your question was "how important are helmets.."
let me ask you.."HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR HEAD"

as far as what kind to get..get a footbal helmet. j/k!!! a motocross style is the best( dont be afraid to spent some$ since a higher price helmet will fit better and look better). trust me your head is worth the money you will spend!

 

And what if you don't die when you sustain that head injury? Who is going to take care of you when your diaper needs to be changed? Wearing a helmet will protect your brain, your neck is another thing entirely. Go ahead and ride without a helmet.

 

I can say for 100% certain that I would be dead with no teeth if not for my DOT/Snell approved full face Thor SVS helmet. I was on a "leisurly" trail ride on my little slow Honda Recon when out of the blue this little tree stump grabbed my tire and flipped my quad over on top of me. The back of my head landed on a rock and the handlebars came to a rest on the mouth protecter part of my helmet-I would have dentures right now if not for the mouth protection. As for the eyes...I would probably be blind if not for them...wear them! Smith, Scott, and Oakley are my favs. Ride safe
'98 Recon
'99 GMC Sierra (red)
'00 400ex
http://y42.briefcase.yahoo.com/quadlady2000
Jen's pics

 

I agree with most of the posts on here, but let me add one more thing. When I was shopping for a helmet, my first in fact, the guy behind the counter said something to me that has stuck in my head untill this very day. I wanted something cheap, and he said "You put a ten dollar helmet on a ten dollar head." I realize this was probably just sales talk, but it has some truth to it. Try to go for the Snell rated helmets. They are much better than the DOT helmets. Bieffe is a brand that seems to offer a lot of helmet for the money. Also, there is a debate of full face vs. open face. It seems full face will protect your face, but possibly put strain on your neck. Open face doesn't put as much strain on the neck, but offers no protection for the face. There is a middle ground helmet offered by several companies that have bolt on chin protectors. These are stiff enough to protect your face, yet will not transmit all of the impact to your neck on a full on face-plant.

I ride with a full face and love it. The only testimonial that I need is the old full face Bell Moto4 that I have hanging in my garage. I did a faceplant while racing motorcycles a few years back and my motorcycle decides to land on my head. It caved the back of the helmet in, and my face still got pretty screwed up. But, if it weren't for that Snell rated helmet, I'd either be dead or uglier than I am now. Thanks to the well built helmet, about the worst pain I felt that day was the tetnis shot that the HUGE nurse gave me at the emergancy room.

Good luck....

 

I tend to ride a lot in cold, and not so much on those hot sweaty sticky days. Without a helmet it gets very cold. Hats don't wrok, trust me. A good helmet will keep you warm and safe. A hat will do neither.

When it gets hot I turn on the AC and read a book. When it gets cold I put on layers and head outside.

 

How important is a parachute in skydiving?

 

Greetings,

The funny thing about accidents is that they happen unexpectedly. One time, I was backing my quad out of the garage, I reached the point where I normally stop backing (a stone covered bank that drops about five feet) and someone said something to me. I stopped to listen/reply and then started to pull away -- trouble was, when they interupted my routine, I didn't shift out of reverse. I nearly shot backwards over that bank -- a very serious accident at a whopping 2 mph.

As for type of helmet, I have a couple of different ones, but I like a simple motocycle bubble helmet with a face shield. Great in winter and a real help in buggy conditions too. There's lots of choices out there and most look pretty cool. I even bought a ludicrously overpriced Harely helmet (complete with flames) just because I liked it. Ahh youth, second time around.

 

When I got my ATV I knew I was going to get a helmet but couldnt decide on wether a full face or not. The guy at the counter said I should get a full face because of branches slapping you in the face. To make a long story short, He was 100% correct. I was blazing a trail through some thick woods and if i did not have a full face helmet I absoulutely would not have been able to continue through the woods. I got slapped hard MANY times in the face but I didnt feel a thing because the combination of helmet and goggles protected me. I am sooo glad I listened to him. Get a motocross type helmet. Most have a insert in the mouth area that you can remove in the summer so they arnt too hot and in the winter you can put the insert back in and be in EXTREMELY cold weather. I have ridden in -45 below wind chills with my helmet on and not been cold at all.

 

Tealboy,

I disagree with your statement that a helmet won't help at 65mph. I had a friend who was riding his motorcycle on a road with new asphalt. As you know newly packed asphalt can have a sharp edge. Well my friend and his motorcycle crashed on this road going about 60mph. His head hit the sharp edge of the asphalt and left a wide deep gash in his helmet. If he hadn't be wearing a helmet he would have been surely dead. Instead he had only minor injuries. The helmet with this huge gash in it was a sight to behold. That would have been his head.

 

You need to get a helmet. I have seen a wooden ramp brake while unloading a quad from a truck, thus sending its rider & quad crashing into the parking lot.

A helmet is your friend. Just do it.