The seat belt law thread sent me back to my days as a Motorcyclist, when the Mandatory Helmet Law was instituted in California.
It can be argued that wearing a Helmet saves lives, but it also can be argued that it is not at all as effective as the seat belt. It can also be argued that the basic experience is changed when one wears a helmet when riding.
Were you to be told, after buying a hard top automobile, that the top must remain on at all times how would you feel?
I believe there is a difference in the hazard incurred in a car vs. a motorcycle. Motorcycles are an extremely risky form of transportation, and any collision can cause head injuries. My brother used to work in the X-Ray department of a hospital, and anyone working in a hospital will tell you that motorcycles are dangerous.
I have no argument with helmet laws, and believe that a government is justified in requiring them for motorcycle riders.
I LOVE the helmet laws!
Guys who ride motorcycles have this pathetically desperate need to feel devil-may-care and rebellious, and making them wear helmets deflates this so NEATLY, how can anyone HELP but loving it?
I say make 'em wear diapers, too, and Little Lord Fauntleroy collars!
I am in full agreement that riding a motorcycle can be one of the more hazardous activities (still) available. I disagree that mandating Helmet use is the proper action to reduce the hazard.
My battle cry was always “Put something in their heads, not on it”. Mandatory training, extended education, and stricter licensing are the actions I would propose. With my voluntary extended education and training I chose to wear a full-face helmet the majority of the time, as it is the best physical protection from head and face injury. With that in mind it is very easy to argue that the wearing of Helmets never reduces the number of accidents, and the number of injuries is only slightly reduced (often the injury moving merely from the head to the neck). Changing the nature of the experience for responsible riders is not worth the mandate, and is difficult to explain to the masses that do not partake in the experience.
An argument exists that childbirth should be regulated, as it poses so many risks and health costs; but since the majority experience it, it will never be regulated.
For a different take on the “issue”… http://www.forbes.com/fyi/99/0503/041.htm
Okay, by not wearing a helmet, the only person I am going to hurt is…ME!
By not wearing a seatbelt the only person I am going to hurt is…ME!
now should there be laws about children, yes. Parents should be made to buckle their children up, but if I want to do something stupid with my own body, who are you to tell me I cannot?
“Bones, help that man!” – “Damnit Jim, I’m a doctor not a doc…I’ll get right on it.”
Seems like a shame to interfere with natural selection.
Dr. J
“Seriously, baby, I can prescribe anything I want!” -Dr. Nick Riviera
Kinoons:
Who am I? I’m a taxpayer. And some of the money I pay goes to state-funded hospitals that have to attempt to put crotch-rocketeers back together after they lay it down. I’d much rather their injuries were minimized and my tax money spent elsewhere.
I’m afraid I disagree with this statement:
It overlooks the fact that if you’re not belted in, you’re likely to move around in the car in an accident: mass v. acceleration, etc.
If you’re the driver and unbelted, at the beginning of an accident, your involuntary movement can lead you to lose control of a car, making the accident worse and possibly turning a single-vehicle accident into a multi-vehicle accident.
If you’re an unbelted passenger, your body can become a projectile and damage other passengers, even if they are belted in. For example, an unbelted passenger in the back seat can fly forward and injure a passenger in the front seat.
So, I want other people to be belted in for the selfish reason of protecting myself, and I wear my seatbelt for the selfish reason of protecting myself, as well as others.
Boy, we had a pretty big thread about mandatory helmet laws last fall in the BBQ Pit. You might want to check it out.
I live in a state where helmets aren’t mandatory, but when I ride I make sure to wear a helmet. My decision alone, but I’ve had friends and family members survive potentially fatal crashes because of helmets.
“It’s only common sense,
There are no accidents 'round here.”
I want to learn to drive a motorcycle this summer. My dad has been riding for years, my mom is now learning. They have gone to Sturgis a couple of times. They don’t have any helmet laws…While I understand that riding with the wind in your hair is probably great; (no sweaty head) but, in the event of an accident, I would like to be able to survive that accident, with a skull and skin to ancor (sp?) that hair… In short, I wear a helmet despite any laws…
Now, bicycle helmets…my SO keeps bugging me about that one…I suppose I should just go ahead and wear one to keep him happy…
I survived a potentially fatal motorcycle accident because I was wearing a helmet. The part of my helmet that was crunched (left-rear-bottom, right below the skull) suggests that I would have either been dead or permanently incapacitated.
I’ll leave the political debate to others, but I always wear a helmet.
Tinker
I had a bicycle accident where I slammed face-first into a curb and broke 2 of my front teeth. (They had to have rather expensive crowns put over them.) The bicycle helmet I was wearing did nothing to protect me, as it was sitting waaaaaay up there on top of my head.
When I ride a motorcycle, I always wear a full-face helmet for just that reason.
I tripped while walking the other day and I got a nasty bump on my head. My cousin’s wife’s 1/2 sister once was hit by an anvil that was dropped from a large building. I’ve heard that people slip on banana peels too.
I always put on a helmet (and full body armor) when I get out of bed. There ought to be a law. I don’t want my tax dollars to go to the stupid folks who don’t take the simple precautions that can prevent this kind of thing!
=)
Don’t require helmets, but also don’t pay for medical costs (etc.) for those whose accidents could have been preventedf if they would have worn one but chose not to–this protects freedom TO choose and freedom FROM paying for their mistakes.
Yeah, I would wear a helmet when getting out of bed, since I can easily attain speeds of 50mph. But since I’m invulnerable, I don’t bother. Just keep that kryptonite away…
Bucky
Bucky -
I’m glad you wear a Full Face Helmet in your car as you easily attain speeds of 50mph. It should be a Law! If not you better get that waiver ready! I don’t want my tax dollars to go to the stupid folks who don’t take the simple precautions that can prevent this kind of thing!
=)