Riding helmetless? I just don't get it.

Well, I guess this rant was going to come out sooner or later.
I truly don't understand why it's such a big deal to be fighting for the right to ride your motorcycle without a helmet.
This was in the news today:
hamptonroads.com...

An attempt to repeal Virginia’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law was sidelined by a close vote in a House of Delegates subcommittee Wednesday.

Really? Tying up our court system and delegates over your right to splash your brains all over the street?
The day Florida stated that bikers could ride without helmets, a death could've been prevented.
Especially in today's time when everybody is doing everything in their cars (or on their motorcycles) instead of watching the road. It's crazy out there!
www.wdbo.com...

The Florida Highway Patrol said a man riding a motorcycle may have been texting when he was killed in a head-on crash.

So many stupid people out there anymore. I wish the article had said whether or not this idiot was wearing a helmet. Don't think it would've mattered much in this case anyways, but that's not the point.

There's just no reason why anyone should not want to wear a helmet on the road. It's well known among motorcycle enthusiasts that there's only two types of motocycle riders. Those who have laid their bike down and those who have yet to. It's truly just a matter of time, so why not do what's smart?
No, it's much easier to waste the court's time and tax payer dollars fighting for the right to have your head squashed like a grape.

Besides, if I have to wear my seatbelt, which has saved me from serious injury, why shouldn't motorcyclists be forced to use safety precautions? You don't see a bunch of renegade sedan owners clogging up the legal system for their right to go seatbeltless, do you? No. That would be silly and be thrown out as a frivolous law suit. A complete waste of time, energy, and resources.

So, why not just suck it up, bikers? Just admit you look much hotter riding that big hunk of shiny metal while wearing a sleek black helmet with a smoked face shield. Or maybe you'd prefer the helmet with flames on the sides? Maybe you'd prefer a skull cap instead?
See? The possibilities of how cool you can look on your bike are endless!
If you enjoy the wind going through your hair, then get a speed boat or a four wheeler and enjoy a much lower chance of accidents and collisions. Besides, do you think our wonderful paramedics enjoy scraping your brains off the street or light pole? No. So, cut them a break, too, by trying your damnedest to keep your brains between your ears where they belong. I always see bumper stickers that say "Look twice for bikers". Well, if I'm going to go the extra mile to trying not run you over, why shouldn't you have to take responsibility for your own safety?
From the texting biker article:

The motorcycle crashed into a car driving the other way.

The driver of the car was not hurt.

It's nice that the driver forced into this situation was not physically hurt, but I'm betting this person is going to have nightmares and other psychological issues trying to cope with the fact that they ran over a stupid person.

Everyone needs to be more responsible on the road, but I'd like to thank you for reading my rant. Maybe those who want us to look twice will think twice about what rights they truly should be fighting for. It wouldn't hurt taking some of that energy you're using to fight the helmet law and putting it towards a cause that's more important where there's many lives on the line instead of just yours.

In closing, I'm posting a link to a great article whose author puts it into perspective and says it better than I can.
www.motorcycledaily.com...

I am not writing this to advocate for helmet laws. I’m asking, rhetorically, why we even need them in the first place. I understand that Americans cherish their freedom and don’t like being told by government what to do, but there are lots of dangerous activities that aren’t outlawed in 20 states the way riding helmetless is. As far as I know, you can run with scissors, juggle scorpions, ride laps in your closed garage or barbeque indoors in California or New York. But why would you want to?

Please do not infringe on my right to splatter my brains all over the pavement.

reply to post by Afterthought

Indeed, why tempt fate by riding without a helmet?

I get a bit perturbed by the fact that I must wear seat belts when driving a car, when a motorcycle rider doesn't even need to wear a helmet. I can get in a fender bender accident in a passenger car and most likely not even be injured.... without wearing seat belts. Get in a fender bender while riding a motorcycle, well... your odds just aren't as good, even if you are wearing a helmet.

I am against helmet laws...
And seat belt laws, for adults.

I agree everyone should wear a helmet if they value their life, or the life of a passenger, if they have one riding with them. I have always worn a helmet.

However, it is not the governments job to legislate my personal safety. If I want to be an idiot, and ride my bike without a helmet, or drive my car without a seat belt, that's my business, not theirs.

Laws like this are passed by legislators trying to push the limits of their constitutional restraints. If we don't fight these, they move on to "bigger and better" infringements on our rights.

Which of course, they have already done, and are now doing.

Originally posted by PlatinumShatinum
Please do not infringe on my right to splatter my brains all over the pavement.

LOL!
It is what it is.

reply to post by Afterthought


Coming from southern Texas, When I first started riding I wore a helmet only to realize that it can be just as lethal to wear one. The extreme heat in the summer would cause sweat to get into my eyes nearly blinding me when i'd be riding. So I took the MSTC (motorcycle safety training course) so I wouldn't have to wear a helmet.

I agree that there are too many laws on the books and this law could be scrapped and each to their own, but how can it be remedied?
Should the insurance companies treat helmetless riders like they do smokers?
Smokers will pay a higher premium.
So, if you prefer to have the opportunity to splash your brains about, you should have to make your insurance company aware of this and have to pay a higher premium.
Just like dog owners of more aggressive breeds, they'll have to pay higher insurance premiums for choosing to own a security system that they may lose control of or has the ability to turn on them.

reply to post by slapjacks


I do understand the dilemma here. I've never owned a bike, but I dated a guy who did and when I'd ride with him in the summer, it is extremely uncomfortable and going long distances is very trying. It's very dangerous to ride when the safety wear is causing unsafe conditions.
Still, I'd recommend you go with the skull cap for maximum air flow. You'll also need a really cool pair of protective eye wear to go with it.

reply to post by Afterthought

So, if you prefer to have the opportunity to splash your brains about, you should have to make your insurance company aware of this and have to pay a higher premium.

I would agree to this for seat belts.

I actually wore them religiously before the state passed a law saying that I had to do it. I have been told at police checkpoints (another thing that I have a problem with) to put my belt on, and I flatly refused....was not ticketed.

reply to post by butcherguy


Yes, I find that this would be a reasonable request for seatbeltless riders, too.

But, I'm glad you touched upon the psychological aspect of what happens in the brain when we're told we have to do something.
My friend's mom took her mom in to be hypnotized to quit smoking. My friend's mom was a smoker who had no intentions of quitting. She was just accompanying her mother along for support. Well, low and behold, she was also hypnotized to quit smoking.
The woman was a non-smoker for five years, until one day she and her husband were watching a movie showing people smoking cigarettes. She made the comment to her husband about how nice it would be to have one. He told her no and to not even think about it. Because he told her this, she went out and bought a pack and hasn't quit since.
There is something to this and I know there's been a study about how even telling someone not to do something is intentionally used to promote the bad habit at the same time they're lobbying against it. If that makes sense. I'll have to locate the video about it.

When Gary Busey crashed his bike he sustained major injurys to the head. Some say he never fully recovered.

He immediatly came out FOR helmet laws.
OH, He had a new line of helmets come out at the same time too.

It pissed of a LOT of motorcyle riders.

When my kids were learning to ride a bicycle back and forth in front of my house, I didn't make them where a helmet. I got stopped by the cops and told to make them put it on. It was GRASS on both sides.

I was pretty mad about it. So, In the privacy of my home, with no "lawmen" watching, I would hand them scissors to run around the house with. I kid I kid. It was a knife.

reply to post by niceguybob


Thanks for commenting. I had no idea that Gary Busey was in a motorcycle accident. That could certainly explain a lot.

You bring up a good point about bicyclists. We never had to wear helmets when riding bikes. I never read about a bunch of deaths resulting because we didn't. I believe that bicyclists should only be required to wear one when they're riding along a busy road.

I've been a rider for years and I see both sides of the helmet argument.
Once I broke my back and had 5 surgeries I developed a philosophical approach to riding:
"helmets are for people who think they have a future".

ganjoa

reply to post by Afterthought

There is something to this and I know there's been a study about how even telling someone not to do something is intentionally used to promote the bad habit at the same time they're lobbying against it. If that makes sense.

It does make sense.
I will go back to wearing my seat belts as soon as they abolish the law. I know that it is stupid for me to do, but it is my way of rebelling against the machine. I have found that talking to state legislators does no good, as the law was written by the auto insurance companies, then they lobbied it to the state legislators. So the insurance companies paid to get the law that they wrote passed. that is the definition of fascism.

reply to post by ganjoa

"helmets are for people who think they have a future".

Hey, we don't last forever.... we ought to be able to choose the options for our way out.

Gary Busey motorcycle crash info:

On December 4, 1988, Busey was severely injured in a motorcycle accident in which he was not wearing a helmet. His skull was fractured, and doctors feared he suffered permanent brain damage. During the filming of the 2nd season of Celebrity Rehab (2008) Busey was referred to psychiatrist Dr. Charles Sophy. Sophy suspected that Busey's brain injury has had a greater effect on him than realized. He described it as essentially weakening his mental "filters" and causing him to speak and act impulsively. Sophy recommended Busey take a medication called Depakote (valproic acid), to which Busey agreed

Wikipedia: Gary Busey

I learned something else: Gary Busey was the last person to be killed in the TV series 'Gunsmoke'.

So your saying if Garey Busey wore a helmet on Gunsmoke the show would of continued?

reply to post by niceguybob
Nah, Gunsmoke went off the air long after it should have, but I liked Gunsmoke when I was a kid.

I did notice that Gary seemed to have a string of encounters with law enforcement after his crash.... maybe it did tend to make him impulsive.

reply to post by Afterthought


While I kind of agree with you on this subject, but I also believe that it comes down to a regulated common sense law. Which I am against.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by Afterthought

 

While I kind of agree with you on this subject, but I also believe that it comes down to a regulated common sense law. Which I am against.

We're certainly on the same page. I guess I'm now contemplating if people who choose to live dangerously should pay a bit more for their lifestyle. Riding without a helmet or seatbelts should be a right just like smokers can decide whether to smoke or not. You just have to pay a bit more because you're choosing to place yourself in more danger, which may or may not affect someone else who's one the road.