid across the road at almost 40 miles per hour before coming to a complete stop.
Despite a couple scrapes and bruises on my left side, I was alive and well, but as I cautiously pedaled up Comm. Ave. on my way home, I became increasingly perceptive of just how many other bicyclists on campus neglect the most simple and effective safety measure: the helmet.
After my experience, I thought to myself, “How could anyone not wear one? Mine just saved my life.”
In Massachusetts, a helmet is not required by law for any bicyclist over the age of 16. This being said, choosing to ride without protection is done at the rider’s own risk.
The City of Boston’s bike statistics page indicates that in bicycle-related EMT calls, only 45 percent of cyclists are reported wearing helmets. Massachusetts Ave. and Commonwealth Ave. are also cited as the roads with the highest total number of bike crashes.
Each pin represents a rider-reported accident.
Launched by former Mayor Thomas Menino in 2007, Boston Bikes is an organization dedicated to transforming Boston into a world-class bicycling city by creating safe riding conditions, education curriculums and accessibility programs that allow for the purchase of affordable helmets for all cyclists.
Regardless of the safety statistics and programs available though, some campus bicyclists still choose to neglect the helmet for a variety of reasons.
Some choose to ride unprotected for convenience sake or because they think a helmet ruins their appearance.
“I don’t wear one because I’m too lazy to go buy one, but I feel like I should. Comm. Ave. gets real hairy.” says Reed, a sophomore in the Questrom School of Business.
Others believe that the helmet doesn’t offer significant enough protection so there’s no point in using them.
Lauren, a Junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, who always uses a helmet when she rides, explains some of the common arguments she has heard against helmets: “‘cars will be more likely to avoid you when you aren’t wearing one,’ ‘it doesn’t matter.'”
Andrew, a friend of Lauren and a Senior in CAS, adds that, “a helmet only protects your skull from damage, but your brain can still move around in your head on impact.”
Andrew CAS ’16 and Lauren CAS ’17
Then, there’s the select few, like myself, who rely completely on their skills in the saddle. They just never believe they’ll fall.
“I think it’s mostly because of overconfidence. I just never think anything bad is going to happen, you know?” says Jacobo, a senior foreign exchange student in Questrom. Jacobo does not wear a helmet.
But the truth is that crashes do occur at the most unsuspecting of times and it’s far better to be prepared rather than not.
Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way.
Whether you choose to wear a helmet or not however, the fact remains the same: stay safe out on the roads, Terriers.