So much gear up top , so little protection down below...

[t_bonee]

So by the reasoning laid out, I hope none of you folks eat fast food. Or drink beer. Or smoke. Or play sports. Or are overweight. Cause you're all causing my health insurance cost to go up because of treatments for the various ailments and injuries incurred by the risks you choose to take for yourselves.

Pretty soon legislatures are going to require mandatory exercise and ban McDonalds or pick up football or basketball games cause people can get hurt playing or have heart attacks from too many big macs.

[BubbaGump]

This is the best 7 page hissy fit I have ever read! Shouldn't this thread be moved to the soap box section? Everyone had their turn at it.

[grymlocke]

right next me just today I saw a kid on a sportbike (ratted out with flat black primer..) waering:

shoie full face..
faded grey loose-floppy wife beater (with faded AC/DC iron on on front)...
loose baggy basketball shorts...
mountain sandles...
<period>

I actually grimmaced when he wheelied from the light...

[The Grinch]

So by the reasoning laid out, I hope none of you folks eat fast food. Or drink beer. Or smoke. Or play sports. Or are overweight. Cause you're all causing my health insurance cost to go up because of treatments for the various ailments and injuries incurred by the risks you choose to take for yourselves.

OK, good points. Let me address them:

1. Yes, I sometimes eat fast food, but only very occasionally. Doing so in moderation doesn't have much affect on your health. Eating fast food all the time al la "Supersize Me" is bad.

2. I don't drink or smoke. I've read that moderate drinking isn't necessarily bad for you (I don't drink because I don't like the taste). Smoking is probably bad for you even in moderation, and second-hand smoke directly affects others (like my wife, who has asthma).

3. I play sports, but I wear the proper safety gear. When I bicycle, I wear a helment and gloves. When I boat I wear a life jacket. When I skydive, I wear a backup chute.

4. I'm not overweight (6'1", 160 lbs.) America in general is a nation of porkers, and I'm sure this leads to higher life insurance rates for all of us. Obesity is something that is easy to fix through proper diet and exercise. Overeating and not getting exercise is, to me, equivalent to riding without a helment and other safety gear.

Number 3 is probably the closest analog to motorcycling. Some sports are dangerous, but the proper safety gear helps to make them less dangerous. I know several people (mostly company CEO types) who have clauses in their life insurance policies that prevent them from engaging in certain activities that the insurance companies consider high risk, such as piloting light planes and sky diving.

[TheImp]

That was me!










Just kidding.

[DirtyD86]

this argument is like trying to mix oil and water

[swatter555]

Bad behavior does not excuse other bad behavior, that is a fallacy.

Im not going to tell strangers to wear helmets, its their life to mess up if they desire it. When I hear about bad accidents that hit close to home, ya it does bother me. Sometimes when I see riders without helmets(mostly on TV, btw), I wonder if those people have taken their family and loved ones in consideration before they got on their bike. Riding a bike is dangerous enough on the road with these damn cages, but not wearing a helmet is just begging for trouble.

Im waiting for some NFL players to say they want to be free and take off their helmets during a game. Survival of the Fittest will then take place in fast forward speed, showing dumb behavior for what it is. I think Florida fatality numbers speak for themselves, though logic has no place in politics.

[bikeguy joe]

XM- Well, aren't you just proud of yourself?

[Sev]

this argument is like trying to mix oil and water

You mean like in a salad dressing?

[Loonette]

It's only my ,but anyone who is a parent has a responsibility to keep themselves safe for their children. Minimizing risk by wearing the right gear can help towards your kids having a parent who isn't broken or head injured, and it can help you to be around to see you kids grow up.

If someone chooses not to wear a helmet, I sure hope it's someone who does not have young children around. They deserve better.

This is the exact opinion I faced with some family members when I told them I was going to start motorcycling. There was no issue about safety gear - it was about motorcycling at all. To them there isn't enough safety gear to add a positive spin. Plain and simple, I would be setting my kids up for a motherless life if I were to ride a motorcycle. One of the points being made here is that many things we choose to do in our lives put us at higher risk of injury/death. So should parents not even ride motorcycles at all?! I am a bad parent now because I choose to be an individual still living a life separate from family?

I understand the arguments being made regarding insurance. We also pay higher rates to cover uninsured motorists. But guess what - there are laws against driving uninsured. That way if someone is caught doing so, they can be punished, fined, restricted from driving or the like. If anyone is so worried about their increased insurance rates used to cover the injuries/deaths of un-geared motorcyclists, then you should press on your insurance companies to get with the legislators and start passing some laws. There are ways to work with the system and create more and more restrictions on the general public - lots of people in the government are doing it every day. So if you want me to get a ticket every time I'm not wearing pants with armor and skid resistance, then get busy passing those laws. Same with helmets. Some states have the laws and some don't. Or maybe you'd like to see that nobody who is a legal guardian of a minor is allowed to ride a motorcycle at all - or sky dive - or swim in the ocean (watch out for that shark!! - we all know sharks kill). Go for it if you want to see change. But otherwise, you kind of have to just do your own thing and let fate take care of the rest.

Cheers,
Loonette