No Bike Helmet? Lose Your Wheels!

Originally posted by twistingtree
good post nicely written. "Your right to life trumps your right to liberty. Hence why suicide is illegal." what kinda of statute/ law could they apply were dead 8)

I was implying attempted suicide, I edited the post.

Originally posted by johnsky
No amount of protective equipment is going to stop you from cycling around like an idiot.

What it will do, is protect you from the outcome of your stupidity.

Very well said

Its just a pity that motorists are protected from their own driving-stupidity by the very nature of the vehicles they travel in, unlike we cyclists

[edit on 12-9-2008 by citizen smith]

COMMON SENSE rules this one.
We all need our heads.
The law is not such a big deal, most of us live and ride in giant concrete cities.
Of course a huge direct hit could be curtains for the rider (helmet or no),
but it's the little crash that can ruin your day because you didn't have a helmet on.

I've been a little bit guilty of getting off topic in this thread, so I'd like to politely ask, not as a Mod, but as a Member that we try to get back on topic and at least include a comment about helmet wearing, kids' biking, cycling laws and the original article.

Thanks guys for a great discussion.

I've been an avid cyclist all of my life. Upon going to college in Boston I of course took my prized bicycle with me to commute to and from campus.

Anyone who had driven in Boston knows how dangerous it is. The taxi cabs were merciless driving without any regard to anyone else. After a near miss with one almost forcing me into crashing into double parked cars I bought a small racing skull cap type helmet for $25.

Luck would have it that upon my next near miss with another taxi I might add I had a choice between laying the bike down on its side or colliding head on with a 2 Ton American vehicle.

Upon laying the bike down, while sliding, my head struck the pavement several times and though shaken up a bit I rode away and on to class. I can only imagine how dire the situation would have been had I not had that $25 helmet on.

Yipes! This is no good. First I lose my car because of strict smog laws and have to peddle my life away. Now I will lose my bike if I don't wear a helmet? I know it is for the best that you wear a helmet, but it can be just as bad as good.

For example you have to always be alert for cars and people that are not themselves being alert. Helmet's block visual perception drastically. They can cause accidents more than protect you from head damage when getting into an accident.

Just thought I'd remind everyone that this law is for people UNDER 17 years old.

No bike helmet? Lose your wheels

"We're not looking to take bikes away from the kids who forget their helmets," School Resource Officer David Gatchell said yesterday. "This isn't something where we're looking to collect a hundred bikes. We don't want to seize bikes, but for the kids who repeatedly ignore the warnings, it will happen."

Riding a bike - or scooter or in-line skates - without a helmet is illegal for anyone younger than 17 in Massachusetts.

It seemed like people were thinking that this law included adults, so I just thought that I'd post this reminder that they are talking about bicyclists under 17 years old.

[edit on 9/15/2008 by Keyhole]

My youngest son went to a skate park with his big brother,and tried showing off did a flip and flipped on his head of course he wasn't wearing a helmet he ended up with a concussion,no need to tell 3 boys to wear them after they saw what he went through

reply to post by Keyhole


Great research and update. Thanks. Looks to me like they did do a pretty good job on this law.

They added in-line skaters and others, so it's balanced (though maybe not as logical as they think).

I think skateboarders are probably at a greater risk than cyclists and might even need to wear a more robust helmet. Many bike accidents only involve slow speeds and no cars. You slide out on some mud and you go down and there's a good chance the side of your head will graze the ground. With 'endos' your forehead will be catapulted into the pavement, and even if you're almost stopped, the pivot of that kind of move will increase the impact.