OK, I've been looking for a new rant. What is the deal with every kid who rides a bike these days needing to be fully padded??? Was there a sudden rash of head injuries from kids riding bikes that I was unaware of? Are kids nowadays just stupid? I hate this crap!!! If I ever have a kid there is no way inHELL they are riding thier bike down the street with all of these pads on. They will be spanked for wearing a helmet. UGH. good night.
Yeah, what's the worst that could happen besides broken limbs? Brain damage? Pfffft. C'mon, get real people; safety is for losers.
That is my point. I grew up with hundreds of kids riding bikes. None of them got seriously hurt or killed because of it. None of them were fully padded too. It is a SCAM, you are falling for it. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
im a bike rider myself and i could say that it maybe just that today's drivers both the bike riders and car drivers alike are reckless! pads also gives you a sense of safety when your riding. im riding a yamaha r6 and when im riding with my gloves and jacket, i feel a little safe rather than just wearin my helmet and shirt coz you may never know when your going to have a bad meeting wit fate. like one time, i was riding on i-10, and this ******* of a big rig driver gave me clearance to merge to the other lane so i can overtake him, and he f***in cut me as i was mergin to the left lane makin me wobble, almost lost control of the bike and almost hit the car next of me while runnin 80 mph. to make things worse, i didnt have any protective gear on! only my helmet and gloves. after that, i keep on wearin my jacket everytime i ride coz you may never knoe when you will fall.
Lemme guess. Your kid must be begging you for those new state of the art "Elbow Pad Ultra 2000's" that cost over $200? No wonder your so pissed. I would be too!
That's swell, but it is not what I am talking about. I am talking about kids wearing helmets and shiit just to ride thier bikes down the street to a friend's house. That is stupid. I'm not talking about Breaking Away. (Starring Kevin Bacon)
One thing I've learned: once you actually have a kid, your perspectives in life change. Then, all of a sudden...after you've spent years driving on the roads getting pissed at the nutcase drivers in Houston that almost kill you daily while you drive to work, your kid then says he/she wants to ride their bike down the street.... alone... and with no padding? You're first reaction is gonna be to think "I'm never, never ever going to let my kid ride a bike in the street at all in this city". Then you're gonna realize that that's not the solution. Then you're gonna go get safety equipment, strap 'em to your kid, and sweat bullets as he/she rides off into the distance. You're right - the pads look dorky, are uncomfortable, and are almost always unnecessary. But the same can be said for seatbelts in cars. I have known a ton of kids that walked away from bike accidents (hit by cars) with just cuts or scrapes simply because they were wearing a helmet. -- droxford
One time in 8th grade I jumped my BMX off this little ramp me and my friends made and ended up in Herman Hospital with a concussion and cuts on my face. Kids are stupid, pad them up to the max so they don't hurt themselves. Or you can say.... "When I was a kid we walked through the 10 inches of snow barefoot to school every day even in summer! These kids today are wimps!"
I want them to get hurt, or they don't learn. Yeah I got scrapes and bruises on my bike. It is a part of life. Bikes have existed for a good while now, so have pads and helmets. So why did it take till the year 2000 to put two and two together for little Taylor? Is it because there was a big wave of bike accidents in the age group of 7-10? NO! it is because of PPS, (p***y Parent Syndrome). Now little Kyler or Brittany has to be fully padded do ride their bike 50 freakin feet down Wooden Oak Ct. (I'm not talking riding on the big roads etc). Blah.
... In 1999, 750 bicyclists were killed, and approximately 51,000 were injured in traffic-related crashes. Children ages 14 and under accounted for 193 (26%) of the fatalities, making this one of the most frequent causes of injury-related death for young children. Each year almost 400,000 children ages 14 and under are treated in emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. Universal bicycle helmet use by children ages 4 to 15 would prevent 39,000 to 45,000 head injuries, and 18,000 to 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually. Bicycle helmets are 85-88 percent effective in mitigating head and brain injuries, making the use of helmets the single most effective way to reduce head injuries and fatalities resulting from bicycle crashes. Despite the fact that 70 to 80 percent of all fatal bicycle crashes involve head injuries, only about 20-25 percent of all bicyclists wear bicycle helmets. Nationally, bicyclists ages 14 and under are at five times greater risk for injury than older cyclists. ... http://www.co.gaston.nc.us/gastonpd/SafetyTips/BicycleSafety.htm What do those 200 kids who die each year learn? How many of those 39,000 - 45,000 annual head injuries...whch could have been prevented...have permanent damage? (I think I may know one... ) Kids don't need to crush their skulls to learn.
