It Was Nice Bumping Into You

It was nice bumping into you

My props for person of the year go to a man who could have potentially saved me (and you) 81 million dollars in 2009: Harold A. Fenner, Jr., M.D.

So who is Harold and how can you get his number? Before we veer off into that topic, consider this: More than 46.3 million Americans cruise around without health insurance everyday according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest reports.

Direct costs of bicyclists' injuries due to not using helmets are estimated at $81 million each year, says the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.

Now I’m no math expert but if my fingers are adding this up correctly, I would say wearing a helmet saved me (and all of my fellow safety enthusiasts) millions of dollars in 2009.

So where does Harold come into this?

Harold is the president of the Board of Directors at the Snell Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit known for its “ongoing work in setting, maintaining and continually upgrading the most authoritative helmet standards in the U.S. and throughout the world.”

Way to go Harold.

Having been a scooter owner for over a year (yes, I will squeeze that fact into any and every conversation I can), I’m finally beginning to absorb the importance of wearing a helmet. And the attached face shield has prevented many a bug from becoming my lunch (protection from stomachaches--another use for a helmet).

Not to mention the time I ran over a raccoon and nearly ate asphalt. Yes, the raccoon was already dead for all you animal lovers out there wondering.

Now I realize these protective coverings might not always be a signal of style and I’ve yet to meet the person who can pull off helmet hair… but with surgeries, medication and physical therapy costs shifting into high gear, a bad hair day is a small price to pay for prevention.

Plus, having your brains spilled out on the pavement is five party-foul points last I checked.

Skull fractures, concussions, contusions, cuts, scrapes, bruises, hematomas…all can be easily avoided by putting on some plastic.

I’ve bumped into many riders (literally and figuratively, but we won’t get into the literal part) who never pedal without protection.

A little bit more about Harold: He was a pioneer in football helmet safety and even developed the first football helmet standard –JF73 (not quite sure what the JF73 stands for but a virtual high five to the first person that can tell me). He was involved in the development of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as well as an advocate for automobile airbags.

Harold also was an active race-car driver during the 50s. I can see him now cruising down the highway to “Little GTO” with a helmet on, of course. His professional life has been devoted to the treatment of orthopedic trauma.

Harold has officially crashed his way into my top five.

Now since I am sort of a nerd and haven’t written too many blog posts (can you tell?), I thought it might be interesting/educational/fun to pump up this post with a short video on how the Snell Foundation actually tests their helmets. Plus, I figure if you’ve read this far you may have bumped your head one too many times without said helmet.

Check out the video here. Courtesy of: The Snell Foundation