No Bike Helmet? Lose Your Wheels!, page 1

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:08 PM

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No Bike Helmet? Lose Your Wheels!

www.boston.com

HOLLISTON - If you're young and ride a bicycle through town without a helmet, you may end up walking back home. Police here are looking for scofflaws and will snatch the pedals from your feet if you've been warned numerous times but still forgo headgear.

Holliston police, frustrated in trying to drive home the point that riding without a helmet is dangerous and illegal, are hoping the tactic will finally get the attention of young riders.

(visit the link for the full news article)

DimensionalDetective

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:08 PM

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Sigh.

More, "Conform, or ELSE" nonsense from the "authorities".

I'm sure there will be many that will defend this, but to me this just falls right in line with all of the other conditioning, police state garbage that seems to be permeating every facet of our modern society.

Do I think helmets are a good thing? Sure!

Do I think that someone should have a choice to wear one without being threatened, punished, and having their property seized by Big Brother? Yes I do.

So much for freedom of choice though...Be a good little sheeple kid, we know what's best for you. Conform and obey.

The law allows police to hold the bicycles for as long as 15 days, but Gatchell said parents can reclaim them early if they show that their child has a helmet.

www.boston.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 11-9-2008 by DimensionalDetective]

citizen smith

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:15 PM

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Cycle helmets don't do much in terms of protection as the vast majority of the time (in my experiences of falling off a bike) it's your hands, arms, and legs that bear the brunt of the blows.

Also, I'd like to point out that if your going to learn to ride a bike, you should also learn how to fall off one...a bit like Judo where one of the first things you are taught is how to fall safely

Helmets do nothing for a rider other than foster a false sense of security

edit to add: the only kind of helmet that will be of any protection is the full-face variety used by motorbike riders

[edit on 11-9-2008 by citizen smith]

Harlequin

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:15 PM

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for once i disagree with you DD

they have a law which says you have to wear a helmet when riding a push bike , if a motorbiker rides around woith a helmet - he`ll get a ticket and maybe jail time;

so really they need to enforce the law here - and cyclists are a menace - i had $200 worth of damage done to my car when a cyclist crashed into me at a stop light - then got up , swore alot and rode off....

Wildbob77

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:20 PM

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I commute by bike. Recently school began for the local kids.

On the first day of kids riding their bike to school I saw three accidents. No one was seriously hurt. I also noticed a number of kids either not wearing their helmets or wearing helmets that were not fastened.

I would love for the police to pull those kids over, take their bikes and make the parents go to the police station to reclaim them. I never want to see someones head splattered on the pavement. (I've seen it already and it's not pretty)

So, right now it's the law so I say enforce it.

citizen smith

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:22 PM

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Originally posted by Harlequin
for once i disagree with you DD

they have a law which says you have to wear a helmet when riding a push bike , if a motorbiker rides around woith a helmet - he`ll get a ticket and maybe jail time;

so really they need to enforce the law here - and cyclists are a menace - i had $200 worth of damage done to my car when a cyclist crashed into me at a stop light - then got up , swore alot and rode off....

Motorbike riders HAVE to wear a helmet otherwise they will invalidate their insurance and therefore be breaking the law, so unless they intriduce mandatory pushbike insurance and make helmets compulsory that way it just wont happen

and just for the record, motorists are the menace, not the cyclist...motorists are the ones responsible for killing more cyclists than any other form of cycling-related accident...get hit by a 2-ton vehicle and your history...helmet or no

ThichHeaded

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:24 PM

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Originally posted by citizen smith

Helmets do nothing for a rider other than foster a false sense of security

Then we should do it... Cause you know.. It works well for terrorism, why not for bikes.. Really.. Works wonders....

Not only do you save a life when u go head on wit a car, but you will come out like superman..

Corum

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:24 PM

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Bike helmets have saved the lives of many a crash victim and I fully agree that people should be made to wear them under law. There's nothing NWO about this, there's nothing oppressive about it either, it's just good common sense for a change. There are certain things that people should NOT get a choice in and this is one of them.

thisguyrighthere

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:27 PM

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If ever there was a reason to stop wearing a helmet this would be it.

Few things bother me as much as the "for your own good" laws.

I wear a helmet when going for rides above 20 miles on road and I wear a full-face helmet when on the trails but I never wear one when just riding to the coffee shop, library or supermarket. That's my choice. I have decided when I do and do not need a helmet. If I should fall and suffer some traumatic brain injury and fall into a coma on my way to the library then so be it. I took that risk and accepted those chances. Same goes for seatbelts. I want government out of my life. Any thinking human would. Those who push for and support these "for your own good" nanny-state type laws are just simple sheep and slaves. Like the lack of a law was preventing you from wearing a helmet in the first place? Wear it if it's what you think you should do. It's just that simple.

I should add I live in a state with no adult seatbelt laws. Minors have to wear them by law but not adults. Yet I still choose to wear one. See how that works? I chose what I feel is best for me with no push from the law. Amazing huh?

[edit on 11-9-2008 by thisguyrighthere]

Harlequin

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:28 PM

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Originally posted by citizen smith

and just for the record, motorists are the menace, not the cyclist...motorists are the ones responsible for killing more cyclists than any other form of cycling-related accident...get hit by a 2-ton vehicle and your history...helmet or no

and the amount of pedestrians killed or injured by a cyclist mounting the pavement and running into small children or babies in prams is horrific and the highest statistic - cyclists are THE menace.

many countries have laws relating to push bike registration (number plates) and insurance - seems the USA is lagging behind here - accountability for ALL road users including cyclists.

[edit on 11/9/08 by Harlequin]

deltaboy

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:29 PM

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Don't expect a child's skull is sufficient in providing protection against impact to the head. Hence why helmets for bicyclists exist in the first place. Sure it won't prevent broken arms or legs, but its better than a broken skull.

Just like seat belts. Click it or ticket.

umbr45

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:31 PM

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I am 16, I have beiin riding a bike since I was around 8 and stopped wearing my helmet at around 9... Yes I have crashed, fallen off, been hit by other cyclists etc MANY times... and not once have I ever got a scratch on my face.

Though I have gone home with lots of bruised and bleeding arms...helmets...yes they may help, but not enough that they should be mandatory. Especially since many helmets only serve to cause more injury in a crash due to being sloped and forcing your head one way or the other.

It is not your life or anyone elses, nobody will die if I hit my head and die...let me make my own choice and I will happily continue not wearing a hlmet whilst only injuring ever other part of my body.

Your insticnts make you protect your head, whatever the cost, if you are wearing a helmet those instincts still kick in.

[edit on 11-9-2008 by umbr45]

Badge01

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:37 PM

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Originally posted by Corum
Bike helmets have saved the lives of many a crash victim and I fully agree that people should be made to wear them under law.

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

Your comment seems a bit vague. I don't think you can point to statistics that show helmets have saved lives of many bicycle riders.

In addition the law is directed at children under 12 years old, not adults. Though the law requires them of adults in Australia, not so here in the US.

How often do we see kids wearing helmets wrong? Pushed way back on the head, ill-fitting. If the cops really cared about the cyclists, they'd use those opportunities for education not for confiscation.

They're also 'punishing' the wrong people. It's the parent's job to make sure their kids have and wear helmets if it's the law.

I think the appropriate approach is to have bike rider education classes in schools and elsewhere. You want the kids to -choose- to wear protective gear, not do it out of fear of their bike being grabbed.

I can see it now, a kid is hurt fleeing from an officer who is trying to confiscate his bike, or they taze a kid who isn't cooperating.

Does this make sense given the lack of statistics showing helmets decrease head injuries, or that a majority of bike accidents do -not- involve the head? So, imo, they're making a useless enforcement law here. Cops are more likely to do nothing. It's a victimless crime, and not criminal behavior.

2 cents.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

[edit on 11/9/2008 by Badge01]

Alpha Grey

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:43 PM

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Originally posted by citizen smith
Cycle helmets don't do much in terms of protection as the vast majority of the time (in my experiences of falling off a bike) it's your hands, arms, and legs that bear the brunt of the blows.

Also, I'd like to point out that if your going to learn to ride a bike, you should also learn how to fall off one...a bit like Judo where one of the first things you are taught is how to fall safely

Helmets do nothing for a rider other than foster a false sense of security

edit to add: the only kind of helmet that will be of any protection is the full-face variety used by motorbike riders

[edit on 11-9-2008 by citizen smith]

that is bs mr smith...my son would have either died or been severely brain damaged from a fall where he hit his head directly on the pavement but he had a helmet on so all he got was a headache......he always used to fight me about wearing it but now he does not ....he puts it on without being told to now.

helmets DO save lives.

Badge01

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:48 PM

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reply to post by Alpha Grey

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

Glad to hear your son wasn't seriously injured.

Can you give some additional details?

How old was your son; was he just learning to ride; how fast was he going when he fell? Did he have a two-wheel bike purchased from a bike shop, and adjusted correctly?

Just trying to make sense of your comment, here.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

[edit on 11/9/2008 by Badge01]

cbass

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:49 PM

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Allow me to redirect you to a post already covering this topic along with several other rediculous ways to get in trouble with the law.Here
This is getting out of hand people.

Sator

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:51 PM

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sigh....

Do they (kids) must wear one (helmet) while on rollers or skates?

and what's next on the horizon?

"Wear a condom during sex or have your 'willy' confiscated".
it's the same "logic", because without a condom, there could be an "accident", right?

"Must wear a shoe when you leave your home, or have your feet confiscated."
You may step on to something and hurt your foot, trip and fall over an old lady.

"Must where protective glove while washing your car, or have it confiscated"
'Cause one can hurt a hand and try to blame on the car company...

Geez... people should be controlling the government and NOT the other way around.

Peace

thisguyrighthere

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:51 PM

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For what it's worth here are some stats on bike helmets:

In the USA, an increase in helmet use from 18% to 50% of cyclists over a decade was accompanied by a 10% increase in head injuries. There was no clear evidence of any increase in cycle use, which may have declined [17].

a study based in the Lothians in Scotland found that, although helmet wearers had fewer wounds or other minor injuries to the head and neck, there was no significant difference in outcome between helmet wearers and non-wearers for injuries serious enough to warrant hospital admission or follow-up [20].

Helmeted cyclists have been shown to be more likely to hit their heads if they crash and may be more likely to crash in the first place [34].

www.cyclehelmets.org...

DancedWithWolves

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:53 PM

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This "law" is as wrong as the seat belt law. Laws designed to protect us from ourselves are an infringement on our personal liberties. Any law should have to meet the test of are we endangering "others" by our actions. If not then it is yet another excuse to pull someone over and harass them. We don't need government to protect us from ourselves. This is the ultimate in micromanagement by Big Brother. Get out of our personal business.

Save the safety statistics for teaching your own kids....not controlling individuals.

Nuff said.

[edit on 11-9-2008 by DancedWithWolves]

Badge01

posted on Sep, 11 2008 @ 02:57 PM

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Originally posted by SatorDo they (kids) must wear one (helmet) while on rollers or skates?

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

Hah, good point. I can see it now. Cop speeds down the road to nab a kid riding a kiddie-size Kmart bike at 3mph down his driveway.

Meanwhile he ignores a kid in roller blades or a kid on a skateboard zipping down the hill at 15mph with no gear on except elbow pads.

After all, "It's the Law".

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

[edit on 11/9/2008 by Badge01]