So long story short, I ride with a lady friend periodically and she is a firm non-believer in helmets after a near death experience while wearing one where at the angle she landed could have broken her neck. I am trying to convince her otherwise with past experience, I know a few crashes I've been in I'd have been dead long time ago without mine. I think I can rebuke just about all her arguments on the neck breaking issue with the fact that they make high quality motocross neck harnesses similar to the ones used in auto racing. What are your thoughts on this? Are you for or against wearing a lid when you ride?

I just really wish I could get her to wear one along with gear. She rolled her four wheeler not long ago, thank heavens she was okay, but that could have turned into a bigger disaster than it did. Lastly, that's another of her rather ignorant arguments against wearing a helmet as that she rides so slow and cautiously that it wont happen to her. I know from 15 years of experience that a accident can occur at any speed, any time, and anywhere regardless of how you ride.

 

If the impact WITH a helmet on felt like it almost broke her neck, imagine the damage to the skull WITOUT a helmet, probably would have been dead or severely injured. I use to ride motorcycle all the time in nice weather with no helmet, but starting wearing one when riding to work because of the colder mornings and distance. Las August, I was struck from behind while stopped in traffic, driven into the car in front of me, and flipped forward over the bike, landing on my back. Except for a banged up knee, I was fine, the back of my helmet was pretty scarred up, can't imagine what my head would have looked like without the helmet. Not my fault, was totally out of the blue and unexpected, so you never know when it will happen. Long story short, I dont leave the garage without a helmet on.

 

I was actually told by my doctor after I was in a bad accident that if I had been wearing a helmet, I'd probably have broken my neck after slamming head first into a huge pile of land scaping boulders while riding my rm250- I tore my ear off- hanging by a few threads- and tore my face up pretty good- I also twisted and tore back & neck muscles, broke my wrist, broke my collar bone and a couple ribs. out of work for 2 months.
I woke up to the sound of my wife (first wife) screaming- I was still stuck in the rocks. I blacked out again and woke up in the hospital in a body brace- The bike was totaled also.

however, I've been on the trails and have had rocks and chunks of wood kick up from the rider in front of me and hit my helmet.

I wear a helmet while trail riding 95% of the time- only time I never wear one while on my atv is when doing yard work or when I'm in the deep woods doing real slow (max 5mph) navigation. both my kids (4 & 9 yo) wear their helmets 100% of the time. There are a few instances where wearing a helmet causes more injury- cant count how many times while riding through dense forest trails I had a branch get wedged between my helmet and face- which wouldn't have happened if I had no helmet on.

but- I also feel a person (adult) has the right to make his own choice- as stupid as it may be. I'm surrounded by states that don't require wearing a helmet on a motorcycle, so I see it often.


9 yo Christmas morning with finding his new kfx50 and new helmet & goggles

 

Holy hell, that's quite a crash!

Yeah, only time I don't wear my lid is tooling around the yard, loading up, or running the blasted deer off my property when they get near my garden haha.

Bet he was a happy kid! I was about that age when I got my first quad, a E-Ton Sierra 90DXL. Those are the types of memories that both of you will cherish for a lifetime.

 

i've been peeled off of my quad due to a low hanging 4" limb that i didn't see. my kids witnessed that wreck. it gashed my helmet open on the side due to a jagged area of the tree limb. it made my kids believers to wear helmets as i believe my skin and skull could not have protected my brain from that injury. so, i wear helmets as my family wears helmets. better to be safe than sorry, injured rather than dead.

 

The only time I don't wear a helmet is low gear slow mudding or doing chores like cutting deadfalls from the club trails. I don't like a helmet in deep water/mud holes. I also won't wear one when it's mid-90s and the helmet causes so much sweat that it gets in my eyes. I'd rather be able to see and avoid an obstacle than plow into it with a helmet on.

 

Always wear one trail riding. Even going through some small branches or foliage it's still better than it hitting your face/head. Of course, it's smart to wear it to begin with anyway. Only time I might not is when plowing snow, but sometimes I still do only because the helmet keeps my head a little warmer if it's a blustery day.

 

Do you have pictures of the helmet? That must have been one helluva branch!

 

that was few years ago. i wished i would've taken a picture of it. but i was shook up quite a bit and my kids, who were way young, about freaked out. yeah, heckuva branch. they were riding behind me, i turned around to check their progress, when i turned my head back around forwards, there was the branch. i didn't have time to do anything but widen my eyes, hit the branch, and hit the ground. i thank God that my helmet was on my head. i am a firm believer in helmets. tell you what, tell or show your lady friend the grave markers around your town that are there because of a lack of helmets. around here, there are plenty of examples...unfortunately. good luck.

 

after the accident, i did go back and cut that branch off with my chainsaw so nobody else would hit that sucker. especially the folks that don't wear helmets.