Helmet debate--good or bad

[bumpo]

We have all read pros and cons of helmets over the years. Originally, I came from a state that required riders to wear helmets by law. Since 2003, I have lived in a state that has no requirements for wearing them, and I would guesstimate that probably 85 to 90 percent of the riders I see, choose not to wear them. Unfortunately, each year in the early months of spring, we read of several bikers who loose their lives to head injuries, related to accidents. Those that are "fortunate" enough to survive severe head trauma, are often times no more than breathing "turnips". The financial hardship that is thrust upon their families, I'm sure is devestating at the very least. Medical costs can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the injured person, and the constant care can be a real strain on their loved ones. I totally support the right of the riders to NOT wear a helmet, but when one of them tells me that nobody gets hurt except them---then I go into a slow burn...their families, very quickly loose everything to pay for medical bills, and when their money runs out, those "turnips" turn into wards of the state that they live in....then we ALL start having to pay for them. Something that a lot of folks loose sight of, when the topic come up, and it certainly gives us all some pause...when you consider medical costs today.

[trkcpa]

Amen. tom

[tomfelock]

What you just said is a good reason for the wearing of helmets to be a law. People don't always use common sense and people don't do the obvious right thing, so if the only way to get them to do the right thing is to make it illegal not to, then I am all for that.

[SPS Tools]

... when one of them tells me that nobody gets hurt except them---then I go into a slow burn...their families, very quickly loose everything to pay for medical bills, and when their money runs out, those "turnips" turn into wards of the state that they live in....then we ALL start having to pay for them. Something that a lot of folks loose sight of, when the topic come up, and it certainly gives us all some pause...when you consider medical costs today.

What you just said is a good reason for the wearing of helmets to be a law. ... so if the only way to get them to do the right thing is to make it illegal not to, then I am all for that.

How about instead of forcing everybody to wear helmets because of a few idiots, we just tell them "they're on their own" and make it stick?
Stop providing backup to their family and stop providing life support when the $s run out. It would also help if society gave their families more options, too.
I'm against helment laws, but I firmly believe in helmets. I find them a perfect example of Darwinism at work.

[tomfelock]

I hear ya, but I personally still think that if we could prevent an injury in the first place, everyone would be better off, including the victim. And if it takes a law to keep someone from harming themselves, I would personally vote for it.

[willajabir]

Do we need to pass laws for obesity for preventing heart problems.? Oh, I think based on this same premise, we would vote to outlaw our 2 wheelers to prevent injuries?
I would not vote for something on this basis. Just my own thoughts.
ymmv

[greenheron]

Here we go again......

[Scootereno]

Too many Laws, too many laws, too many laws! No one even knows all the laws on the books today. We can't pass laws to protect everybody from everything so lets stop trying. Shoot there is a law on the books down here that says I have to have a sheet covering me when I make love to my wife in my bedroom just in case a peeping Tom tries to look into my window. The peeper can have me prosecuted even though they were breaking a law in the first place.
What's up with that!!!

Helmets....Wear them or don't it's your brain but always obey the law.

[Jim]

Here we go again......

[QuantumRift]

We have all read pros and cons of helmets over the years. Originally, I came from a state that required riders to wear helmets by law. Since 2003, I have lived in a state that has no requirements for wearing them, and I would guesstimate that probably 85 to 90 percent of the riders I see, choose not to wear them. Unfortunately, each year in the early months of spring, we read of several bikers who loose their lives to head injuries, related to accidents. Those that are "fortunate" enough to survive severe head trauma, are often times no more than breathing "turnips". The financial hardship that is thrust upon their families, I'm sure is devestating at the very least. Medical costs can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the injured person, and the constant care can be a real strain on their loved ones. I totally support the right of the riders to NOT wear a helmet, but when one of them tells me that nobody gets hurt except them---then I go into a slow burn...their families, very quickly loose everything to pay for medical bills, and when their money runs out, those "turnips" turn into wards of the state that they live in....then we ALL start having to pay for them. Something that a lot of folks loose sight of, when the topic come up, and it certainly gives us all some pause...when you consider medical costs today.

This is pretty much a rant, I suppose. Why not just pass a bill that if you're a veggie, you should be euthanized? That would no only remove the 'helmet debate' but those folks who are veggies due to stroke, heart attack, near drowning, falls, lightening strikes, auto accidents, drug overdose, ....the list is endless.

.." Those that are "fortunate" enough to survive severe head trauma, are often times no more than breathing "turnips"..."

The causes and results (helmet or not) of incidents or accidents are varied - the presence or absence of helmet does not always dictate the outcome of an accident. You could be wearing a helmet but suffer severe and traumatic chest injuries, or bleeding, or other severe injuries that could cause "turnipization". Or you could not be wearing one and die just as easy. Or survive to only become....a turnip.

It's an argument that has no easy answer. Do helmets protect you? Yes and no. Can wearing a helmet contribute to your death or turnipization? Yes and no. Should there be mandatory laws for helmets? Well, unfortunately, the answer is yes and no.

While a helmet might not let you survive a head-on impact with a bridge abutment at 80 mph, that same helmet could very well keep you alive and not turnipized should you get t-boned in a parking lot at a stupid speed of 15 mph.

[ABQ]

A while back, a few months, I happened to be riding to work when I passed an accident. It had just happened. A sports bike had just collided with a car that poked out of a side street. As is the custom in New Mexico, he wasn't wearing his helmet. He was on the ground grabbing his head in agony, rolling on the ground in pain.
Lesson learned. I resolved to wear my helmet every time I ride. Furthermore, I bought some knee and shin guards and a new safety vest.

[choirguy]

Remember, though, that a law doesn't make you do anything. Just because the sign says 55, it doesn't follow that everyone will obey. In the final analysis, only the rider himself can put on the helmet...law or no law. It's that simple.

[tomfelock]

Found a new use for my helmet - wearing it while I use my snowblower - haha! Seriously, when the wind blows all the snow back at you, I think the shield will keep it from hitting your face and eyes.

[fuzzyquilter]

In this debate, like any other debate, there are 2 schools of thought. I wear all the gear all the time. Full face helmet. Why? Because as I tell others, I may not be the prettiest person in the world, but I like me and don't want to be all messed up.
Then I have had those who said, "If I had been wearing such and such, I would be dead."
Our state requires a helmet. KY don't. I have ridden with others who didn't even take time to pull off and take their helmets off, they did it riding up the road. Now that to me is stupid.
I don't care what area of the country I am in, I will wear everything I can to protect me.

[bosshoss1]

In states where there are helmet laws - there is no choice - and in those states where there are no mandatory helmet laws - it is up to the individual rider to decide what is worth protecting..........

For myself, at age 69 and having started riding in 1959 in Massachusetts..NOT ONE STATE had any helmet laws on the books....AND in 1962, when I had my first motorcycle accident at just 2-3 MPH, in the rain - I took a "header" and required 10 stitches... I have been wearing a DOT-approved helmet since 1 day after that accident in 1962....

[greenheron]

Even when there's a helmet law in place, as in Massachusetts, riders still have the option of making a mockery of it, as my bro in-law on Cape Cod does, by wearing a nearly useless novelty helmet.

[tomfelock]

is that novelty helmet DOT approved? Does that state require a DOT approved helmet?(as it should be?) if the answers are no then yes, then he is breaking the law and MAY get caught or at least pulled over, something I would prefer didn't happen to me.

[tomfelock]

Not laws to keep obesity in check but perhaps penalties for obese people unless they have a medical reason for being so and rewards and incentives for people who keep their weight in check.

[paulcbrowne]

Hey, if you head is worth nuthin', don't spend anything on a helmet. But, why worry, we're all going to be covered by the heath care that we have to buy; and that will cover you (ha, ha! -- I know, this is going towards Tavern talk, sorry).

[bigfoot]

In the late 60's my second cousin (wearing a helmet) hit a horse while riding his motorcycle.
He was in a coma for several months, then had to learn to walk and talk again.
He never fully recovered and eventually got a job as a janitor at a nudist colony.

The major causes of motorcycle accidents are;
Inexperience (no license, no training)
DWI
Improper braking (running off the curve)
and the other guy

The only one we can't fix or control is "the other guy".

[jenkins]

+1

Jim

[QuantumRift]

In the late 60's my second cousin (wearing a helmet) hit a horse while riding his motorcycle.
He was in a coma for several months, then had to learn to walk and talk again.
He never fully recovered and eventually got a job as a janitor at a nudist colony.

The major causes of motorcycle accidents are;
Inexperience (no license, no training)
DWI
Improper braking (running off the curve)
and the other guy

The only one we can't fix or control is "the other guy".

Not necessarily. If you, or me, or any of us here, happen to be the other guy, then we fix it and avoid causing an accident. Right?

Also, since most accidents occur within 25 miles of home, I'm a staunch advocate that everbody should move to a new home at least 25 miles from their current home every few weeks or months to prevent/avoid all those deadly and costly accidents!

[rustynail]

How about instead of forcing everybody to wear helmets because of a few idiots, we just tell them "they're on their own" and make it stick?
Stop providing backup to their family and stop providing life support when the $s run out. It would also help if society gave their families more options, too.
I'm against helment laws, but I firmly believe in helmets. I find them a perfect example of Darwinism at work.

Yeah

[QuantumRift]

hahah...yea, if the paramedics are called out to a scene where somebody who wasn't wearing a helmet was demised, they should pronounce him dead and then make the family come and pick him up. LoL....sort of harsh but hey, it's a cruel world.

oh yea, and they should get the bill for the false paramedic run.

[rustynail]

I would have no problem stepping over their corpses in the street. It would be a great example for my kid - someone who actually paid for their mistake. Would probably stink, though.