Helmet laws - for or against

[canuckerjay]

I think the decision must vary according to how one's actions affect thier society.

Up here (Canada) we have public health care, paid for by very high taxation. Everyone covers everybody. In our situation, if a person goes topless (without helmet) and winds up in a trauma room, that massive expense is paid for by everyone else's tax dollars. So, in Canada, I'm in favour of helmet laws.

But in the States, (and you'll correct me if I'm missing something, please), to my knowledge, your health care is your own individual responsibility. So if you choose to ride topless and wind up in a trauma room, you're the one who winds up owing the hospital tens of thousands of dollars (correct?), and not anyone else (in most cases). In that case, since it's you who foots the bill, I'm against helmet laws in such a society. You should have the freedom to choose how safe you wish to live your life, as long as the impact of your actions on others will be within a reasonable limit.

[gypsy_woman]

I love helmets, the being all geared out and carefree is exhilarating but if i am wearing a full face helmet, I dunno, kinda silly i feel like I am all dressed up. not to mention arriving and taking off my helmet is cool to. plus it is cold/rainy most of the time in oregon so i really wouldn't want to ride without.

[blues2cruise]

I love helmets, the being all geared out and carefree is exhilarating but if i am wearing a full face helmet, I dunno, kinda silly i feel like I am all dressed up. not to mention arriving and taking off my helmet is cool to. plus it is cold/rainy most of the time in oregon so i really wouldn't want to ride without.

....I have learned to "embrace" helmet hair.

I think helmet laws are necessary or there would be a lot of folks out who would choose no the wear them. I suspect there would be alot more head injuries if not for the law.

[Whip Lash]

Since I wear glasses and don't like grit in my eyes I wear an open face helmet with a wrap around flat face shield. This keeps all kinds of dirt and bugs off me peepers. I have lived in states where I could ride without a helmet and I did. Was young and dumb. Now I live in CA and you must wear a helmet here. It is like a seat belt to me. I feel naked without a helmet when riding a bike and a seat belt when in a car. But what next? Air Bags on a Honda Gold Wing? The answer is Yesh.

[dj biker]

I think that anyone that demands that everyone wear a helmet, should ask themself what does a helmet really do? What is it designed to protect you from? Helmet DOT standards are such that the DOT certification is that a helmet will protect your head from a fall from approximately 42 inches at a complete stop. So if you are sitting at a red light and fall over, you are protected. In a crash, well, you are as likely to have head and neck injuries from the extra weight of the helmet as you are to be protected from the impact with the SUV. I wear a helmet on every ride as well, but not to be fooled by DOT standards. If you are wearing a helmet to protect you from a crash, keep drinking the kool-aid. If the helmet would protect your head from splitting open when you hit that Buick, then I am sure there would be no argument from me. However this is not the case. If you are wearing to prevent road rash if you go down, that is probably a good idea. Personally I like the protection from the sun and the errant June bug or wasp that loves to hit you in the face.

[storysunfolding]

You realize that a fall from 42 inches at 0 mph= a fall from 42 inches at 65 mph right?

Do you have anything to back up your statement about head and neck injuries? NHTSA, NSC, MSF and various others have studies and references that disagree with the notion that wearing a helmet creates an additional risk of head and neck injuries.

[HYPERR]

We don't have a helmet law in CT. Most riders do wear helmets however. The glaring exception are the middle aged cruiser riders. Ironically the ones that should be old enough to know better. Whenever I read about a motorcyclist death in the paper, it is almost pretty much with 99% certainty that it is a male, in his 40s or 50s, riding a cruiser, and you guessed it, no helmet. And in the vast majority of the cases, it involves a car driver who was at fault.

[blues2cruise]

We don't have a helmet law in CT. Most riders do wear helmets however. The glaring exception are the middle aged cruiser riders. Ironically the ones that should be old enough to know better. Whenever I read about a motorcyclist death in the paper, it is almost pretty much with 99% certainty that it is a male, in his 40s or 50s, riding a cruiser, and you guessed it, no helmet. And in the vast majority of the cases, it involves a car driver who was at fault.

We have helmet laws here. Some riders wear helmets that are more novelty, but until the law changes they will wear them. They do nothing except maybe prevent sunburn on the bald spot.

Regarding the crashes....the majority of reported deaths here are the same demographic however, it is usually rider fault...Speed was a factor....alcohol was a factor....the other category tends to be inexperienced mostly young sport bike riders.

A couple of years ago a rider got killed on a local bridge. Speeding/lost control....His demise? Head injury. He was wearing a novelty beanie helmet. The coroner stated that if he had been wearing a proper helmet he would have survived.

Having personal freedoms is wonderful, but when people make stupid choices that end up costing all of us...then we need laws to protect us.

[HYPERR]

Having personal freedoms is wonderful, but when people make stupid choices that end up costing all of us...then we need laws to protect us.

Yep exactly. I suppose it may be their right to split their skull open if they want as long as they do not have minors that are dependent on them. However what these selfish people don't realize is that their irresponsibility and stupidity will invevitably become a burden on society.

I once saw a pack of HD riders with NY plates cross over the CT border. NY has a helmet law, CT does not. As soon as they crossed the border, they all stopped their bikes in the middle of the road, took off their helmet(which resembled a yamulka more than a helmet) and did those stupid fist raises and yelled something about freedom. Now they were not teenagers but all grown men in their 40's, 50's, & 60's. The reactions from other drivers on the road were mixed. Some honked and screamed obscenities at them, some just quietly went around them and drove on, and some just pointed at them and laughed their a$$es off.

[ofblong]

I think that anyone that demands that everyone wear a helmet, should ask themself what does a helmet really do? What is it designed to protect you from? Helmet DOT standards are such that the DOT certification is that a helmet will protect your head from a fall from approximately 42 inches at a complete stop. So if you are sitting at a red light and fall over, you are protected. In a crash, well, you are as likely to have head and neck injuries from the extra weight of the helmet as you are to be protected from the impact with the SUV. I wear a helmet on every ride as well, but not to be fooled by DOT standards. If you are wearing a helmet to protect you from a crash, keep drinking the kool-aid. If the helmet would protect your head from splitting open when you hit that Buick, then I am sure there would be no argument from me. However this is not the case. If you are wearing to prevent road rash if you go down, that is probably a good idea. Personally I like the protection from the sun and the errant June bug or wasp that loves to hit you in the face.

1. Why do you insist on opening up 2 year old threads???

2. My brother was in a 3 wheel accident at 60mph. His helmet shattered but it saved his life. What if he wasnt wearing that helmet? Yup you guess it his head would have shattered. He had ZERO neck injuries. He did have a head injury but then again hitting a tree at 60mph with your head and then having your 3 wheeler land on top of your helmet afterwards didnt help (those things arent light). You know what because of that helmet neither the tree NOR the 3 wheeler touched his head. He wouldnt have much of a head left if that helmet wasnt worn.

So there you go a helmet DOES protect your head from splitting open. You might get a head injury because well lets face it there is nothing that will keep your brain from banging around inside your skull.