Do you make your kids wear bicycle helmets when they're out riding in the neighborhood?

Why shouldn't he? I do. Like Father - like son. A full 45% of cycling accidents are "solo falls". NO other vehicle involved. Link below. It's like the American Express Card..."Don't leave home without it." End of story.

I'm 15 and I always wear my helmet, If I fall I don't get my head split open, and a helmet is more aero, yesterday it was really windy and a branch fell on my head, imagine what coulda happened if I wasn't wearing my helmet? I might have needed stitches.

it's smart and safe to wear a helmet. set a good example for your kids by wearing one

The most dangerous part of my rides is getting out of the "neighborhood". There are a lot of driveways, a lot of intersections, parked cars, kids, bikes, yet motorists seem to take stop signs, turn signals, speed limits, and paying attention less seriously than they do out on highway because they think its safer on a residential street. Even disregarding traffic, what happens if your front tire goes flat as you lean into a turn? You're going down, and fast, more than likely faster than you can save it or roll out of it. If there happens to be a curb there, you're going to break something, preferrably a helmet. Been there, done that. I never ride without a helmet. My kids are grown, but when they were little, they always wore as well, probably because they saw me and my friends (all competitive cyclists and triathletes) wearing them. And yes, I had to pay a little extra to get helmets my son perceived as cool. You will never regret wearing a helmet. You MAY regret not wearing one.....but by then its too late. I didn't wear one when I was young, because they didn't exist and I didn't know any better. I survived. Some of my friends didn't. Helmets are cheap insurance against catastrophic brain injury. Should there be laws mandating helmet use? No, absolutely not. I'm in favor of weeding out some of those with nothing between the ears to protect. If the shoe fits.....

I always wear a helmet. While commuting I have bounced my head off the concrete twice. While mountain biking I have headbutted the trail more times than I can remember. I shudder to think how much damage would have been done in any of my crashes if I wasn't wearing a helmet. So if I had kids they'd wear helmets. Helmets are cheap, and reasonably comfortable these days, so I can think of no good reason not to wear one.

It shouldn't be disturbing, that nanny is giving you a heads up for your better good. Helmets should be worn everywhere. You can never know when danger might occur.

When I was growing up, there were no cycling helmets. When they first came onto the market, I bought one as soon as I could find one in a bike shop. My kids grew up seeing their father always wearing a helmet while riding a bike, so it wasn't hard to persuade them to wear one. Now that they have children, their kids wear helmets while riding. The simple fact is that a helmet can reduce the severity of a head injury in some cases. It's a way of improving your chances. Helmets are comfortable if the fit properly and are actually cooler than not wearing anything.

I would. Some areas require kids to wear helmets. But its for their safety, unless you want scrambled brains on your driveway, but youre the parent, make a decision.

Myself and my brother never did, so when we have kids most likely we never will make them wear the helmets.