"Helmet? I don't need no steenking helmet!"

[TripleR]

Through extensive research, I have yet to find anything improved by the aging process beyond 55 and often much younger.

"Often wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age arrives alone"; forget who said that, did I mention your memory goes first, well maybe second, I forget...:laughing:

 

[MikeD74T]

Was there no one killed in an automobile accident on that day that might still be alive if they'd worn a helmet ???? As an EMT in an industrial setting I see the failures of 'safety by legislation' daily. MikeD74T

 

[300UGUY]

I just have to wonder how this is different from other individuals who are injured doing other risky/dangerous activities?

Many see the very act of riding a motorcycle as unnecessarily dangerous and refer to them as "murdercycles" as per Joan Claybrooke.

I prefer " Donorcycles" aka organ donors.

 

[300UGUY]

For those that think helmets should be required, how about an age limit on motorcycle riding ... say 55? Certainly the average 55 year old doesn't have the reaction time of an average 20 - 30 year old.

LOL!! What have got against Harley riders? I see more gray hair / no hair on Harleys. I wonder what the average age is of Harley drivers.

 

[John47]

My point is simply that you can apply the same argument of the rest of society paying your medical bills to many things beyond mandating the wearing of a helmet and how far down that road should we allow the government and others take us.

We have mandatory insurance in our state, but many people either cancel it or allow it to run out once they get their vehicle licensed.

My life was saved by a helmet once and either death or serious brain injury another time and a seatbelt once for sure. I am disabled due to an automobile collision in a vehicle before seat belts were in common use; very difficult subjects for me as I can argue both sides of this.

Point taken.

I once had a girlfriend who's Brother used to ride bikes without a helmet, he had steel replacing most of the top of his skull. He couldn't work and he was in his late 20's, will never be able to get a job on medical grounds. His memory wasn't too good, and he had other major problems that the accident left him with. He was kept by the taxpayer and will for the rest of his life be supported by the taxpayer for just not wearing a helmet...He will always need adult supervision too, when I knew him he lived at home with his parents and Sister, no doubt now his parents will be long gone....

 

[TripleR]

Point taken.

I once had a girlfriend who's Brother used to ride bikes without a helmet, he had steel replacing most of the top of his skull. He couldn't work and he was in his late 20's, will never be able to get a job on medical grounds. His memory wasn't too good, and he had other major problems that the accident left him with. He was kept by the taxpayer and will for the rest of his life be supported by the taxpayer for just not wearing a helmet...He will always need adult supervision too, when I knew him he lived at home with his parents and Sister, no doubt now his parents will be long gone....

We had a neighbor somewhat like that, but his injuries were from an automobile crash; very sad indeed. One of my daughters is an RN who has worked in Emergency Rooms and nursing homes and my youngest son was a Police Officer for several years with both seeing some truly tragic things.

I gave my Harley to one of my sons this year as I determined I could no longer ride it safely due to deteriorating physical strength. I got my first bike at the age of eighteen and totaled it less than a year later when the engine seized and spit me off. I had other crashes over the years and always understood that statistically I was "safer" in a car/truck, but my choice was a motorcycle.

I don't dispute that riders are safer wearing helmets and for the past 40+ years used the best full face helmet I could find.

I cannot but keep circling back to what level of legislation are we willing to keep us safe from ourselves. Motorcycles being less safe than cars/trucks, should we even be "allowed to ride them, Can Am Spyders give essentially the same experience; maybe ban motorcycles and allow three wheelers only will appeal to some. Of course many would point out it really nned to have a roll bar, well since you could still be be thrown out, we should put a seat belt, no one would surely complain about that; well now it is a lot like a car, so there really should be air bags because cars have air bags.

You know, after thinking about it three wheels are safer than two, but four wheels are safer than three, so no one should object to adding another wheel...

There are people who want to outlaw ATV's/UTV's and would be perfectly happy in a world without motorcycles.

I can't ride motorcycles anymore, so it is all a moot point to me. I'll probably be killed in a hoover round not wearing my helmet.

I think I am done with this and probably haven't made much sense anyway.

 

[Duffster]

Through extensive research, I have yet to find anything improved by the aging process beyond 55 and often much younger.

"Often wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age arrives alone"; forget who said that, did I mention your memory goes first, well maybe second, I forget...:laughing:

:thumbsup::laughing::thumbsup::laughing::thumbsup:

 

[Iowachild]

Whoa there beppington....I'm over 55 and I promise you I can ride better and safer than a huge percentage of youngsters I see on the road, and I don't ride an overweight ill handling cruiser either

And really maybe it is the car drivers who need to stop at 55 since their vehicles have more mass and are much more deadly to others....at least on a bike the vast majority of the time an accident only kills the rider.

Maybe we shouldn't allow any older more experienced airplane pilots either...

I think you missed the point................ and BTW They do require airline pilots to retire at 60!

 

[dstig1]

If you haven't seen the comic F-Minus, you are missing a lot of great, sick humor...

 

[The Haymaker]

How do we really know that he would have lived if he wore a helmet? or not be a vegetable for the rest of his life? (Which I don't really consider any different from dead)

Another thing. Everybody seems to think that people that don't wear helmets costs us so much in health care. If not wearing a helmet is so deadly wouldn't it be cheaper? Dead people don't use up many hospital beds and resources.

Convince me the destroyed helmet hanging on my wall probably didn't save my life. With it, I was seeing double for a month, and still have memory problems 9 years later. XR650R Bones

Now that we've heard all the excuses why we shouldn't have to, or there is no proof, lets move on to the imaginary belief of "Loud pipes save lives".

This is gonna be goooooood!