He could easily have an Ohio motorcycle license, but I have no real information, so I’ll shut up now.
If his residence is in Pennsylvania, state law would require him to obtain a PA driver’s license after a certain period of living here. That period would definitely be less than a year. Along with that normal driver’s license (Class C), he would need to have a motorcycle license or have a motorcycle learner’s permit which is more restrictive as to the activities he could do on a bike (as in carrying passengers, etc). If he doesn’t have a PA Class M and has lived here beyond the transfer period, then I’d say he should get the fine for riding without a license.
According to Penn DOT, he had sixty days post moving to Pennsylvania to transfer his license.
Here are the Helmet rules for motorcycles. and the licensing rules for motorcycles.
So unless he had a PA Class M for two years or took the PA motorcycle safety or MSF course, not wearing a helmet is illegal.
I’m very sorry about the accident, and I hope he gets better, but now that it’s apparent his life’s not in danger, I have to say that the Ravens McNair trade looks a lot smarter than it did a couple days ago. Heck, with Ben and Carson (maybe) down, even the godforsaken Browns are probably licking their chops.
ESPN.com said he had an expired learner’s permit. You don’t get one of those if you have an out-of-state motorcycle license.
There’s a benefit for motorcyle safety awareness going on here. It’s worth a look, even if you’re not interested in contributing. 
(caveat: I’m not affiliated in any way with that site)
If ESPN is correct, then it was not legal for him to ride without a helmet in Pennsylvania.
Further, from the PAMSP page:
And he shouldn’t have been driving the motorcycle at all, if ESPN is correct and his Class M learner’s permit was expired.
But…but…
He’s a sports hero. Surely the laws don’t actually apply to him?
He claimed he wasn’t breaking the law.
His expired permit and the PAMSP and Penn DOT websites directly contradict him.
I love the Steelers, and I think he’s a great quarterback and I’m glad they won the Super Bowl, but god damnit they need to follow the fucking rules!
If you’re going to address what someone’s said, please do them the courtesy of mentally processing their comment first. And if you had trouble with the overall message, it was that Ben may have been motivated for reasons other than “wind in his hair” or complete stupidity.
Wha… have you never listened to or read any of the national debate on the subject?
“What many people don’t realize is that helmets can sometimes impair a rider’s sight and hearing, reducing his or her ability to react; they can be hot and cause headaches and discomfort, which can distract a rider, raising the probability for an accident.”
While I don’t think it overweighs the danger of increased harm, I for one sure as hell am not going to look the other way and say their reasoning doesn’t exist.
Really. The high pitched wind noise and blockers that address the problem let you hear every bit as well as a naked ear. Fascinating.
It’s very sad. And I do wish him a speedy recovery and excellent luck, so that he’ll be able to play again.
But c’mon, motorcycle riders. All of you. It’s patently obvious to me, someone who has very little desire to ever ride one, that regardless of who’s at fault, the motorcycle rider always loses in an accident. Always. That fact alone would have me putting a brain protector on my noggin, every time, regardless of looks, heat, sound, style, whatever. It’s stupid not to.
My parents-in-law are riders, and usually ride without helmets. Drives me batty. I certainly look forward to the day when one of them is scraped off the highway.
I’m not sure that laws are the answer, but I certainly see their value.
Umm… I didn’t quote that part of your post so why are you putting it back in.
This is complete and utter bullshit, bot DOT and Snell require 210 degrees of vision. Do you know of anyone that has more then 180-190 degrees of vision. Helmets do not get in the way unless one is only moving your eyes and not your head. While you may see some parts of the helmet it does not get in the way.
If your helmet is causing headaches or discomfort then you bought the wrong fucking helmet. They do let you try them on in the stores and in every store I’ve been in they will ask and help you pick out the right size. I can’t really say anything about the heat issue because if one is out in the heat then one should be prepaired for it, a helmet shouldn’t make a difference. I personally haven’t had a problem with the heat from a helmet, I have with heat, but the helmet didn’t make matters worse.
I have yet to have a problem wearing ear plugs on the bike. Ear plugs take away the high pitched wind noise so I can hear things other then the wind. I have ridden without a helmet before and the noise with and without was about the same. Quite frankly I didn’t believe it when I heard it myself, and I had to go through a number of different types before I found a pair that works.
Quite frankly Ben is an idiot, he has no license, he has one of the most powerful machines one can get, and rode without good gear. Why doesn’t he ask the NFL to get rid of the face mask on his helmet; if helmets don’t permit one to see as well then the face mask must surely get in the way.
And if you don’t want to believe me about ear plugs then maybe you’ll believe a doctor?
Speaking from the perspective of someone who rides more frequently than most, it doesn’t appear to me that the helmet would have protected him from his injuries simply because he wasn’t struck in the head. He was struck in the face.
One of my best friends has been riding since he was sixteen (18 years) and has never laid a bike down, so the ‘sooner or later’ statement doesn’t always play out. Although I admit that it is rare to never lay a bike down, it is good that most of the time it isn’t a serious matter.
Lieu’s post regarding the helmet impairing the rider’s senses is spot on. And a DOT certified helmet comes with its own problems enhancing whiplash and other neck injuries due to the weight in a crash. A helmet is not an end-all means of protecting yourself from falling off of a bike. There is enough weight in one of those things that can snap your neck from the weight alone.
What really needs to be done for the safety of bikers (as well as the entire motor vehicle licensed collective) is our automobile brethren need to PAY MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT THE FUCK THEY ARE DOING!!! Pull the fucking cell phone from your ear long enough to get from one place to another. Pay attention to the road. Look both ways before blowing through an intersection. Start applying the brakes further back than thirty yards from the traffic light or stop sign. Get your heads out of your asses!
When we finally discover the secret of invisibility, it’s not going to be found in the basement of some military installation. It will not be in a lab at some university. It will be during a routine autopsy on a motorcycle rider in some small back woods town not unlike my own.
Recently I have been forced into traffic by a woman behind me on her cell phone because she saw an opportunity that I didn’t want to risk. She forgot I was even in front of her…STOPPED! Just the other day I had to get sideways to keep from becoming a hood ornament because some cunt WASN’T… PAYING… ATTENTION.
Every seasoned biker I have talked to since becoming one of them have all said the same thing regarding motorcycle accidents. It is rarely the biker’s fault.
It isn’t a phone booth. It isn’t a dance club. It isn’t a mobile home theater. It isn’t a vanity mirror. And it sure as fuck isn’t a race track. It’s a car.
If you blow throw an intersection because you were in a hurry and weren’t paying attention because you were dialing up your best friend Cindy to bitch about your awful day at work where the office boy brought you the cup of lima bean broth instead of the bowl of lima bean broth from Soup Plantation and the end result is a dead biker. You deserve to feel like shit the rest of your life for his death far more than he deserves to be remembered as an idiot for not wearing a helmet.
Stricter penalties for stupidity behind the wheel. More difficult testing before you can obtain a driver’s permit. Outlawing cell phones while in a moving vehicle. The banning of visor mirrors in all new vehicles. These are the things that will save all of our lives. My wearing a helmet doesn’t increase your level of responsibility behind the wheel of your car. Look around for other drivers. Pay attention to the road. Get out of the habit of seeing tunnel vision through the windshield of your car.
Helmets are the least of our problems.
I agree that drivers need to be much more cognizant of bikes, and of the road in general. I’ve ranted plenty on this message board about bad drivers.
But bikers also might want to think a little bit before straddling the high horse. In my years of driving in various countires, i’ve seen countless examples of rider stupidity. Zipping in and out of freeway traffic at excessive speeds, overtaking on blind corners, drag races with other bikes at traffic lights, you name it.
The day that sort of behaviour stops is the day i’ll be willing to accept that it’s only drivers who are responsible for motorcycle accidents.
No argument there. But I think you’d be referring mainly to the crotch rocket types for which I am not a member of. But agreed fully, some of the performance bikers are just begging to be killed.
Of course, eBay
Is wearing a helmet manditory in the NFL. I wouldnt want to impinge on his freedom you know.Wind in the hair and all that.
As I mentioned in my earlier post to this thread, Roethlisberger was indeed riding a “crotch rocket.”
Did anyone else just picture Cowher’s head exploding? He’s gotta be foaming at the mouth right now.
Well, we all know his jaw dropped.
Come to think of it, so did Ben’s. Straight out of his mouth.
Yeah, any rider who’s showboating, or unfamiliar with his new bike, or just has that need for speed attitude is likely to get hurt sooner or later. And it’ll probably be their own damn fault. To not even be legal is just plain stupid. Still, car motorists do need to be more aware of the cycle in general. And a helmet is simply a plain old good idea.