Another helmet law post

[Munkey]

On my local news last night they did a short story on a group of Missouri motorcyclists that are going to their legislators to try to get that state's helmet law repealed. Their grounds for this is that they claim that riding while wearing a helmet is more dangerous that riding without one. Their reasoning:

Reason #1. Helmets block noises from cars and emergency vehicles and such making it dangerous for the rider.

Reason #2. While wearing a helmet in hot weather, a riding can pass out from heat exhaustion.

I seldom laugh out loud at news stories but I just couldn't contain myself. I think if I was going to go to go in front of my state legislation, I would have come up with a better story than that. My response to them would be:

1. Maybe it's not your helmet but the obnoxiously loud exhaust on your Harley that's drowning out the noise from cars and emergency vehicles.

2. I've ridden all types of motorcyles and worn all kinds of different helmet types in the last 30 years and have never passed out from heat exhaustion or heard of anyone passing out from heat exhaustion while riding with a helmet.  I have however heard of a whole lot of guys dying from head injuries after crashing with no helmet on.

Just thought you guys would find that story amusing.

[ariwhiteboy]

I might buy into the second line of reasoning if I thought these were the guys who wear ATGATT when they ride...it's kind of hard to claim heat exhaustion when you are riding in, at most, a t-shirt and jeans. 

[fishball]

I was at a bar this last riding season and a group of riders came in and a discussion about helmets had started.  These were very nice folks but they were extremely anti-helmet.  One of their biggest arguments were that helmets, especially full faced helmets cause more injuries than they prevent.  They said many studies backed this claim and then explained the theory to me.  I just smiled and told them they are free to choose in Wisconsin and my preference is a full face helmet.

[Laminar]

From The Hurt Report:

47. The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention of reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies with FMVSS 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure.

48. Safety helmet use caused no attenuation of critical traffic sounds, no limitation of precrash visual field, and no fatigue or loss of attention; no element of accident causation was related to helmet use.

[coffee_brake]

I don't like helmet laws either.

I despise being told to wear seat belts as well.

But I will always choose to wear seat belts and a full face helmet.
Helmet and seatbelt laws should only be for kids under 18.

[Hondo]

When you crash (and everyone will) you will hit your head on something hard.

Best to wrap it in some protection.

Just make sure that you wear it correctly - 

[Soupskin]

Wow...  The asinine things that idiots come up with.

[bergoff]

I don't like helmet laws either.

I despise being told to wear seat belts as well.

But I will always choose to wear seat belts and a full face helmet.
Helmet and seatbelt laws should only be for kids under 18.

I feel the same way. But I will always wear one. They have saved my life and I won't ride with out one.

[Tryvelcro]

We have helmet laws in California - I wear one regardless, but I also support them.  A little sideways on the "laws" part, but California passed 2 new motorcycle related laws this year.

AB 1952, c. 586: Instruction permit,
motorcycle. Requires persons under the age of
21 to complete a motorcyclist safety program prior
to obtaining an instruction permit to operate a twowheel
motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, motorized
scooter, motorized bicycle, moped, or bicycle with
an attached motor, and requires that the permittee
hold the instruction permit for a minimum of six
months prior to obtaining a motorcycle license.

SB 435, c. 407: Motorcycles; pollution
control devices. Makes it a crime for a person
to park, use, or operate a motorcycle, registered in
the state that is manufactured on and after January
1, 2013, that does not have a federal Agency noise
emission control label.

[green427]

I think H-D riders deserve to be exempted from all helmet laws for the following reasons:

- They don't move fast enough to allow air flow to be ventilated through the helmets

- They don't use their front brakes, so there is no chance of flipping over the bars and getting head injuries

- Loud pipes will save their lives

- Helmets throw off their balance after a few drinks


 

[Burgi]

A friend told me that his beanie was safer than my FF since a FF will break your neck in a fall. I told him if I was going to be smashing my face into the pavement then dragging it on the ground I would as soon just break my neck and be done and gone.
My husband had a minor off this weekend. Left a big scrape on his chin bar, much better than his face.

[skramer360]

When I dumped mine last year at about 15mph, I smacked my helmet hard enough to be slightly dazed for a bit. My neck never bothered me   

[JB1290]

My opinion on helmet laws is this: I wear a helmet whenever I ride now but didn't in the past. I have learned to like riding with a helmet and now feel naked if I take a bike around the block for a test ride. I DO NOT however, think the government should be passing a ton of BS laws to "protect us from ourselves". I believe we as Americans have the right to choose whether or not we want to wear a helmet. Having big brother in Washington pass law after law to protect us is taking our freedom away from us a little at a time. The only part of a helmet law I do agree with is making it madatory to have a minor wear one if they are on the back of the bike. 

The arguments posed in the OP trying to get the helmet law repealed are a joke. They may as well not even show up if that is their best case arguments. Especially with the technology in todays helmets. Heat stroke??? I don't think so. 

Just my .02 cents.

[rwilli1228]

I'm against any legislation that says I'm not allowed to make a choice based on my own reason alone... helmet laws included.

However, if you fail to maintain health insurance or life insurance and you're a rider, you have a responsibility to the taxpayers who pay your hospital bills and to your family who will pay your funeral costs and current debt to wear protective gear.  That's not the law in some states but common sense, logic, and intelligence cannot be legislated.

I say let those dumb-asses remove themselves from the gene pool.  Human beings should be allowed to make their own decisions.  See y'all at the Darwin Awards...    

[Bumblebee]

I might buy into the second line of reasoning if I thought these were the guys who wear ATGATT when they ride...it's kind of hard to claim heat exhaustion when you are riding in, at most, a t-shirt and jeans. 

I'm not going for that line of reasoning for ATGATT. Air mesh crash gear is actually considerably cooler on a hot sunny day than jeans and a tshirt. Try it sometime.

One of their biggest arguments were that helmets, especially full faced helmets cause more injuries than they prevent.

 

Any continuing arguments can be conducted by further testing with a baseball bat to the face.


Eh. Let'em have their arguments if it removes the helmet law from the records. I don't want to be told I have to wear a helmet and I certainly don't want a ticket for puttering it on or off the trailer without a helmet.

My only complaint about the line of reasoning they use is that they brainwash new riders/passengers into believing it. Once they believe that dribble BS, it takes several years of constant rational discussion on the subject to reverse the nonsense beliefs. Seriously, the HD brainwashing crowd should STFU unless they've successfully done a full down faceplant first. (And yes, it's personal. It's taken me 4 frigging years to reverse the BS they've told a friend of mine for the last couple decades. It's to the point I wanted to crash a dirt bike pretty hard right in front of her then get up unharmed to prove the point)

[LOKi]

+ 1 BB.

My brother FINALLY got a helmet last year. He lives in Colorado where there are no helmet laws. He would say the same thing.

Can't hear traffic
break your neck
too hot

When he did get a helmet of course he got a brain bucket!    

I have been on him for years about helmets and now I'm on him about gear.  Somehow he got it in his head that in the event of a crash he will climb up on the motorcycles side and ride it out. He can be pretty stupid sometimes.

When it comes down to it. They just don't think it looks cool.

[LOKi]

Maybe all that rumble scrambles their brain making them retarded.

[Hangster]

Laws to rule and try to govern this subject  is at best Retarded  , almost like trying to pull someone over for not wearing a seat belt while riding a motorcycle   .....It should be real simple , wear one or don't , your choice , your life.

[Option13]

I must be the only one here that doesn't mind being told to wear a helmet. I'm fully in favor of mandatory helmet and seat belt laws.



When objects that are closer to a yamaka with straps than a helmet receive DOT approval, I don't see how you can overheat. Especially with only a leather vest and a wifebeater on.

[SirSeanSean]

I wear my helmet every time I ride. I know that it is probably the sole piece of equipment that will actually save my life -rather than just protect me from major scraping- should I get into an accident.( I know it depends on the accident) Heck I even like wearing my helmet. But I do not like being told that I have to by the government. It's not their place to tell me what I can or cannot do. How I am endangering anyone else on the road by not wearing one? If you crash on your own, your the one who has to pay the pain toll, no one else.

I will always be ATGATT because it's common sense, not because it's legally enforced.

[genespleen]

 :soap:More than happy to see mandatory helmet laws.  Far too many people in our society *think* they're making an informed decision when they're really only going with gut and sentiment.  They don't deserve to die, however, just because they're ignorant, or hooked on misplaced ideas about "freedom."  Moreover, many of those pseudo-arguments about freedom appeal esp. to people too young to make informed decisions on their own.

[green427]

One additional advantage of wearing FF helmets is the anonymity you get. I like it when I'm wearing one, young, hot girls stare at me. If only they knew what I really look like.....

I've said it before, will say it again: I don't give a damn if you wear one or not. It is your head. But, don't make me help pay your bills when you crack your head open. If our guv'min tells me I have to pay for everyone's' injuries because they were too stupid/broke to get insurance, then I will advocate everyone wearing helmets & bubble body wrap.

[Option13]

I've said it before, will say it again: I don't give a damn if you wear one or not. It is your head. But, don't make me help pay your bills when you crack your head open. If our guv'min tells me I have to pay for everyone's' injuries because they were too stupid/broke to get insurance, then I will advocate everyone wearing helmets & bubble body wrap.

Exactly. When other people pay to fix you up, through both higher taxes and higher premiums, you lose the right to knowingly and willingly put yourself in danger on public property.

[Bumblebee]

I must be the only one here that doesn't mind being told to wear a helmet. I'm fully in favor of mandatory helmet and seat laws.

Just don't get the impression that they're telling you to wear helmets as concern for your safety. They're doing it for the illusion of safety to placate whoever. (I seriously doubt the individuals who allow DOT to be put in a beanie cap as approval of safety gear have ever been on a motorcycle and if they have, they haven't been down other than maybe a benign tip over while stopped) You can easily die from the trauma of severe road rash while wearing a dot approved helmet if the rest of your body is unprotected.
Case in point: That beanie cap is the real world equivalent of installing piano wire seatbelts in a cage. Cute, obeys the rules, makes the non wearer's feel good..but has no practical protection when uncontrolled physics starts playing hardball with rocks.

IF it was about safety, the rules would mandate ATGATT including full face helmets and dirt riding armor integrated into street gear. Anything less is negligence on their part.

Far too many people in our society *think* they're making an informed decision when they're really only going with gut and sentiment.

And they're told flat out lies until they believe it. It' successful because the person being told doesn't have a valid reference point and those points when supplied are countered with irrational non fact based points. Yes, a seatbelt can jam, yes you can get trapped in the vehicle because of it. But the other 999,999 times out of 1,000,000 it'll save your butt from near certain death and a lot of bodily injury due to high impulse energy transfers.

[Option13]

Just don't get the impression that they're telling you to wear helmets as concern for your safety. They're doing it for the illusion of safety to placate whoever. (I seriously doubt the individuals who allow DOT to be put in a beanie cap as approval of safety gear have ever been on a motorcycle...

When objects that are closer to a yamaka with straps than a helmet receive DOT approval...

Who said I wasn't in favor of tightening laws on what kind of protective gear you can wear? If ultimate safety was the goal 40 year old farm trucks wouldn't be road legal and helmets that are only fashion statements wouldn't be either.