Why I Wear a Helmet

I had a friend reach to me recently after we had a chance to ride together on Oahu for the Big Bike Family Ride organized by my friend Lantz Simpson. It was a great weekend with about a dozen or so of his friends that came to Hawaii just for the weekend. I had to be there to support Lantz and I was able to ride and catch up with some friends like Mike who I had gotten to know from previous rides a few years ago. I hadn't seen him in awhile and it was nice to see that he's riding with Elton and the gang again.

Anyways, I did bring up my helmet that weekend and used it on the Friday ride. I forgot the helmet in my car on Sunday and so I had to ride without it. But after I got back home a few days later, I posted maybe a short video or photo on my Instagram and he reached out and asked if Kaua'i had any tighter restrictions on helmet use on bikes. I told him no, that I think it's only required for kids but that I just like to wear one. I think he was surprised by that because I mean, who LIKES to wear a big ole' helmet on their head, right? But I explained to him that I started using a helmet years ago because of something my wife told me. She said that I needed

to wear a helmet not really for myself, but more for the kids. She didn't want me to fall or get hit by a car or something and die simply because I didn't have a helmet on. She explained that our kids needed their father around and if a simple helmet could possibly save your life and spare your kids the pain of losing their father forever, why wouldn't I do it? It was hard to argue with that and so I started using a helmet and wore one each time I rode my bike. My oldest daughter would also scold me or remind me if she didn't see me with it and knew I was going to ride my bike. It's weird how being a dad changes you like that.

When Bernie and I started meeting each other on those rides in 2020, Bernie never wore a helmet. I think he was still thinking he was like a kid again because we sure felt like it, going out on rides together after all of these years. That is until he got what we call, "tantaran" or too sure of himself, and he ate it on his mountain bike, hitting his head in the process. From that day on he wore and helmet and we're now like the helmet bros!

As kids we never wore helmets except when it was time for a BMX race and that was because it was required. But in all of my thousands of miles I put on my bike as a kid, even going down to the track to practice, I never wore a helmet. The only helmet I had was my Premiere racing helmet and that was hot and heavy. There was no way I was going to wear that just going to Bernie's house! Thankfully I never experienced a huge crash or got concussions as a kid so I was a lucky one. But now as a 56 year old adult, my reflexes aren't what they used to be and crashing is something I need to be more wary of, even if my kids are now grown adults. Life is already short and so why tempt fate and make it even shorter? I have less days ahead of me than in back of me already, so that's why I wear a helmet. I hope that you do too!

---