Detroit might SAY they require helmets but if you look at this Slow Roll news coverage from May (https://youtu.be/bsvp82xbZgM?si=FJX0vr1GHhBvI_Rk&t=54), you can see that it's not strictly enforced.

Being strict about requiring helmets might work for commercial, organized rides with waivers and sign-up forms but if you're going to have a big, free, just-show-up party ride on public streets requiring helmets is a lost cause. Start with butts on bikes, show everyone a good time, and then, if helmets are really important to you, develop a group culture that encourages helmets on heads (rather than REQUIRING them).

I say just stick with what local laws require. In Massachusetts that means helmets if you're under 18 (and front and rear lights at night, and not being drunk, and not riding into oncoming lanes, etc.). On a big ride, those other rules are, in many ways, more important than helmets for keeping folks safe.

If you're the only party ride in town, you can probably be successful without needing official "association" with other riding clubs.

Carl

Carl Larson (he/him) Assistant Director, Transportation Demand Management & Planning Boston University Transportation Services 1019 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

carllars@bu.edumailto:carllars@bu.edu | 617-353-2160 | bu.edu/transportationhttp://bu.edu/transportation

From: Jeff Potter via TheThinkTank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Sent: Thursday, July 2, 2026 10:47 AM To: The Think Tank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Cc: Jeff Potter jeff@outyourbackdoor.com Subject: [TheThinkTank] Group ride helmets... yeah yeah... Any summary available?

Hi all… I’ve gone thru the group ride helmets challenge a million times. I’m wondering if there’s a “best practice” summary article somewhere.

In the meantime, yeah, I’m going to dunk us all back into this thing:

Our current situation is: a club that requires helmets is refusing to associate with our local social/party ride. We’re the only such ride in this area.

I notice that the famous Detroit Slow Roll now has a policy of “no helmet no ride.” Maybe this is due to an ownership concern. Maybe Slow Roll used to be a community thing and now it’s owned, with someone in charge and responsible. This tends to tie back to the age-old insurance excuse. Our local club has often done this. However, I’ve been told by their admin that their insurance doesn’t actually require helmets specifically. I suppose it’s just considered a best practice that puts them on the good side of policy. Insurers aren’t bikers and simply require policy-holders to do whatever is considered responsible. Of course this likely has no bearing on *association.* It doesn’t seem possible that a group would be obliged to *shun* another group — unless they’re breaking the law?

A goofy thing I’ve seen when the community is invited to do a short, slow social ride to see their city, etc., is that the “official bike group” host loans someone a bike and also forces them to wear a helmet. And the person is there as a person, socializing, not in group-identity “bike attire” — and simply has a HAIR-DO that will not work with a helmet! What are they to do? The embarrassing host club then perches a helmet on the top of, say, a hair-bun, or on the side of their head. The helmet just wobbles around up there and is embarrassing and makes them look silly. As a sensible adult I’ve seen that most of these folks soon remove the helmet. I haven’t tracked this too closely but I would think that if they don’t have a basket they’d just toss the thing. Admin hasn’t been their friend so I wouldn’t go there!

One last thing: Does this challenge relate to the rule that boat clubs have where all members have to wear a life-preserver PFD at all times during club events? Some rules might say a PFD for each person must be on the boat. Finding a parallel situation can be illuminating. So, this water-safety policy can collide with reality occasionally and I don’t know how they deal with it. For instance: Shallow water canoe racing only requires that a PFD be on the boat. Yet I still see “serious official paddlers” freely being the cop against their peers and hassling them. “Where’s your PFD? Doesn’t do you any good unless you wear it.”

One very last thing: It seems that most/all “serious official” groups (maybe also businesses?) involved with biking or paddling/boating require all their media to only show people wearing safety gear.

No, this is the last thing: Then there’s kids… As regards bikes, boats, anything… I’m involved with kids and bikes. I’m part of encouraging kids to use bikes “…with a helmet!” …Everything regarding kids and bikes has to have “helmet” along for the ride. I’m actively working and showing them that a bike is a literal Freedom Machine. It boosts your independence. This is big reality, life-lesson breakthrough stuff. Showing kids how bikes help them become people … "with a helmet!” Also I work with poor kids. I’m lining up donor bikes for them, bikes for them to use during a class, maybe even to keep. If it’s just a how-to class where I’m showing them how to maintain and how to ride and be around cars but I’m not giving them the bikes the issue of maintaining *and then sanitizing* a fleet of helmets pops up. The class goes on for days, so each helmet has to stay w a particular kid the whole time. I suppose write their name on tape on it. But whew. …And I’m showing them their new way of life that starts with a bike, where they can start really being themselves due to their new *power to move* around a community. …With a helmet. I also work w kids on playgrounds. Some schools have rules: no tag, no chasing. …Nice. Certainly no kids are allowed to climb trees. …Tho play-structures can be tall. Most now have extensively railings. Some don’t and some have climbing walls and play-concepts that involve height. There’s something weird going on. How are kids supposed to interact with the world BEYOND school? I’m an old-fart. I still climb trees. To the top! 50 feet! I haven’t seen kids building their own tree forts off in hidden forests for … 30 years. But they used to be a thing. I don’t see them making ground-forts, either. Thankfully I still see them jumping off high points into deep water… But is it safe? (We used to have diving boards at our school and community pools. We were taught the dives, compulsory. I haven’t seen a diving board lately. Pools are fading. Kids aren’t taking the free drown-proofing lesson so that they can use the pool. Family won’t bring them — that stopped 20 yrs ago. Splash-pads are replacing pools. …Every night teens are out all night against curfew. Once a week they shoot each other and one dies. …Emotional regulation and resilience are real things. Learning outdoor skills can really help. Safety is important. But...