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Sion · 07-17-2003, 09:41 PM

"that broken neck thing is a false rumor during my motorcycle course our teacher talked about that, infact there have NEVER been any cases of a helmet Hurting someone All they do is protect you."

your teacher was lying to you in order to impress upon you a fear of riding without a helmet. I have friend who t-boned a woman in a station wagon at about 35-40 mph. he was passing a mall and the bimbo just pulled out right in front of him. he was launched over her car and (fortunately) landed in the grass about 30 feet away. he landed pretty much head first. he was not wearing a helmet. he survived with only minor injuries, cuts and abrasions and a major headache. the doctor who treated him at the ER said that had he been wearing a helmet, he would most likely have suffered a broken neck, which could have left him dead or paralyzed. he also said he has seen LOTS of broken necks from riders who wrecked while riding with helmets. it is NOT an urban legend, my friend.

now, that being said, I DO strongly recommend wearing a helmet. in at least 80% of all motorcycle crashes, a helmet is going to do much more in the way of protecting you than not.

on the other hand, though, if you always wear a helmet, you are missing out on one of the bigger thrills of motorcycling, which is the feel of the wind on your face/in your hair.

for me, it is a matter of what kind of ride I'm on and how aggressive I'll be driving. 95% of my riding is back and forth to work (about 1 mile, edge of the city, low speeds no more than 35) and thus I usually dont wear my helmet on these rides. Its a short ride, I know where EVERY danger spot on the route is and I am comfortable with my ability to avoid trouble. However, on the highway/at higher speeds, or in heavier traffic, I do wear my helmet.

and another thing to remember is that NOTHING in life, let me repeat that: NOTHING IN LIFE, is risk free. every time you set foot outside your front door, you are at risk for something. because I look at life this way, I am always assessing any activity I engage in as part of a risk/reward scenario. I weigh the risk versus the rewards of anything I do and utilize safety gear/measures as I see appropriate. on my bike, that means sometimes I wear my helmet, sometimes I dont.

btw, I'd like to ask all of you who so vociferously advocated wearing a helmet at all times (particularly art) if you ALWAYS wear your seatbelt in your car? the same argument about helmets applies to seatbelts. most of the time, they save lives, but there have been (and will always continue to be) situations in which seatbelts are partially responsible for deaths as well.

and finally, seatbelt laws and helmet laws are bad legislation. the ONLY reason they exist is to save the insurance companies some money, not because any politician or insurance company gives two shits about you or your safety.

07-17-2003, 09:41 PM	#17 (permalink)
Sion Dumb all over...a little ugly on the side Location: In the room where the giant fire puffer works, and the torture never stops.	"that broken neck thing is a false rumor during my motorcycle course our teacher talked about that, infact there have NEVER been any cases of a helmet Hurting someone All they do is protect you." your teacher was lying to you in order to impress upon you a fear of riding without a helmet. I have friend who t-boned a woman in a station wagon at about 35-40 mph. he was passing a mall and the bimbo just pulled out right in front of him. he was launched over her car and (fortunately) landed in the grass about 30 feet away. he landed pretty much head first. he was not wearing a helmet. he survived with only minor injuries, cuts and abrasions and a major headache. the doctor who treated him at the ER said that had he been wearing a helmet, he would most likely have suffered a broken neck, which could have left him dead or paralyzed. he also said he has seen LOTS of broken necks from riders who wrecked while riding with helmets. it is NOT an urban legend, my friend. now, that being said, I DO strongly recommend wearing a helmet. in at least 80% of all motorcycle crashes, a helmet is going to do much more in the way of protecting you than not. on the other hand, though, if you always wear a helmet, you are missing out on one of the bigger thrills of motorcycling, which is the feel of the wind on your face/in your hair. for me, it is a matter of what kind of ride I'm on and how aggressive I'll be driving. 95% of my riding is back and forth to work (about 1 mile, edge of the city, low speeds no more than 35) and thus I usually dont wear my helmet on these rides. Its a short ride, I know where EVERY danger spot on the route is and I am comfortable with my ability to avoid trouble. However, on the highway/at higher speeds, or in heavier traffic, I do wear my helmet. and another thing to remember is that NOTHING in life, let me repeat that: NOTHING IN LIFE, is risk free. every time you set foot outside your front door, you are at risk for something. because I look at life this way, I am always assessing any activity I engage in as part of a risk/reward scenario. I weigh the risk versus the rewards of anything I do and utilize safety gear/measures as I see appropriate. on my bike, that means sometimes I wear my helmet, sometimes I dont. btw, I'd like to ask all of you who so vociferously advocated wearing a helmet at all times (particularly art) if you ALWAYS wear your seatbelt in your car? the same argument about helmets applies to seatbelts. most of the time, they save lives, but there have been (and will always continue to be) situations in which seatbelts are partially responsible for deaths as well. and finally, seatbelt laws and helmet laws are bad legislation. the ONLY reason they exist is to save the insurance companies some money, not because any politician or insurance company gives two shits about you or your safety. __________________ He's the best, of course, of all the worst. Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...