Plan9

Wait a sec. *click-click* Okay, I'm ready. Continue.

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Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

dksuddeth

when i was a kid riding bicycles, i'm not even sure they made bicycle helmets back then, and although some people think i'm probably dain bramaged here, i never once hit my head hard enough to cause any permanent damage.

shorts on a bicycle shouldn't be an issue either, but idiots wearing loafers and leather on their harleys........that's just plain stupid looking.

---------- Post added at 03:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 PM ----------

so you see it too?

thought i was losing it over that.

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

samcol

I feel old saying 'back when i was a kid', because I'm only 28, but nobody ever wore a helmet on a bicycle. I remember smacking my head on the pavement more than a couple times.

Now every kid I see riding a bike has one, is there a law for that now too? Or are they just worried about their kids getting CPS'd if they don't have a helmet.

__________________
It's time for the president to hand over his nobel peace prize.

Plan9

My childhood friend's father fell off his Schwinn doing 18 mph was killed instantly.

Yay for anecdotes! Maybe parents put helmets on their kids because they're helmets.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

chinese crested

[Its all those trips to casualty with the little loves that fill you with 'what next?'. I guess I am an anxious parent. When son went out to Basra I tried phoning around to get him body armour with willy protection. I had a friend who knew one of the saudi royals about 45yrs ago, and she was ready if it all went pear shape, to make contact after all these years and ask for help. Other son too was a worry - like the day he put three leg pins in a wall socket. BANG! That one does wear a helmet when cycling through London. Parents worry, thats where all the grey hair comes from - its natural. I dont know what CPS is (crown prosecution service?) - most parents want their kids living life and enjoying it - whilst taking care of their own safety of course. They dont want their daughters taking short cuts home at night through dodgy areas, most parents would rather go out and get them. I think most parents dont want to have their grown child drooling out of the side of the mouth, have to feed it, change its nappy and wipe its arse all the while hoping their child will have some carer when they are dead, someone to show them continual love and kindness. Most parents dont want to be pall bearers at their childrens funerals.
Funny old lot arent we.

cadre

This is the second time in a month I've found myself agreeing with you. You must be going soft.

From what I've seen. There are very few real arguments against helmet laws. But what amazes me is the amount of riders that get really lucky once but they still refuse to wear a helmet after they almost died. People are retards, therefore society is tasked with forcing them to be safe. I'm sure there's a political concept on it somewhere but I'm not a politician.

__________________
My life is one of those 'you had to be there' jokes.

StanT

Where the fuck did this come from?

Helmet laws are a state issue.

I've been riding since Nixon was in office, helmet laws were around then and don't seem to have spread much.

I ski, ride a bicycle, and rollerblade, in addition to riding a motorcycle. I wear a helmet for all of them. My head is worth it to me. If you don't feel the same about yours, why would I care?

dksuddeth

or just maybe (shock) they CHOOSE to?

---------- Post added at 06:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:05 PM ----------

question, why do people have to be retards simply because they don't agree with you?

---------- Post added at 06:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 PM ----------

then this obviously wasn't directed at you?

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

samcol

The economic issue alone that plan9 posted is enough to make me wonder why we would force helmet laws. When you include that data with the fact that it didn't really prevent many deaths in the states that enacted it, I wonder why any state would have a helmet law. The other question is why do you care that people want to be retarded and not wear a helmet, it doesn't hurt you?

Riding a motorcycle is inherently dangerous compared to driving in a car. It's interesting that everyone in this thread says that riding with a helmet is the smart thing to do, but some people seem to think it needs to be forced on us.

__________________
It's time for the president to hand over his nobel peace prize.

Plan9

Since this thread has derailed like-whoa...

Hot damn! We could have a thread where I talk about Baby Jesus gliding down from the glistening clouds of heaven on Day-Glo roller skates wearing a star-spangled cock ring and singing Three Dog Night's Joy to the World and you crazy white boys would STILL be able to make it about dah gummint steppin' on yer throats. I guess I don't have to worry about popping your domes during the Revolution, eh? No Kevlars on your noggins, amiright?

Also:

How am I the only dude that has contributed any kind of useful, related facts to what should be a fact-based discussion?

I mean... I'm me. I'm the guy that makes wild ass statements with zero education.

...doesn't this worry any of you in the least?

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

ASU2003

Yes it does hurt me.

If my Dad crashes his bike without a helmet, that would be really bad.

If my co-worker doesn't survive a crash, our ability to meet deadlines and recover that knowledge would be very hard. I would probably have to work overtime to do it as well.

A widow would have to re-evaluate the finances and miss out of spending their retirement years with someone they love and care for...

---------- Post added at 11:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 PM ----------

http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrar...aps/Helmet.png

---------- Post added at 11:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 PM ----------

Child Protective Services

This state run government agency will remove children from parents who are putting them in danger.

Plan9

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

samcol

Maybe your father and co-workers should wear a helmet then? There's nothing preventing them from doing so.

You are basically saying your father and co-worker's aren't smart enough to wear a helmet. Maybe there's nothing up there worth protecting, as they need the government to force them to do it.

Again, I wear a helmet 95% of the time. Why people want to force this is astounding to me.

Perhaps your associates aren't smart enough to protect themselves, clearly they need government assistance.

__________________
It's time for the president to hand over his nobel peace prize.

Plan9

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

ASU2003

'The people' see that bikers not wearing helmets and dying causes grief for the other people in their lives. It would probably be the same way in most families of bikers who don't wear helmets. We want to pass laws to give you another incentive to wear a helmet since you are being selfish and only thinking about yourself and not the pain and problems your actions might cause.

Now, helmet design needs to be looked into. There are improvements in weight, form, and viability that can be made.

And, if you want to go fast without a helmet and have a good time, get a jetski and take it out on a lake.

Plan9

Those have helmets, too.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

samcol

Ya, because jetski's all over the lake are super safe

I don't even boat anymore because of the jetski's.

I'm being selfish because I wear a helmet, but don't want to force others to wear one...

FYI, there are helmets that are super light and easy to wear if you choose to use one.
I just don't get it. Why don't your comrades wear a helmet?

Obviously they are too selfish to realize the pain that their injuries could impose on others.

__________________
It's time for the president to hand over his nobel peace prize.

chinese crested

Thankyou for the interpretation ASU. (CPS).
Re jetskis and helmets, I did find this video -

Always remember, when on the water, sail has right of way over steam - then everyone can enjoy the water.

dksuddeth

so you want to force other people to abide by your wishes for your own personal benefit?

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

filtherton

As someone who totally avoided a TBI thanks to my helmet whilst riding my bicycle last year, I think that the laws are all wrong. I think that the law should be that it is illegal to wear a helmet if you ride one of those super loud "check me out, I'm a asshole" motorcycles.

StanT

Hey, I resemble that; at least for a couple more days.

I think of it more as "Get off your fucking cellphone and pay attention to the road" pipes.

ASU2003

We live in a society where one persons actions does have impact on others, whether they understand it or not.

I'm not impacted personally when the vast majority of motorcyclists die from scraping their head against the pavement or slamming it into something. However, there are other people in their lives that would be negatively effected.

Plan9

This.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

filtherton

Well, to all the people who are paying attention, it's obnoxious. It's kind of the equivalent of yelling in someome's ear as you run past them because you want to make sure they don't bump into you.

dksuddeth

isn't it better to have one person inconvenienced to keep people safer?

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

filtherton

I understand the safety argument. I might be inclined to point out that the safety conscious person might do well to avoid riding a motorcycle altogether, but I don't know that that would be a compelling argument.

I would likely be safer (in terms of being hit by a car) as a pedestrian if I walked around constantly yelling through a bullhorn. I would also probably be someone you'd look at and say "what the hell is wrong with that asshole?"

dksuddeth

so is it preferable to force drivers in cars to be more responsible by being more aware, or do we absolve them of that responsibility by forcing bikers and pedestrians to wear better safety gear?

__________________
"no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything. You cannot conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

filtherton

I don't know the answer to that. I'm sure it's too complicated to hash out in a forum.

cadre

Isn't that the basis we use for determining someone's legitimacy?

If you read my original post you would have seen me say that I don't believe helmet laws are the answer I don't think helmets should have to be forced on anyone. People should be able to take precautions on their own.

The fact that motorcycles are perceived as dangerous negatively effects everyone that rides. I shouldn't feel like my friends want me to get a psych evaluation just because I choose to ride a bike. All of the people who do stupid shit like not wearing a helmet give the rest of us a bad name. Then there are all of the other affects people have already mentioned.


I've gotten a concussion from my head hitting the water without a helmet in a jet ski crash so that probably not a great alternative. That was back in my reckless days though.

This isn't really new information but the MAIDS report studied a lot of safety issues for motorcycles, scooters and mopeds in Europe. The report I have is PDF so I'm just gonna reference the wiki page.
"The MAIDS report tends to support most of the Hurt Report findings, for example that "69% of the OV [other vehicle] drivers attempted no collision avoidance manoeuvre," suggesting they did not see the motorcycle. And further that, "the largest number of PTW [powered two-wheeler] accidents is due to a perception failure on the part of the OV driver or the PTW rider." And "The data indicates that in 68.7% of all cases, the helmet was capable of preventing or reducing the head injury sustained by the rider (i.e., 33.2% + 35.5%). In 3.6% of all cases, the helmet was found to have no effect upon head injury" and "There were no reported cases in which the helmet was identified as the contact code for a serious or maximum neck injury."[10]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety

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My life is one of those 'you had to be there' jokes.