basically, i know its not fantastic to drive without a helmet, but has anyone ever actually had a bad experience?
ta
im having an argument...help me...please
basically, i know its not fantastic to drive without a helmet, but has anyone ever actually had a bad experience?
ta
Occasionally I drive with shades on instead of a helmet. The worst thing I've experienced is following an empty builder's lorry, with the
sand and cement dust flying off into my eyes... not fun.
Apart from that, I've had a bumblebee collide with my helmet visor - the bang scared the hell out of me! That would have HURT!
Driving back from Newerk show last year I got hit in the face ( Helmet on ) by a branch off a tree, blown of by the wind. It was only 2-3 cm thick ( I
know because it ended up in the car ) but without the helmet I would have been in trouble.
The roads today seemed covered in gravel and 3 or 4 time I heard a ping as a stone hit the helmet.
If I am going for a spirited drive I always wear a helmet.
Paul
You can always wear a pair of motocross goggles or military spec desert goggles.
Hi
I would never ever drive a car, with no screen, without a full face helmet.
It comes from knowing two blokes who have had horrific injuries.
First lost an eye following what is thought to be a bumble bee going straight through a pair of sunglasses. The second had to have considerable dental
work after a pebble removed most of his front teeth..
yea, it was all cause today i took someone for a wee drive, and wore shades cause they had my helmet, and i got a bollocking...got some dust kicked up
and some wee stones, but nothing too bad
crap just read that last one...
[Edited on 2/4/09 by A1]
For the commute or a casual drive I wear shades - Oakleys or the new strap type jobbies I just bought. But after getting smacked in the cheekbone
by something an inch across off the back tyre of a motorbike on the last Pistonheads run, it'll be lid for me, especially know my Autocom
set has turned up.
Anything approaching the national speed limit sees me wearing a helmet, tbh.
A helmet wouldn't have made much difference, but I remember the thud that a half-brick made when it flew off the brick truck and hit the front of
my tin-top on the motorway. Sorry to be depressive, but plastic gives - flesh & bone don't tend to...
Got hit in the head with my bonnet when I forgot to put the straps down properly.
It didn't lift and fly back until about 80-90mph and it came back level so it was the sharp (ish) rear edge that hit me square in the head. I WAS
wearing my helmet and I am so grateful of it cos I felt it even then, so hell knows what it would of done if I wasn't...
ATB
i normally just drive in my oakleys if the weather is nice but i have had dust in my eyes and a collision with a bee on my forehead (frickin hurt). if the air temp is a bit cooler and i know that its going to be chilly then i wear my helmet.
I wear my lid regardless of what I'm doing. The only exception to this is if I'm just being lazy and driving to the village shop, which is about 1/2 mile. It's just not worth the risk, given how loud the pings and bangs are from stones and the mess fly and bees make on the visor.
I'm waiting for my helmet to arrive and drove to SVA with just impact sunglasses, which reinforced my desire to wear a helmet. Only the most
sedate drive will see me in glasses only!
James
You've seen what stones can do to your windscreen! They even regularly punch holes in headlamp glass.
Now try that in your eye!
I've heard of people getting teeth knocked out, and the lump on someone's forehead from a stone looked like half an egg! 
Bear in mind being so much lower than a tin top you get far more gravel thrown up at you. I've found I avoid driving in such a way that my head
is inline with the car in front's rear wheel... I didn't like the shrapnel! 
Cheers,
James
quote:
Occasionally I drive with shades on instead of a helmet. The worst thing I've experienced is following an empty builder's lorry, with the sand and cement dust flying off into my eyes... not fun.
I remember once driving along and seeing the wheel nut come off a lorry coming towards me - struck the screen exactly in line with my sightline.
Amazingly it chipped the screen but didnt crack it (the bang nearly gave me a heart attack though)
Hugh
Drove to my sva with glasses on and got noised up by a Type R on the the way home. Had to give up at about 65 because I couldn;t see due to eyes
watering.
Now wear helmet on the open road but do stop and wera glasses in town to Pose
I've done it a couple of times when I wanted to listen for noises. I've had some grit kicked up and even felt particulates from from a
diesel sting my face so no I wouldn't recommend it.
I followed a GT40 once too and I lifted my visor to get a better listen. Mistake as I almost choked on the petrol fumes pouring out the quad tail
pipes!
Wear a helmet, period.
My Westy will throw anything straight up into the cockpit, follow a vehicle and you've got grit (at best) and a lot worse. Add insects, people
and other drivers throwing things at you, and (heaven forbid) a crash....
On the bike, an insect strike may well be death, so I never ride with the visor up. I wear glasses, its simply isn't enough ti rely on shades.
You simply need look at my GSXR's radiator to see how much grit gets in the airand how much damage it does.
I have a stonechip in the tintop windscreen right at eye level.
Nuff said really.
Having experienced pigeonstrike at 80mph on my bike a couple of times, let me assure you that you don't want to tit about driving without a
helmet if you aren't behind a windscreen. Not even going to mention the stones flung at me (excluding the ones from irate peasants - I just
mean the ones from other vehicles).
quote:
Originally posted by A1
im having an argument...help me...please
basically, i know its not fantastic to drive without a helmet, but has anyone ever actually had a bad experience?
ta
Likewise, I've had a pidgeon strike, and a stone took a chunk out of my helmet just above the visor.
having had a bumble bee hit my adams apple and nearly make me gag whilst out on my bike. the blumin thing somehow feel down into my jacket, so a
speedy stop was needed in case I got stung!
Not specific to kit cars, but the same thing applies - it would hurt catching it on the forehead or nose!
quote:
Originally posted by Steve Hignett
Got hit in the head with my bonnet when I forgot to put the straps down properly.
It didn't lift and fly back until about 80-90mph and it came back level so it was the sharp (ish) rear edge that hit me square in the head. I WAS wearing my helmet and I am so grateful of it cos I felt it even then, so hell knows what it would of done if I wasn't...
ATB
Last year on the way back from stoneleigh, some muppet didn't fix his bonnet on properly and it came off and wacked me in the head, if i hadnt
been wearing my helmet it would have been a lot nastier than just a new pair of underpants.
If your going to be doing any serious driving get a helmet, pottering around in town you can get away with good sun glasses or safety specs.
So far I have only worn my helmat twice!
despite the odd times into three figures where the pressure gets a bit uncomfortable I have had no problems.
Maybe just lucky but the Westfield Screen may have something to do with it!
However, if I was travelling on a motorway would not consider travelling without a helmet.
If we have a group meeting none of us wear helmets!
Si
Is it just me or has anyone else had the tin top drivers squirting their washers just for fun.
Kipper.