One of the nasty things about off-roading is that you can never know when the good times can turn into a nightmare. If you’ve ever left the relative safety of the asphalt on two, three or four wheels, you know what I am talking about. And if you’re also trying to push the limits a bit and lay a heavy hand on the throttle, things are even worse, at least as far as how bad they could get.
That’s why both off-road vehicle manufacturers, trainers and pretty much anyone dealing with off-roading and in their right mind will tell you to make sure you wear protection and make sure you install it properly, be it on the vehicle or on yourself.
Ignorance is not bliss
However, we‘ve all met that kind of rider/driver who believes that nothing wrong can befall him or her. Even worse, some of these guys are overconfident in their skills that they would also relax when they should be as alert as ever. And since karma is a b****, it usually doesn’t need too many invitations to make life miserable for such guys. And if you want, one thing which only adds to the problem is that these fellows rarely advise their passengers to gear up, unknowingly or ignorantly putting them in danger.
These fellows have been rather lucky that they are still in one piece and unscathed after this brutal SxS crash. Side-by-side roll cages are indeed tested thoroughly before receiving approval to go commercial, but they are not the ultimate failsafe equipment. And guess what, even though the head of a rider properly strapped in his or her seat will not reach outside the cage, there is nothing to stop a tree stump or rock from entering the same “safe zone”, right?
Plus, strongly bashing one’s head against the rather hard headrest of an SxS can easily produce severe concussions. And these are only two of the scenarios where a helmet would come in really handy, simply because this is the job it was designed to do. The choice is yours, as always.
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