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Helmet Law for all 50 States

3K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  HiAngle 
#1 ·
#4 ·
I can understand what you are stating, it's tough to swollow some of the freedoms we have lost. Here in Canada we have no choice, doesnt make it any easier to accept but if ya wanna ride ya have to prepare for the slide.

Now it's bicycle helmets as well
Next step they are taking is mandatory helmets for skiers which is on the slate right now. ask anyone in Nova Scotia

http://www.thehistoryof.net/the-history-of-motorcycle-helmets.html
 
#8 ·
In all honesty .... it's ineviatable, it's just a matter of time. President Obama is testimony to that fact.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I'm not against nor for the idea. I see no sense in riding without a helmet so if they made it a law it wouldn't affect me cause I wear one anyways. But if you want to wear one..more power to you.

Although if your an accident without a helmet your insurance should be voided. And that $1,000,000 medical bill can be yours solely.
 
#9 · (Edited)
...I see no sense in riding without a helmet so...if you want to wear one..more power to you...
C'mon guys, you have to agree that when you're riding a motorcycle without a helmet the whole riding experience is so much more, um, what's the word I'm looking for, er, well, carefree. Below are just a few of the many reasons why one might choose not to wear a helmet. I'm certain that any casual reader can conjure up many, many more.

(1) You can be on or off your bike in a matter of seconds, (2) there are no clumsy straps to fool with, (3) you can see and hear all the sounds of nature unencumbered by an impersonal shell, (4) others can see you for the true enthusiast you are, and finally, (5) your hair is always perfect.

Now, let's look at another side of the same story. (1) You can be in the hospital or morgue in a heartbeat, (2) the only strap is the one that holds your endotracheal breathing tube in place, (3) you can't see nor hear absolutely anything - free to be the natural biological that you yearn to be,(4) other can see you resting comfotably when they come to visit with bunches of pretty flowers and greeting cards that read "We Miss You" and "Get Well Soon", and finally, (5) your hair is slowly growing back after the neurosurgery to relieve the pressure from the subdural hematoma caused by smacking that street curb with your semi-hard head at a blinding 2 mph.

As you read the above paragraphs you might have been thinking that I'm pro-helmet-law, but you'd be wrong. I'm not a liberal, nor a wingnut, and a right-to-lifer I am definitely not. My beliefs are not important only because I'm a realist.

I realized many decades ago, first on the dirt then on the street, that I want the safest and most full coverage protective devices for my brain. You see, as a mid-teen, I was already working in the back of an amulance rig and by the time I was 20 years old I had become a hardened paramedic in a large metropolitan area. I have unbuckled a helmet from a dead rider...once...his lower legs were lying 25 feet from the rest of his upper anatomy (chest/head) and his torso that once rippled with 6-pack abs was completely severed from a 100+ mph bodily collision with an aluminum lightpole. I won't tell you of the many head injured motorcyclists that I have futilely tried to rescusitate in an attempt to keep their vital organs perfused long enough so there loved ones could say goodbye under the unnaturally cold greenish lights of the trauma room.

So, please choose, but do so wisely; and, do not try to fool anyone thinking it won't happen to you.
 
#12 ·
Okay, not debating the helmet law(s) nor the arguments/examples for and against. However, one of the oft sited reasons for helmets is insurance and the cost of the non-helmeted rider after an accident and that the injured rider should be responsible for all insurance costs.

But isn't it cheaper on the complete medical system if the rider does NOT have a helmet? Chances are he would die so there really is no increased medical cost or strain on the system. An injured helmeted rider could drain the medical system for years.

Just thinking about the costs - because that is the primary argument for helmets.
 
#15 · (Edited)
You have a valid point to insurance's stance in the debate. However, unless the fatally injured rider and/or passenger is pronounced Dead at the Scene, regardless of whether the parties are wearing head protection or not, the first responder has every responsibility to perform heroic lifesaving measures to save or extend the life of the person(s) involved. Only a medical doctor can relieve the first responder of this responsibility. No law will protect the first responder other than U.S. Good Samaritan Laws {http://definitions.uslegal.com/g/good-samaritans}, and that only extends to an untrained volunteer without a current medical license or any expectation to be paid for services rendered (e.g., trained rescuers).

The heroic lifesaving measures I speak of will, at the very least, include spinal precautions and transport to an emergency department (ED or ER if you prefer), which may in fact be a trauma center of some magnitude and capability. The costs associated with this can easily reach a cool grand. If the ER continues the life-saving treatment, then we're talking tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Who pays? We all do in some way, shape, or form. The uninsured, or underinsured, get their treatment in an emergency. I don't imagine that will ever change no matter what mandatory helmet law may pass, who may hold power in the Oval Office.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Let the rider decide!

I know it can happen to me and accept that. Once you go down the slippery slope it is only a matter of time until the insurance companies compile the data that shows helmetted motorcyclists cost serious bucks when involved in an accident. Then they will deny coverage for all motorcyclists.

I am a long time AMA member, the motorcyclist "to dangerous ban" has been tried in the past, AMA beat it back.
 
#20 ·
My auto insurance stayed about the same. It might have actually dropped a bit. When my insurance company told me my new rate, I about $hit. I asked the rep to repeat the premium because I thought I heard them wrong. I almost dropped them right on the spot. I didn't but I didn't renew my policy until I shopped around first. They (Progressive) were still the cheapest.

My rate in NY was $215/yr. My renewal just came in the mail and the bill is $365, which is $30 less than last year (I received a loyal customer discount).
 
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