Motorcycle Fatalities Down in 2009

[dhgeyer]

One thing that hasn't really been stressed in this thread is that a full face helmet is likely to help prevent some accidents by protecting your eyes from wind, bugs, small debris, sand, and etc. I rode for years without a full face helmet when I was young, as they were not in general use at that time. I wore goggles over my glasses, or sometimes just glasses. Even if you don't get hit in the eye by a big bug or other object, the wind in your eyes causes blurred vision, and along with the extra noise is distracting and fatiguing after a while. If there is any slight loss in peripheral vision, which with a well designed helmet there shouldn't be, it is more than offset by the better overall vision you have when your eyes are well shielded. A good windshield helps, but there is nothing as effective in this respect as a good full face helmet.

I think, too, that for long rides, the other protective gear covering your skin also helps prevent dehydration, fatigue, hypothermia, and other causes of loss of concentration. When it gets really hot, then you sometimes have to make a trade-off, but under most circumstances I think the more skin you protect the longer you can ride safely. I must not be alone in this, as you don't normally see serious distance riders without pretty much full gear.