Helmet Use should be a personal choice

[adrianinflorida]

At the same time, if a government shouldn't be able to mandate helmet use, they shouldn't be required to pay for the care of a motorcyclist injured through non-helmet use (Medicare/medicaid). Thus the Florida law requiring mandatory health care insurance if you want to ride lid free. This harkens back to the "Government is gonna take our guns away" tinfoil hatters. The second amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, i say lets read it litterally and allow every citizen to have the weapons that existed at the time of writing. Muskets for everyone.

[Water Warrior 2]

Something to think about. Many of the riders who suffer a fatality when wearing a helmet probably had many other injuries which would have killed them anyway. Bouncing your head off the pavement with a helmet may not kill you but the fire hydrant your body hits on the way there just might do the deed.

[burkbuilds]

One of the statisticians whose research showed no difference in fatality rates of helmeted verses un-helmeted riders had a pretty good illustration of why he didn't think it made any difference, his example: "Let's say you are flying in an airplane at 30,000 feet and all the engines go out at once, as the plane plummets towards the earth the pilot comes over the intercom and tells all the passengers to buckle their seat belts. Whether you buckle your seat belt or not probably won't make any difference in your survival rate when you hit the ground. In the same way, he said, if you are involved in a high speed motorcycle accident where you strike something large or stationary, whether you wear a helmet or not probably won't increase your odds of survival.
Remember the best chance you have to survive a motorcycle accident is avoiding it in the first place. Don't drink and drive, slow down, and get some training about riding a bike!

[alanmcorcoran]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

One day they say, "Gotta wear a helmet", that's not far from saying, "gee, motorcyclists are more likely to die than automobile drivers per million miles traveled, so we better outlaw motorcycle riding." Then it goes to anything else you might want to do, skiing, hang gliding, sky diving, mountain climbing

:plus1:

This is one of my personal soapbox items as well. In fact, I get a little irritated when people tell me to "be safe." If I really want to be "safe" I'd be better off staying at home and catch up on South Park. I prefer, "have fun."

I don't think skiing, bicycle riding or motorcycling are necessary reckless activities, but they are definitely more risky than taking a nap.

[David Bo]

You've obviously never rolled over on a cat while taking a nap... :tongue:

[oneyunguy]

A small example of how things work work in Canada. (please, please know that I am NOT racist), just injecting some info and some general unpleasant taste for our govt. :skeptical:



For decades, Canada has demonstrated a strong motorcycle safety record, mainly due to the many safety regulations the government imposes on its motorcycle riders. Canada enacted mandatory helmet laws for all motorcycle riders as early as the 1960's. As a result, the number of serious injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents has been much less than in other countries without such stringent helmet laws.

However, in recent years, an interesting exemption to these helmet laws has been granted by the Canadian government. Many Sikhs living in Canada have voiced strong objections to the helmet laws, claiming that helmets would prevent them from wearing their turbans while riding their motorcycle. Wearing a turban is a fundamental demonstration of faith for Sikhs.

In the case Dhillon v. British Columbia, the court ruled that defending the religious rights of Sikhs to honor their tradition of wearing turbans trumps any safety precautions that inspired Canada's helmet laws. As a result, Sikhs are now allowed to leave their helmets at home in order to ride their motorcycles with a turban on their head.

Despite strict helmet laws and other safety regulations, motorcycles remain one of the most dangerous types of motor vehicles on the road. The risk of serious injury in a motorcycle accident is far greater than with other vehicles.

Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms

I believe in helmets although at highway speeds or major accidents, they prolly wont do much good 'cept for the viewing.
I wear a full face, and sometimes a slightly larger 'beanie' style on the HOT days for short runs. Not sure if we had a "No helmet law" if i would run around without one.

[Water Warrior 2]

I say let them go for it. No helmet should mean no health care for head injuries and no government sponsored income if they are unable to function normally after a helmetless accident. Riding is a risk. Be willing to accept "ALL the RISKS".
Start a new tradition, paint your helmet to look like a turban.
The Candian Government has bent over backwards too often to satisfy folks from other countries. It treats newcomers far better than lifelong born here citizens who always pay their taxes.
Not picking on East Indians here as individuals but would the Indian Governmemt itself give me any support if I moved there. I have EI friends and they are good folks but some of their benefits that I pay for are just short of criminal.