Quote:

Quote:

Proper gear and a helmet do not guarantee you will survive a crash. Wearing a seatbelt does not guarantee you survive a crash. There are no guarantees in life. But seatbelts as well as proper gear and a helmet significantly increase your chances surviving a serious crash. There is no argument that can successfully be made against that fact. It has been statistically proven over and over again. Even the organizations that argue against mandatory helmet laws generally do not dispute that fact, but instead base their arguments on personal freedom, choice and acceptance of risk.

I agree with that argument. We have too much government and too many laws as it is. If someone wants to put their own life at risk, they should have that right. I don’t think a helmet law should be imposed on riders over the age of 21. Let people make their own choices. It’s better for society as a whole in the long run.

That being said, I can say from personal knowledge that helmets do save lives. My brother used to ride, and hit a tree one night. He fractured his skull, collarbone, wrist, several ribs and his leg. He spent a week in intensive care and a total of 49 days in Strong Memorial Hospital. I clearly remember the Dr saying that without that helmet (which actually cracked in the crash) there was zero chance he would have survived. I always wear full gear when I ride, and always will.



As with a number of things in life, the rest of us pick up the tab for those who choose the 'freedom' to do 'less than wise' things. Even if you have great insurance, it's not covering the tab for the documented increase in head injuries in states where people are given the 'freedom' to choose whether or not they will use good judgement.

From the extensive experience my wife has working with health insurance (she is a surgical case manager as well as the owner of 2 motorcycles) the irony is, those who most often choose not to use appropriate safety equipment are also those who are most likely to not have health insurance. The rest of us pick up the tab for their 'freedom'.



I wear gear, but your argument justifies banning everything or anything. There is a societal cost or benefit to everything we do. The same argument justifies banning motorcycling, it's an easy case to make by the usual do gooders.

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. H. L. Mencken