In Florida, a law was passed 2 years ago that people riding motorcyles no longer had to wear helmets. The lady that got the law passed died a month after the law went into effect for not wearing a helmet. Now the law is being changed back and will hopefully pass this year.
What are the laws in your state? Do you think people riding motorcycles should have freedom or be forced to wear helmets?
I think it is stupid that kids are forced to wear helmets while riding their scooters (how fast can scooters go?) but motorcyclists can ride helmet free!
In SC you don’t have to wear one. I generally don’t like laws against being stupid (see seatbeats) so I don’t believe you should be forced to wear one if you don’t want to. If wearing a helmet kept other people from getting hurt, I would be all for it.
FWIW, when I wrecked my motorcycle my helmet saved my life.
I live in New York State, where helmets are mandatory. I’d wear one anyway, and always do, even when I’m in a state where helmet use is optional.
Nonetheless, I think that adult, licensed riders are entirely capable of making up their own minds about helmet use. I’m generally against laws that protect one from one’s own stupidity. I’m furious about the new anti-smoking laws here in New York City.
Children on scooters and bicycles are another matter. Children, for good reason, are not allowed to make their own decisions about many things.
I’d like to add a “me too” to LMM’s post. I have no problems with requiring non-helmeted riders to prove higher insurance coverage. After all, if you’re going to take the chance, you gotta be prepared to pay if you lose.
The thing with the helmet laws, is there is a lack of consistency in manufacturers meeting the same level of safety, and the lack of data that proves helmets save lives or prevent head injuries at speeds above 35mph. I dont think helmetless riders should carry extra insurance coverage and I don’t think that states, like michigan should cancel motorcycle safety courses which are funded in part by fees that are charged only to motorcyclists.
I always have worn and would continue to wear the best helmets on the market. I am not fond of feeling road debris or insects whacking me at high speeds.
I was unaware “Now the law is being changed back and will hopefully pass this year.” I would imagine there are bills proposed each and every legislative session to repeal that law, just as there were bills proposed each and every session to enact that change made two years ago.
Maine passed a similar law, but mandated the Motorcycle Riders Safety Course for each new license applicant. I fully supported that education requirement.
Smee wears the lid. Most of the time, backroads in the land of cheese, I take it off and look for deer. Try looking at some of the discusting piccys on the web, oogerish (smee thinks spelling)
has some rough ones.
The question is should the state be able to dictate this upon you, much like seatbelt laws?
My answer is NO. Survival of the fittest/darwinism too stupid to wear a lid in the city or doing 60-120 on the expressway…
see ya on ogerish…
I’m rather torn on this issue. (And I no longer ride due to some injuries)
I would like to see more public awareness of motorcycle safety, esp where other types of vehicles are involved.
If the small percentage of tuly unsafe riders woere shown to be a menace to themselves and others, if the “Left Seat Passangers*” were just more aware of the dangers that “unpiloted” cars and trucks pose for riders, etc… Then motorcycle safety would take a quantum leap forward, IMHO. YMMV.
That being said, I am against helmet laws, but I think it is extremely foolish to ride without one.
I laid my bike down (around 30 mph, if even that) to avoid a thrown over the top of the car type of accident, and when I looked at my helmet, I almost threw up. Yeah, my clothes were ruined and I was scraped and bruised, but my helmet was almost flat on theleft/back side. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MY HEAD!
When I broke my leg (hitting a tree at a fairly high speed - yeah, I made a really stupid mistake) in another accident, I’m pretty sure my helmet saved my from skull fracture or worse.
So, to sum up: I am against helmet laws (except maybe for certain ages or length of time riding), but I am for safety education, even if it means taxing bike buyers (like the luxury tax) or some other form of road use fees for everyone, not just bike buyers (that would be more fair, maybe)
I sometimes wonder if there is some sort of commercial conspiracy among helmet manufacturers.
They all state quite clearly that if you are careless enough to drop your lid, say from off the saddle of your bike onto the floor, that the it will be suspect and must be replaced, or that you should never use a seconhand crash hat as you don’t know its history.
Their reasoning is that there could be microfractures that will compromise the the integrity of the helmet, but really, if a drop from maybe three feet onto a hard surface is enough to damage a helmet beyond safety, just how much trust can you put into one new lid in a 60mph slide when you could clobber kerbstones and the like ?
I personally want a lid that can be kicked around and vashed and battered about and is still safe, these fragile objects being marketed as crash hats cannot be up to much if they can’t take the odd knock or two.
My take on helmets is that they should not be mandatory as discussed earlier that you can’t keep people from being stupid. I personally will never get on a motorcycle with out one. Casdave, the thing is with manufacturers saying that a helmet can not be guaranteed good after a drop is that they are meant to crack/deform to absorb energy. That is the energy of your head meeting the pavement. They are one time use things like an airbag. Are they over zealous with their claims of damaging a lid after a table drop, who knows but they are just relatively thin shells of fiberglass/composites with padding lining them. But take it as you will. Personally if I drop a helmet off a table, if there are no visible cracks it is not gonna get replaced.
Nevada has the laws. I don’t think too much about the law one way or the other. I wear one whenever I’m on “real” roads. (meaning: I’ll tool around my neighborhood and behind the house at 10 mph without one) I used to race and will attest to their value, absolutly.
I’m inclined to think that everyone should be able to choose for themselves. I also have almost zero respect for most laws and don’t hesitate to break whichever ones I want. I’m willing to accept the risk of getting caught and consider that before I do anything. I speed every time I drive, pass in “no passing zones” that I am familiar with and run stupidly placed “Stop” signs, so I guess the law wouldn’t bother me too much if I wanted to ride sans helmet.
But whatever.
“You steal one thing and they label you a thief!” – former dumbass employee