Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Helmets and Gear To wear a helmet or not?

We see that a good percentage of motor accident fatalities seem to be due to the riders not wearing helmets. Now for me I cannot understand this. I put on full protection even for a short ride down to the shop. Full face helmet, gloves, leather jacket no matter how hot it is. Is it so difficult to realize that when riding you can get into a sticky situation in a flash? You don’t get many second chances so is it not just common sense to try and protect yourself as much as you can?

I don’t think I would be able to ride without my full face helmet, it just would not feel right. The same with having your light on all the time it just adds to your safety o the road.

Maybe I am just missing the point somewhere along the way but for me self preservation is quite important and I will do anything that will add to that.

I don't think you are missing the point at all. That is how you feel most comfortable riding. I don't ride without my helmet. I don't want too, that is my choice. However, some people prefer to not wear one, that should be their choice. It is pretty plain and simple, everyone should have the choice and not be told by the goverment what to do.

Soren

A good percentage of motorcycle fatalities involve riders that are in over their head. Little Ricky Rice Rockets to weekend Easy Riders with little or no road time. Some fatalities are situations that full body armour wouldn't have made a difference. I wear a helmet, not crazy about it, but I wear one. I went years without doing so and lived to tell the tale. It should be about choice. I'd probably ride with a helmet even if it wasn't required, but it should be up to me.

I was watching daytona 200 outtakes this week. Duhmel who was leading the race lost in in a turn and did a high side come off. His head hit the windscreen and then the pavement when he went down. He bounce back to his feet, never stopped running. Right over to his bike back on and came in 5th. Without a helmet I don't think he would have been around to rejoin the race that day or anyday.

I saw that also. His face shield was half gone. As hard as he bounced off the pavement, it was a wonder he even got up!

As for the old helmet arguement again, I have 2 that I switch between, but I always wear a helmet. That is my choice and that's how it should be. If we let the government make the choice, eventually it will be safety orange riding suits, horsepower restrictions, road use restrictions, and any other restriction you can think of till we're legislated off the road entirely. A person's safety is their own responsibility.

I second that. If you choose to be safe today then you will likely have the option to be safe tomorrow...

Maybe we need fortune cookies for bikers.

Full leather,full helmet,kevlar nut cup...nothing stops little susie on a cell from making it a bad day...A day worried about dying is a day wasted... most folks that die on a bike put theirself in a bad spot. skill is the answer not helmets or high dollar leather

The truth is, it doesn't make as much difference as a lot of people think. Sometimes a helmet will save your head. Other times, it may save your head at the expense of your neck. Sometimes it doesn't make a bit of difference because you end up with exessive damage to some other part of your body. Since most people ride a bit faster than the 17.8 MPH impact failure point on the average helmet,anything more than an glancing blow or a collision with a solid object after sliding and rolling far enough to bleed off a lot of speed is as likely as not to embed sharp bits of broken lid in your skull.
Now, throw in the fact that you are somewhat more likely to get into a crash should a lid cause exessive distraction or fatigue or reduce your field of vision, and you will find that, in the long run, there is a very slight but very real advantage to not wearing a helmet under average riding conditions.
There are some conditions that favour wearing one. Dirt riding for example. On dirt trails, you won't usually be going any great speed, and you are sure to fall on your bum once in a while, usually into dirt or brush. Racing, you will probably crash into hay bails, other bikes going in the same general direction at about the same speed, or glance off walls. Also, you will most likely be wearing something to help guard against a broken neck.

Greybeard, yall must not have bugs in your part of the world. After an all day cruise with a friend of mine the other day we arrived back home. I was wearing my full face as usual and he, his novelity thingy. When we got back he was rubbing his face. Sunburnt, windburnt, and large red welts from some large insect critters. I think I was way ahead of him on the fatique factor. We said our farwells and he limped off home still rubbing his face. I do however respect everyones right to choose. I just can't take the abuse of them suicidal bugs.

We have bugs, but to get to most of the good places to ride, we have to go through miles of pizza oven heat and 60+ MPH wind. If a lid fits right, it is a lot like having your head in a closed car with no A/C. If you ride up I-5 through Gorman, wind gusts will twist any lid enought that you are going to have a stiff neck by the time you are out of the area. It is always windy there. There was only one time that the wind stopped for 5 minutes. 2 buildings, 6 people and 8 cows fell over.

I'm all for individual responsibility and choice

$0.50 cabbage - A paper bag will suffice
$100.00 Bowling Ball - Good bag w/ lots of protection

Determine what's on your shoulders (a relatively worthless cabbage or a good ball)and apply the same though process.

helmet law suck

My favorite debate. However I have changed my feelings smidge, but still the un-answered questions remain.

If there is no speed limit imposed by the government , what happens? Those who "choose" affect the rest of us. There in lies the "why" we move for legislation to regulate our behavior.

I beg to differ with the Bro who thinks it's all about skill, it is as I have said before an issue of the physics of our environment acting upon tissue and bone as opposed to leather and plastic when the actions of others or things alter our ability to stay upright on the tires.

I choose to ride with protection as I will spend the next 7 months flying folks who choose...un-wisely and pay a price that affects us all.

But then again, why not stop riding if it is so dangerous, make it illegal? mmmmm? Well, now I don't want to go there! So even in my world of absolutes again I find a need to back off a bit.

Hedge your bet, optimize your options, choose wisely!

I did not mean skill was everything but I think it has more to do with making it through the day than plastic and leather... location also makes a big difference, riding in Iowa gives a guy better odds than L.A.

So true Gimpy...so true. Riding in Iowa would be analogous to being in the Marines and serving on a training base as opposed to being in a front line unit in Iraq. Lots more threats.

Those who ride and commute in LA county need that skull bucket in terms of odds much more than the average Iowan ever would.

Ultimately it all boils down to personal choice. Freedom of expression and individaality is what it is all about.

I think u guys finally hit on something I ride out of NY, so for me... give me a freakin roll cage and I'll be better off!! But all the statistics in the world, all the different variables, all the arguments can't predict YOUR riding environment, so take all the info you have and make your decision for your environment. For me, that includes a helmet and leathers, gloves and glasses. Ride on enough concrete hiways and you'll understand the benefits!!

I mentioned that a few times on the old site. Where you live and ride and how you ride make a big difference. Here in W.Pa I can ride for hours in a few different directions and never leave 2 lane roads. You worry about gravel and critters more than traffic. But head off in a different direction and it's concrete jungle land.... All the safety gear in the world is of little comfort when you're riding at 80 mph in a 55 zone on a six lane slab where every other vehicle wants to change lanes constantly.... at 80 mph....

Born and raised in the state of "live free or die", and am a strong believer in personal choice. We don't have a helmet law nor do we have a seatbelt law, the state believes that we are smart enough to make our own decsions. That being true I usally wear a seatbelt and I always wear a helmet, I feel safer this way. Growing up riding dirt I spent enough time on the ground to learn protection is a good thing. What I'm sick of are the guys telling me that, since there is no helmet law they will never wear one in NH. There are times when a full face helmet makes sense. I can ride a lot further in the cold, rain etc. then the guys with the doo rags.
You should be able to make the choice yourself. But make an educated one.

Always a full-face helmet, armored jacket, full boots, long pants and full-fingered gloves, no exception for me and mine, ever. I've got enough brain damage, don't need more...

Quote:

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There was no speed limit in Nevada and a few other states had a blanket "reasonable and proper" speed limit

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Nevada's speed limit was also "reasonable and prudent". That Nevada had no speed limit is a myth. The HP had the authority to cite someone for excessive speed if they thought it out of line (ask me how I know, hint: it involved a Pantera). However, they were more likely to cite someone for too slow than for too fast, they didn't even start to think too fast until the speed exceeded 100mph and that would depend on the vehicle and road conditions.

I have a brain that I feel warrants protection. I wear a helmet(and boots, gloves, leather jacket). I guess some people don't feel the same way, and their brains aren't worth saving anyway. But, we all pay the price for their ignorance with higher insurance premiums. Charlie

I always wear a full face helmet. I've seen first hand how quickly you can be in a crash. Just today I heard on the scanner at work that an unhelmeted rider was airlifted to the regional trauma center in Lynchburg, VA with extensive injuries to the back of his head. I haven't heard if he lived or not. If you don't like helmets or don't think they could help, try butting your head against a tree with one on and then without it. Oh, by the way, it's illegal in VA to ride without one.
But, I respect anyones decision on whether to wear or not. I might point out a few things to ponder though.

I am sitting here trying to remember a short film I watched during a mandatory USAF motorcycle saferly class many years ago....

The filmed a melon dropped from I dont remember how high and of course if broke on impact all over the place. They then took a like sized melon and put it in a helmet and dropped the helmet and of course the melon survived.

The moral of the stroy was that if you wanted to keep your melon in one piece you should wear a helmet.

I do....but on ocassion when its hot and nasty and the feeling comes over you to just let it all hang out then you go ahead and do so. I dont have to wear a helmet in Arizona and from time to time .....I dont....

I dont like to wear a jacket in the middle of June either. Too freaking hot. Heck I wear short sleeve shirts and even T-shirts. Incerased risk of major road rash in an accident ....you bet. But its an informed choice I make of my own accord. I am well aware what will happen to me and my skin if I drag it at 60 miles an hour along a hot asphalt roadway.

If my skull impacts any immoveable object at 60 miles an hour than I am well aware of the result of that as well.

Life is short and at times a lttle risk makes it all the more interesting.

Motorcycle Insurance rates are derived from the cost to repair crashed bikes and the cost of medical fees to repair crashed riders. Every dollar that is spent due to a crashed rider not wearing safety gear (helmet, gloves, jackets, etc...) tends to increase the insurance premiums for everyone, including us that DO wear safety gear. To say the wear of safety gear is an individual choice that doesn't affect anyone else is extremely short-sighted and false. That is, if the unprotected rider has an accident. So, if you can absolutely guarantee that you will not be involved in an accident, whether your fault or Suzie Cellphone's fault, then I won't give you any crap about riding unprotected. Until then, please gear up before hitting the road. I pay too much for insurance already, I don't need to pay more because someone thinks safety gear is an infringement on their personal rights. I say that the unprotected rider is infringing on MY rights and my bank account.

A lot of states are now talking about let those who ride decide. There is legislation in a few states [not sure which ones,] that if you carry a certain amount of medical ins. then you would be exempt from lid laws. Also wearing a helmet isn't going to change the amount of damage to your scoot if you crash. As far as a few people who decide on there own not to wear a helmet, affecting our ins. costs, lets look at tobacco, alcohol, and many of the other [dangerous] things that people make personal choices about every day, they have amuch higher cost in healthcare and insurance, should we make everything dangerous or costly illegal? or should we have it the way it should be PERSONAL CHOICE, LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE I always wear my helmet because i have to, but if i had my choice i would take it off inside city or village limits, because ihave back and neck problems and it would help my peripheal vision withouy hurting my neck. I've been to Laconia a few times and it was nice to not 'have' to wear a lid when doing the overheating crawl through town.
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My insureance is not that expensive. Its a free country. As long as the law allows me to take a risk by wearing less protection then I will exercize that choice if and when the will to do so kicks in and take the informed risk of accelerated injury risk.

Thank God we do not have the USAF mandating safety regs out here in the general public. I Imagine you have to wear a colored vest and all of that stuff when you ride on base eh?

No, my Triumph Raptor jacket fits the bill for on-base riding. We do have to wear long sleeves, "Brightly colored, contrasting in color" upper garments, full-finger gloves, long pants and helmets. That's DOD-wide, not just Air Force. It wouldn't matter if the military said it or not, I'd wear the same gear anyway. Have since I first started riding in Tucson 20 years ago.

Reminds me a true funny story. Many years ago as a young Airmen First Class I was TDY to Rhen Main AB in Germany. The squadron we were attached to had an extremely anal rententive "safety NCO" He wrote me up one day for sitting in an office chair and leaning back and balancing on only two of the four chair legs. I actually had to stand in front of another local NCOIC and go thru a lecture cause of this. (Yes , I did give the safety NCO some lip )

Myself and a buddy fixed his wagon though. He had a pair of nicely kept boots he wore only for inspections. The day we were to leave for the states we ran off with his boots...filled them halway up with MEK and left them to soak.

I have always wondered what that anal retentive sumbucks face must have looked like when he found those boots.

This morning, while I was waiting for a friend to join me for an Easter ride, my boss called me, on my cell phone, to tell me that the brother of one of our truck drivers was killed in a mc crash. He said our driver was hysterical, and from what he could tell, his brother hit his head. He wasn't wearing a helmet, of course. My boss then begged me to be carefull on my bike. I had on my full coverage lid for my ride, and will continue to wear it. Charlie
PS- I found out today(4/17) that he was cut off by a drunk driver.

I heard today that the handle bars ripped his chest open, so, I guess a helmet wouldn't have helped anyway. I'll still be wearing mine. Charlie

When I started riding I was debating what kind of helmet to get and a friend of mine who had been riding for decades gave me some good advice. He said that no one drops their bike at 30 miles per hour going down the road - you are more likely to drop your bike while parking it in your garagage where there's all sorts of stuff around to crack your jaws on. Full faced helmets are designed to keep teeth inside your head in this circumstance. I was sold.

...And suiting up reminds me of my old glory days playing high school football. lol

I only need to look at Gary Busey to see why a helmet is important. If you hit a rig at 50, it won't make a differece, what does is keep a minor spill a minor spill. Doesn't take much of a hit in the right spot to turn your melon into jello.

I'll put it this way. At 14 I was hit by a car while riding a bicycle. Banged up pretty good hip, arm, shoulder issues, but the worst was cracking my head on the windshield. Had I been wearing a helmet I would have been fine, but those were the days before anyone wore a helmet to ride a bike. It took me years to get back to normal (whatever that is) from the head trauma. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't in horrible shape or anything, but lost some hearing, dizzy spells, blackouts for years. Had I had a helmet on I would have been fine.

So I chose to wear one ALWAYS, usually a full face. But I agree it should be the choice of the rider. They say it's b/c of a drain on the Healthcare system to treat these guys who wreck without helmets and no insurance. For some reason I can't believe that's the biggest drain on the healthcare system...

Twas not nearly so regiemented back in the day when I was a young lad in the USAF. We had to wear a helmet on base and we had to take the USAF motorcycle safety course. Other than that it was cool. As soon as you exited the front gate at Davis Monthan you could pull of your bucket if you so chose.

I did a short stint as the squadron ground safety NCO at the time and I saw all of the ground safety motor vehicle accident reports AF wide. There were always lots of MC reports. Young, vibrant, full of vinegar young guys with brand new bikes getting splattered. Fairly common when viewed AF wide in the CONUS.

MC riding is indeed a dangerous endeavor. NO bout adout it.

The key to lasting in hazardous professions or in hazardous sports (MCs and skydiving) is to mitigate the risks by wearing your protective equipment AND improving your skills. The world is full of people looking for excitement at the cost of good safety precautions. For me, helmets are just a part of good risk mitigation. It should be done whether you are in combat, training, on a bike or with a parachute on your back...