Driving with a helmet?

Yes, you are being paranoid.  Both accidents you cited above were guys driving or riding in SUV's and town cars, not Speedsters.  Good defensive driving habits and adequate seat belts go a long way toward increasing the safety margin.  Your years of bike riding with no road rash shows that you know how to survive in a 4-wheel motorcycle.

Ask Musbjim

Personally, I don't think it's a bad idea, providing you wear something era approprate. You would be swimming against the popular tide but you'd be safer. 

Me? No...I won't be doing it anytime soon, unless the state of California makes it a law.

my choice would be a open face helmet like Speed Racer 

full face helmet is too "Stig"  

A skull cap helmet would be a good choice and somewhat fashionable.

Who knows? You might start a trend.

Open face helmet with a visor and era-appropriate goggles. People will think you are super-cool.

I got this picture of Ed last year, getting into his MG:

Although helmet with visor may be what Ed was really referring to:

That said, I'm not wearing a helmet in my IM. But picking up the skull cap style, something along these lines might be pretty cool:

I can't agree. I was involved in a serious accident last Fall ( not my fault ) and the lame bitch driving the Caddy Suv got charged for failing to yield to oncoming traffic... ( me ) causing injury.

I've ridden motorcycles for the last 50 years, mostly BSA's and never had an accident and always wore a helmet.

This day, as luck would have it, I had no passenger. Thursday afternoon, clear weather and no alcohol involved either way, about 3 pm. She turned left right in front of me while I was going thru on a green light and I was doing maybe 40 mph. I immediately braked and veered hard left. The right side of my car impacted the right side of her car in a hard but glancing blow. I only had a lap belt. A witness behind me said most of my upper body was launched up and to the right half into the passenger area. My mouth impacted the windshield bow just East of center. Had I a passenger on board that day, they subsequently would have their upper body, certainly shoulder, head and neck launched the same way impacting the side of the SUV and I'd say with severe or grave injury. If that passenger had a helmet on, perhaps they might have survived.

What I've just wrote is not speculation, but reality. We take our own precautions and risks. I've now got a renewed respect for intersections and a real ###king hate on for the relatively new phenomenon of distracted drivers.

Four point seatbelts might have helped. We can also chose to stay in bed and watch TV and never have to worry about such things.............not for me though.

O.K, David.  Understood.  Since you "can't agree", I must assume that you and your passengers now wear helmets?

Jim...don't try for the second time to put words in my mouth please. I never implied nor said what you may assume. Go back to my second to last paragraph.

I won't be wearing a helmet in the future while driving my Speedster and it's not likely that my Wife will either. I'm just saying that in my particular accident, and I did have a passenger, they may have been better off if they were wearing a helmet at the time because of the nature of the impact. Who really knows ? I was there and you were not. Assume what ever you want. 

I think a shoulder belt would provide more overall utility vs a lap belt + helmet in the majority of collisions. I think a helmet's benefit with a shoulder belt would be primarily with side impacts. But I certainly wouldn't want to be hit in the side (or anywhere else for that matter) in one of these cars even with a helmet.

DannyM - The fact that you have years of motorcycle experience already gives you an advantage over most drivers new to fiberglass replicars! 

Driving with your lights on, maintaining conscious awareness of your surroundings while driving and a loud-a$$ horn are your best defense for avoidable mishaps.

You are exposed to the same risks driving any car. Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans, soooooo ENJOY driving the car for the purpose it was built and the reason you bought it - driving gratification!!

"Welcome to The Madness" known as replica Speedster ownership! 

P.S. - as with the comment dynamics on every other internet forum, its best top take comments on this site with a grain of salt as well! PEACE-OUT!

Fair enough, David.  I wasn't aware that I was trying to put words in your mouth the first time, let alone the second time.  I won't respond to your posts again.

The first things that I bought were all safety related:

1. LED brake light under the grill - after someone almost rear ended me.

2. A loud horn.

3. Crow 3" seat belts.

I always drive with my lights.

^^  good upgrades, Jeff!

I rode a motorcycle years ago, and the Speedy gives me the same feeling of paranoia about being invisible to other drivers.

I find myself slowing down more at intersections, seeking eye contact with other drivers, and otherwise treading lightly. If I'm in a situation that feels at all iffy - coming out of the sun, late afternoon deep shadows, a high-speed two-lane road with blind curves or passing zones, I'll flip on the lights just in case and try to figure where my escape route is if things start to go pear-shaped.

I've even considered wearing a pair of driving gloves to attract more attention.

Nicely said, Mitch....all good advice, but not so much with the gloves.., eh ? That's parking lot shyt and not what we are supposed to be here for....or not ... :-)

Dave, I figure if I can't have Marty's wheels, maybe I could at least try for his panache.

On long open air trips I wear a helmet. Covers my ear so I don't have to wear ear plugs. Also I can hear my Stereo better with it on. 

What ever you need Mitch...It's all good....or

Cute helmets; how many of you have had close calls, near misses or occurrences that just out and out scared the crap of you, ever wonder why you weren't killed? While neither devoutly religious nor anti theistic, I wonder if there is such a thing as Kismet or fate. Do we have a number, is there a time when our number is up? I have survived a number of incidents that should have done me in, yet others experiencing the same have bought the farm so to say. I believe in taking precautions as much as the next guy but man, over the 75 years of my life I should never have made it this far. So far, car wrecks, disabled aircrafts, trips and falls, 2 combat tours and a heart attack haven't called in the grim reaper so I guess my number is still in that raffle barrel waiting to be drawn...I'm just saying

"I have survived a number of incidents that should have done me in, yet others experiencing the same have bought the farm so to say."

You and me both, Nolan.  When I used to commute to work on a Bicycle in the 1980's, I had several of those "incidents".  I was head-on'd by a pickup truck making the same kind of turn as the SUV that hit Stroud and it was still moving.  I was clipped into the pedals back when the clips didn't let go as well as they do now, so me and the bike hit the truck, went up over the truck and landed in the street on the other side.  When I woke in the street a few seconds later, the bike was still clipped to my shoes.  I do not remember the impact but I can still see the truck 1/2 second before the impact.  Almost exactly the same impact that a member of the Canadian Cycle team experienced while training a few months later.  I had no broken bones, but a lot of muscle strains and tears that took a lot of PT and ultrasound to heal.  The Canadian was killed instantly.

I am able to write this because I was wearing a bicycling helmet.  So was the Canadian, but he's dead.  I do not know why this is - it doesn't seem fair at all and it took me a while to get over it, but I'm back riding, cognizant of something that a lot of motorcycle and bicycle riders also know;  That, once your wheels start to turn, both you and the bike become invisible to other motorists.  People simply do not see you.  I used to get angry and yell and gesture at them but after a while I realized that they simply do not see me, even though I wear fluorescent Green colors to be more visible - it doesn't seem to work.  If the wheels are turning, I'm not there.

Having typed all this, the same goes for riding in a Speedster.  Personally and even though one saved my life, I wouldn't wear a crash helmet in a Speedster off of the track.  But I WOULD (and do) drive like the car and I are invisible to other motorists and wouldn't trust them for a second because they simply don't see me - ESPECIALLY in a white car!!  And yes, both of my road bikes are.....What else?  "Pearl White"!  At least my mountain bikes are black - easier to find me in the snow!!

Since we're posting safe driving tips I'd like to share some as well:

When driving on city streets where there is more than one lane going in the same direction do not drive in the lane closest to the curb. People turning right or pulling out of parking lots always seem to be in a hurry and pull out in front of you. 

If there are three lanes going in the same direction use the middle lane and do not let anyone pull up alongside of you and stay there. Always have an out. By staying in the middle lane as you travel through an intersection it increases your reaction distance and also gives you a choice as to where to bail.  

As a law enforcement officer I have taken numerous driving courses and one thing to remember in evasive driving is "Steer to the Rear". If someone turns in front of you steer in the direction of the back of their car.  They turn left in front of you take evasive action to the left.  If they turn right in front of you turn to the right.  By steering to the rear of their vehicle you have a better chance of avoiding their vehicle.  If you turn in the direction of the front of their car you run the risk of crossing in front of their car and getting hit. 

On the freeway I never drive in the far right hand lane either. I let the cars that are entering/exiting the freeway use that lane. And again don't let people drive alongside you.

Try to use intersections that have arrow controlled left hand turn lanes.

On the freeway I never drive with the "pack". It amazes me how there can be 10 or 20 cars all bunched up together and for the next 1000 feet or so in front of them there are no cars. I zip through the pack and drive by myself. 

If a car starts to tailgate I just drive a little slower and usually the driver will pass.  If you speed up they usually speed up as well and continue to tailgate. If all else fails I suck up a really good "loogie", tilt my head back, launch it into the air and land it onto their windshield. I used to do that a lot when I rode my motorcycle.

And of course keep your head on a swivel. You should always be scanning to see what is in front of you, behind you, and to the sides.

Safe motoring folks.

I added loud twin Hella Horns, Lap racing belts, and 4 wheel disc brakes. I have found the extra stopping power the most benefit at this point. Also I only drive like an idiot on roads where if I crash it will be my fault. 

Wearing a helmet while driving your speedster will be fine, if you don't mind looking like a dork.

In my opinion lap belts are not enough and in an accident won't stop you from contacting the steering wheel or windshield with your face.

That's why my IM has 4 point seat belts.

Anybody has an airbag?

I know some replicas have them but for some reasom i am yet to see a 356 with an airbag.

If you want to be safest don't drive one of these things. On the other hand if you have the racing seats you can install 5 point racing belts and you will not hit your head or fall out of the car, even if the seat breaks free. Upside down however you are f...ed. 

Originally I had a nice dark grey color picked (original to the 356) but decided on Brilliant Red for safety reasons .... I want to be seen  

I have checked that stats for a long time, but I believe Red and Yellow were the top accidents colors at one time.

probably accident causers ..... rather than victims

Robert Mc.....I'm not trying to be critical, just trying to learn. When you talk about steer to the rear in your 4th para above, I don't understand what you are saying thus not seeing the benefit. I'm sure you are correct. Could you pls. elaborate with an example or scenario that might more fully explain what you mean ? Thanks.

Say you are approaching an intersection and someone in an SUV turns left in front of you.  The front end of their car will be crossing from your left to your right.  The best choice is to simply brake hard and keep the wheel straight if you have enough distance to stop without crossing into the path of the SUV.  If you have to brake hard and steer to avoid an impact you would steer to the left which would allow you to steer toward the direction of the rear of the SUV. Of course you don't want to steer into the rear of the SUV but toward that direction. If everything is done right it'll put you where the other vehicle WAS and not where it going to be.

If the vehicle is making a right turn in front of you you would steer toward the right which again would put you where the vehicle WAS and not where it is going to be.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the clarification, Robert. What you describe makes excellent sense. In fact, it's the opposite of what they would teach fighter pilots when shooting down another plane from the rear when in a turn. The fighter pilot needed to "lead" the bullets and you are correctly saying to "lag" the target in a potential crash situation if you can.

Unfortunately in my case, I didn't have enough time to avoid the crash but did brake and instinctively " lagged " to my left hoping to get around the SUV's rear end. No chance but my right side broadsided her right side again in what I can only call a very hard but glancing blow.

Oddly enough, I remember hearing the crash but did not see it. I must have closed my eyes on impact so I guess you cannot turn off your ears. Stuff you don't normally think about.

Robert this all sounds well and good, but remember these accidents happen in a split second.  There's almost no time for 'I'll brake and then turn to the right.....'

Most people just slam on the brakes.  I'd like to think that I'd brake and turn away from the oncoming car, but since I've never been in a bad accident I have no way of knowing how I'd react, even with over a decade of tracking experience.

A while back I read about a formula 1 driving who was involved in a bad car accident, while driving through an intersection with his wife and child.  The accident happened so fast even he couldn't prevent or avoid the accident.

No doubt the instinctive braking action and the evasive maneuver, albeit slight, kept her from impacting the front of your vehicle or the left front end of your vehicle which would have been even worse. Glad to know you're okay.

You're correct. There are some accidents you'll never avoid but I have avoided numerous accidents by utilizing the safe driving habits I listed above.

One last thought on driving safety. I frequently drive from Canada to Florida and will say that I 95 through the State of Georgia has worse highway maintenance than any other state.

I was driving my Speedster in the middle of three lanes in a busy section more or less blocked in by tractor trailers. For some reason the one in front of me started to weave like a maniac. I slowed down a bit only to see a huge chunk of tire in my lane and no where to go. How that thing made it under my car I'll never know. I stopped to check for damage when I could and my rad scoop showed some damage.

In that area of a trip, from now on I will travel in the right lane and at least have an opportunity to take the shoulder if need be and I'll deal with people entering and exiting the highway on a case by case basis.