That's such a load of crap. See my other comment below, the reason why I had that accident was my bike wheel had a mechanical failure. I was on a bike lane in the middle of a college campus 500 yards from the nearest car. It was a peaceful afternoon with no one around. The environment didn't mean anything at all.
If your sneaker fails, you don't get thrown 20 feet onto concrete.
Which would mean you were racing, not just cycling. And on a bike line "in the middle of a college campus" no less.
So basically you were just being irresponsible, not just for yourself but also towards others. Oh, of course, there was "no one around", which makes it alright.
WOW. Talk about a lot of assumptions. Actually the bike was a piece of crap hand me down that I got for free. I don't race, and I was probably going about the same speed you would if you were running. It was a nice Friday afternoon and I had just finished up my last class of the day. I was relaxed and in no hurry, enjoying the ride home.
I hopped down a short bump, maybe 2" where the pavement turned into cobblestone. I don't remember what happened, but based on the blood stain that was baked into the concrete a few days later, I ended up about 20 feet away. I know I went over the handle bars. I imagine you get one or two bike lengths in the air, and then when I hit the ground I skidded a bunch.
Anyway, compared to the way most people bike it was a slow speed crash. The X factor was the mechanical failure so it was so surprising I didn't have any time to expect it. Arguably the key contributing factor was riding an old shitty bike.
So you probably should aim your ire at poor people biking instead of the US. It has nothing to do with the US or how I was riding my bike, just with the fact that I didn't have enough money for a nice one at the time. But by all means, ignore the relatively uncontroversial point that wearing a helmet is a good idea and continue blaming the victim.
Going like 30 km/h on a clear bike path is not "racing". It's just normal traffic, gonig from place A to B. Still, a helmet can help this casual cyclist.
My experience is from a bike path, no one in sight. A ball bounces onto the the path from a bush. That would have been the time to hit brakes immediately, but I just didn't think right. Next comes the 4-year-old kid who runs from behind a bush. Now I hit the brakes, go over the bar, head first.
No damage to the head, despite a bump. Broke a radix bone, though. I definitely recommend using a helmet, however casually you ride.
> Going like 30 km/h on a clear bike path is not "racing".
I rest my case.
In the Netherlands there is some discussion to implement a 25 km/h speed limit on cycling paths because of douchebags with electric bikes going 30 km/h and up causing accidents.
Apparently we have different values of "normal". Which would be fine if it wasn't for one side keeping up this narrative of "cycling is dangerous and you should always wear a helmet" when millions are perfectly fine without by cycling in a way that is no more dangerous than walking.
You have probably misunderstood something, because regular electric bikes stop helping your speed at 25 km/h. If the engine works at a higher speed, it's a light moped, which is a motor vehicle, and needs a driver's license. (I think this is the case in the Netherlands same as where I live).
There is nothing extreme about doing 30 km/h on a free bike path. Fatal accidents may however happen at lower speeds, or even when completely stationary, and a bike helmet reduces the risk by a wide margin - even if the risk is not that huge to begin with.
If your sneaker fails, you don't get thrown 20 feet onto concrete.