Helmet law protester crashes, hits head, and dies.

[David LaPell]

Well, unfortunately this Gary Busey wannabe made him a great poster child for the opposition to his cause. To me, I wear a helmet even though I haven't been on a motorcycle in years. Now every time this issue comes up here in NY those who defend the helmet laws (or even worse try for more strict laws) are going to point to this guy making an omelette out of himself on the pavement. Wear a helmet, don't wear a helmet, but expect the worst if your skull meets blacktop or the driver side door of a Buick after granny bluehair pulls out in front of you on her way to Bingo.

 

[Dr.-d]

I sold my bike a couple years ago and it was a few before that that I did any serious riding. At one time I would take the bike everywhere only the car when it rained bad. Always wore a helmet because of the law and because as an oldtimer once told me when I was growing up riding dirtbikes and threewheelers was that if you wreck your bike we can probabaly put it back together and rebuild it like new or junk it and get a new one but were not that good at putting human heads back together yet.

 

[nawilson]

My opinion may not count for much because I don't ride (no place to put a rifle! ), but it seems like a person ought to be able to decide for themselves if they want to make a mistake. I don't want to underwrite that mistake with my taxes or insurance though.

Reference the original post, I feel for the rider's family, but at least he went out doing something he presumably enjoyed. How many can really say that?

 

[DeathGrip]

Last I heard here was if you wanna ride W/O you have to pay more for insurance.Florida law.
My question is....Insurance denies your injury claim (no helmet) and who picks up the tab.Sure i'd like to have the bucks for the best health care that money can buy but i realize that's not the case.The fact is you can't afford to take chances.
I don't want to pay for you.I broke and you die.Your choice.

Now about the argument that you should were a helmet in a car,We only have to look at what killed Dale Earnhardt.They don't have seat belts on bikes for a reason.

 

[ladder13]

I'm pretty sure the fellow would rather be alive right now than making some statement about "being free". Did he leave behind dependents ? Hard lesson to learn.

Btw, there's been no "free" people since Adam and Eve.

 

[Faulkner]

And having ALWAYS worn a helmet...I can't barely ride without one.

Me too.

I won't even move my bike from one side of the garage to the other without a helmet on, but I don't support helmet laws any more than I support more gun control laws.

 

[m657]

Years ago I took a brief moment to slip on my helmet even though I didn't think I needed it..really....BUT.....1/2 block later, there was a horrid collision. I spent months in traction and nearly a year in full length body cast....plus I have a life long permanent issue that can not be remedied.

My helmet saved my life.

What you do isn't my concern.

 

[Chubbs103]

Having been involved in a fatal motorcycle accident, my Passenger died from massive head trauma, I have strong feelings about riding and the use of helmets. I do not believe that the use of helmets should be mandated, that is a personal decision. I do believe that anyone who rides without a helmet is a fool. If I offend anyone well that's life...

I agree completely. I always wear a helmet. My eight year old daughter got after me the other day for not wearing my leather jacket on a short ride.

I also feel the level of risks incurred in your life is largely a person choice. Keep in mind the young and foolish have organs that are in high demand. If you want to argue the cost on society, keep in mind that the people out there riding without a helmet are usually in the age groups that have been paying into the system, not taking it's benefits. If you die while your body is young and healthy, you have a fairly small draw on the system. We can talk about those that survive and need health care for a long period of time, but in all honesty that is the exception.

From personal experience, I have seen a passenger on a motorcycle (with no helmet) bounce off the pavement at 25mph. It would have been extremely minor except for the head injury. Helmets are a worthwhile investment and a minor inconvenience at best.

Chubbs

 

[venomballistics]

Im not a fan of nanny state laws like these..
like airbags ...
Ever have one deploy on you?
As if trimming a dingbats Escort isnt enough of a jolt .. the bag comes out to bust your chops for good measure...
But wait .. theres more ... These things are explosively deployed ... I cant tell you where your hands will be .. but I can tell you where they wont be ... on the wheel where you need them to rein in the remaining energy of your vehicle.
its a blend of dumb luck and fast thinking that kept that two car from four car bent metal orgy.
Helmets, Airbags, and all else arnt always the answer and should be left to choice.

 

[smith revolver cop]

I way prefer NO HELMET when riding...
You want to wear one - Have at it.

WHY are helmets not required for automobile occupants?
They would save lives and save folks from some injuries.

If I HAVE TO why shouldn't everyone?

Like mkk41 kinda said - We just need more laws and everything will be alright.

Of course, you don't have to wear a seat belt on your motorcycle. The law says I have to wear one inside of my car.

 

[sigp220.45]

A recently retired state cop was killed a block from my house. A passenger car turned left in front of him - he had time to lay down the bike before impact. It was a low speed thing, but his helmetless head smacked the bumper and drove a quarter sized piece of bone into his brain.

The motorcycle was fixable, but his head wasn't. A kid's bike helmet probably would have saved his life.

I don't think he "died doing what he loved", unless he loved thinking "****, that bumper looks really hard".

His wife and kids are paying a pretty high price for his indulgence.

I still disagree with helmet laws, though. Lots of things are stupid and irresponsible that shouldn't be illegal.

 

[nawilson]

I don't think he "died doing what he loved", unless he loved thinking "****, that bumper looks really hard".

You make a good point... I wonder how many regret the whole hobby in that last instant. I also think you're right that irresponsible shouldn't necessarily be illegal though.

 

[writerinmo]

You don't wear a helmet inside a car because you have what's known to those of us who ride as a "cage" surrounding your melon, so that point is kinda out in left field. Sure, wearing a helmet inside a car would probably save a few who died from head trauma, but would add a bunch more from drivers not being able to hear oncoming emergency vehicles, or the semi blasting his horn at them as they deafly pull out in front of them.

I wear full gear, known as ATGATT, all the gear, all the time. Sure, it sucks in the heat, and it's a pain to take off and put on all the time, and you need a bag or a somewhere to store it if you are riding in to work or anything similar where you need to wear "civilian'' clothes once you arrive. But after just one case of severe road rash on a leg and buttock, you tend to think it's not so bad taking the time to gear up. Sure, if you're a bachelor with no dependents who rely on you and no one will miss you when you're gone, head on out there like the squids in their tshirts, shorts and flip-flops... I can't, because I have kids that I still want to watch grow up and maybe give me a grandkid someday, so I owe it to them to use any and every method of protection that I can. Will I stop riding? Probably not, unless it just gets to the point where I feel like nothing but a target out there, or I think my reflexes are a danger to anyone else on the road, but if throwing on a $75-$100.00 helmet on means I get to stick around this crazy world a bit longer, I'm all for it. You can argue the "helmet law-gun control" thing all you want, that's just apples and oranges... might as well just compare the helmet law to income tax, that's just as accurate correlation, government making us do things we don't want to... common sense tells you that it's better to put something between your head and a hard surface, at least for most of us.

 

[jag312]

I played a little football in college, and I wore a helmet when I was on the field. Considering the scars on the helmet, it was the smart thing to do. I ride a motorcycle, and I wear a full face helmet. The helmet meets ECE 22-05 specifications. DOT specs are a joke. I wear the best helmet available because I have brains to protect. If I ever hit my head against something while riding my bike, I will hit faster and harder than anytime on a football field.

One more thing. Once while riding I hit a bee. It splattered on my face shield. I would rather have a bee splattered on my face shield than on my face.

I believe that wearing a helmet is a personal choice. If you have brains to protect, then wear a helmet. If you have no brains, then a helmet is unnecessary. Some people prefer to carry a high quality firearm like a Smith & Wesson to protect their lives, some people prefer to carry a Rohm RG-10, and some people do not feel the need to have a firearm for personal protection. To each their own.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

I don't believe in helmet laws, or seatbelt laws.

BUT, if you were riding suicide style in or on anything, you better have a health care policy because the tax payer shouldn't have to pay to keep your brain dead body alive for the next 70 years...

Geoff
Who wore a Bell Shorty TX Magnum and one of those ventilated canvas suits popular in Texas in the 1970s...had to go to Waco to get it and wore it with worn combat boots.

 

[mkk41]

Of course, you don't have to wear a seat belt on your motorcycle. The law says I have to wear one inside of my car.

Sooo , since you have to do something you don't like , others should too?

"That guy on the motorcycle with no helmet seems to be enjoying life! I'm being forced to wear this seat belt.
I want him to wear a helmet so he's as miserable as me!"

 

[mkk41]

you better have a health care policy because the tax payer shouldn't have to pay to keep your brain dead body alive for the next 70 years...

And taxpayers shouldn't have to pay to keep someone on a respirator after smoking cigarettes all their life.

Or pay the cronically unemployed welfare to have a half-dozen kids.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Lots of comments on what other people think should regulate other people's actions and lives. That's always a great direction to go.

 

[DeadAye]

Since 1966 I've attended the funerals of three (that I can recall) fellow motorcyclists that died on bikes.
ALL of them were wearing helmets at the time of their demise.
Two were wearing their leathers. The other - I don't know what he was wearing.

You want to stay safe? - Get a private cell in your local prison and pay someone to look after you.

 

[dougb1946]

You protect what you value. You keep your guns in a safe to protect the guns and the little kids. You have insurance on your property to protect your wealth. You wear eye protection and hearing protection at the range and follow a strict set of rules. The roads are more dangerous than the range.

Three of my brothers have had the freedom of flight because somebody in a car pulled out in front of them. They are alive because of helmets.

If your head impacts the road or curb or anything hard, the state has to pay to send a rescue unit to try to save you, units to remove you and your bike from the scene, and a unit to wash your spilled body parts down the drain. Then, they get to pay to have somebody inform your survivors.
Somewhere along the way, your rights and freedoms have impinged on my life in a negative way. Freedom and personal rights imply having a sense of responsibility and duty.

You, as a rider, can do everything right and still be dead. The helmet changes the odds a bit.

According to the National Highway and Traffic
Safety Administration, 2294 motorcyclists were killed in 1998. This number increased steadily until 2008 when the death toll topped out at 5300, a staggering 200% increase in fatalities.

Helmets are and have always been an essential to safety while riding motorcycles. The NHTSA recently released a statement that 37% of fatal motorcycle accidents could easily have been prevented by wearing a helmet.