RIVAS: Safety provides own kind of style

I collided into a car earlier this week while riding my pink cruiser bike down 16th Street.
Since Frenchie – yes, I named my bike, and yes, I named it after a Pink Lady from "Grease" – isn't a road bike, I stay on the sidewalk and off the streets. Aside from swerving to avoid the occasional cluster of pedestrians, I usually get from place to place perfectly fine without any major incidents.

Until two days ago.

There I was, riding along 16th Street, sun shining in my face, hair flying about, enjoying the beautiful autumn breeze when –

BAM!

I spotted a red Ford Taurus out from the corner of my eye, zooming its way through an alley and before I could react… Then I was huddled on the ground staring back at poor, disfigured Frenchie.

What exactly does my near-death experience have to do with fashion and style?

Well, on the surface, not much.

But this particular column isn't about being stylish on the surface.

It's about the kind of style that really matters and that people rarely discuss.

You might be wondering how I'm doing.

Obviously, I'm alive, capable of forming (mostly) coherent thoughts and recording them for your reading pleasure.

The accident could have been a lot worse – my reaction time could have been more delayed, the driver could have been going faster, I could not have seen her at all, etc.

But it could have been a lot less painful if only I'd swallowed a little fashion pride and stopped being such an appearance snob.

I wasn't wearing a helmet.

I wasn't wearing a helmet because I don't own a helmet.

I don't own a helmet because I think they look funny and childish.

Admittedly, this deduction is stupid and superficial – but hardly uncommon.

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute estimates that helmets are worn by no more than 25 percent of the nation's 73 to 85 million bicyclists. As a consequence of their choice, non-helmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders.

Is looking completely chic and put-together worth being 14 times more likely to die?

No, of course it isn't.

And of course, that reality makes sense now – after all, hindsight is always 20/20 and bruises are difficult to ignore. 

Wearing a helmet – no matter how nerdy and untrendy – will literally save face by keeping you safe.

And being safe, my friends, is much more stylish than dealing with the consequences of recklessness.

Coco Chanel, my favorite fashion designer/icon/legend, said it best: "Fashion fades; only style remains the same."

So wear all of the trends you like. Grab attention. Look great.

Just remember that fashion, while a wonderful means of escape and expression, is fleeting.

All that matters is carrying oneself with poise, which comes by way of making smart decisions.

It doesn't stop at wearing a helmet.

Save money, buckle that seat belt, don't play Russian roulette with your life at the 16th and R Street crosswalk, be wary of who you trust and even more wary of who you love.

Be safe, and invariably, you will be stylish.

Chanel, being an influential and wise pioneer, was also quoted as saying, "Since everything is in our heads, we better not lose them."

Tell me about it.

Mekita Rivas is a junior news-editorial major. Reach her at mekitarivas@dailynebraskan.com.