Wear a Neck Brace !!

[E74]

Just threading this as I am having a hard time throwing my leg over a bike as late considering my profesion, it really can be a mental battle when you see what I do every day.

 In the past two weeks I have had at least 6 Wheelchair demo's for dirt bike related paralasis and just heard that a mate of a mate was just paralised at the A2Day in the Watagans on the weekend.

I know shit happens but if your wearing a Leatt ot equivilent neck brace and a pressure suit with good spine protection your chances of a spinal injury is greatly reduced,....and the older we get the easier we break.

It is also important that your suspension is properly tuned to your weight and riding ability.

Believe me all this is of little cost all things considered.

Magoo Chandler never got the chance to spread the word about this exact point, I think it's an important one and it needs to be heard.

Thanks for Listening.

[jimg1au]

i wear a neck brace on dirttrack it is a acerbis sits under my helmet on top on my body armor.

[Nathan S]

Yes.
It annoys me that people talk about how they're not 100% effective, and that sometimes they might cause moreharm than good... But its pretty obvious that they provide a clear benefit, overall.

I've read that airbags in cars kill one person for every 22/36 that they save (depending on which stats you believe).
lots of people read that and think: "Jebus! People are killed by their airbags!", but they overlook the 22:1 ratio....

To look at it another way:
If you had 23 family members all sitting in electic chairs and you had to flick the switch in either of two directions - the first direction killed one of them, while the other direction killed 22 of them... Which direction would you choose?
now imagine that you weren't flicking the switch, but could choose the position it was in when/if someone else decided to turn the power on. Does that change your mind?

[Nathan S]

OK, let's also imagine that its the family members that you actually like, and you can't choose who is the odd one out...

[Davey Crocket]

People still forget that it's not IF you fall off, but WHEN you fall off.....it's gonna happen eventually...law of averages....nobody goes out riding thinking there gonna crash but it does happen.....it's like safe sex...with a condon or without?. How much is a neckbrace compaired to a good set of boots or helmut?. They have come down heaps in price lately so it should be part of your "kit"..to use a phrase from our elder statesman Mr Firkin. The sooner it becomes mantadory the better.

[TM BILL]

Yes.
It annoys me that people talk about how they're not 100% effective, and that sometimes they might cause moreharm than good... But its pretty obvious that they provide a clear benefit, overall.

I've read that airbags in cars kill one person for every 22/36 that they save (depending on which stats you believe).
lots of people read that and think: "Jebus! People are killed by their airbags!", but they overlook the 22:1 ratio....

To look at it another way:
If you had 23 family members all sitting in electic chairs and you had to flick the switch in either of two directions - the first direction killed one of them, while the other direction killed 22 of them... Which direction would you choose?
now imagine that you weren't flicking the switch, but could choose the position it was in when/if someone else decided to turn the power on. Does that change your mind?

Nathan i know what you mean  I keep getting told by the media that 23% of road deaths are caused by drunk drivers  So obviously the other 77% of fatal crashes are caused by sober drivers 

So if you drive drunk then you are 77% less likley to kill somone 

And yes i do wear a neck brace  Davey Crocket convinced me a couple of years ago 

Im going to start wearing it while driving, just in case i run into one of those bloody sober drivers 

[TT]

I raced for 20 years without a neck brace or even body armour. Just didn't feel comfortable in them.
Then one day I got a good whack on the spine and spend 7 hours duct taped to a spinal board wondering if it was serious or not................. 
Although there was no serious permanent damage, those 7 hours were much more uncomfortable than wearing the right gear would have been.
Thanks for the reminder. 

[Hoony]

i too have been considering what to buy in this area.

can the guys that wear them please let us know what your thoughts are with each type you are wearing?

[Paddles]

ok gents, like hoony i don't currently wear/own one but reading this has got me interested. what are the better brands/models to look for, and do you know if any of the private health insurances cover some of the costs?

[Nathan S]

I've got a Leatt Adventure. Cost me $500(?) about 12 months back, but I think they're down to $350 now.

Its feels like it will do the right thing - I haven't "tested" it yet, but when I swivel my head around, the helmet contacts it before my neck starts complaining.

I have absolutley no issues with the comfort side of things - its an extra thing to put on/take off, but I very, very rarely notice it when I'm wearing it. Actually, the main time I notice it is in the pits, when you're doing something like looking for something under the car seat...

[Nathan S]

Bill, you should get into politics. Or accounting.

Here's one you might like: Due to exponential population growth, it is estimated that there are more people currently alive, than have ever previously lived: More than half the people ever born are still alive. So... half the population will live forever.

[Paddles]

thanx nathan, they're around that price on everyone's favourite auction site at the moment, i'll now chase up the insurance thing to see if they'll kick in. your population theory is frying my brain though.

[E74]

Leatt is what I wear, it seems to have set the standard, Alpinestar have an equivilent, these two are the only two on the market that I would consider.

http://www.leatt-brace.com/



http://www.alpinestars.com/store/productdetails.aspx?productid=650009&cs=1




One thing to point out is that plastic roost prtectors are just that, roost procectors, they have no significant protection, if you want protection you need to wear a pressure suit.

 Alpinestar also have an exellent pressure suit/body armour as well as Dainese.

[vmxrider]

Some good comments here about neck braces.
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=9751.msg95898#msg95898

[Tex]

can the guys that wear them please let us know what your thoughts are with each type you are wearing?

I bought an EVS one about 9 months or so ago (can't recall exactly). It was cheaper than the Leatt, but looks to be just as well made. I am happy with it.

I procrastinated for a while, as I'd heard that braces can cause collar bone injuries in minor crashes. I have an existing shoulder injury that I don't want to aggravate, but I decided I wanted to protect against a broken neck more!

They do take a bit of getting used to, but so does riding a new bike. There is some restriction in your movement, but you just work around it.

Hopefully I'll never get to find out how well it works. Wear as much safety gear as you can. If I had done so I might not have that shoulder injury...

Tex