helmet law?

[magley64]

Nope, I got your point very clearly but I think you may have missed mine. Allow me to reiterate. It's my head so what are you, or anyone else, worried about? (read "head" as "life")

I get that, your perogative bobby brown, I'm saying the helmet will more likely keep you from vegging rather than cause you to veg.

[cg2112]

I get that, your perogative bobby brown, I'm saying the helmet will more likely keep you from vegging rather than cause you to veg.

Will it? I haven't really seen any studies on this, and I'm not sure that it would be really possible to conduct any.

[chevysoldier]

http://hubpages.com/hub/Motorcycle-Helmets-Could-Save-Lives

[chevysoldier]

http://www.state.hi.us/dot/publicaffairs/safecommunities/reports/motorcyclehelmets/motorcycle-integration.pdf

Motorcycle Helmets

o Motorcycle accidents accounted for 3,244 fatalities in the nation.

o Head injuries were the leading cause of death among the motorcycle riders.

o Riders without helmets are 40 percent more likely to sustain a fatal head injury.

o Motorcyclists without helmets are three times more likely than a helmeted rider to suffer a traumatic brain injury as a result of a crash.

[chevysoldier]

Motorcycle Helmet Usage

o Nearly twice as many sports bikers than cruisers on Hawaii’s roadways always wear their helmet.

o About half of the cruisers represented in the survey sometimes wear their helmet.

o Over a third of the bikers who currently wear a helmet at least some of the time reported that in the past they did not wear one at all.

o The primary influence for riders to start wearing a helmet was for safety.

o Nearly all of the riders recognized that helmets reduced head injuries.

o More sports bikers than cruisers agreed that motorcycle helmets increased rider safety.

o Significantly more sports bikers than cruisers agreed that riders should always wear a helmet.

o More cruisers than sports bikers believed that helmets were not cool or sexy.

Interesting.

[Bad324]

personally I think there should not be a mandatory helmet law but other than people should have a choice if they want to be safer or not. Natural selection if you will.

That said I have only not worn a helmet once on a 3 miles round trip jaunt up the road and the wind noise and buffeting in my ears pissed me off like none other and I have had zero desire to not wear a helmet since. Yes I know there are ear plugs but I don't like them

[cg2112]

More cruisers than sports bikers believed that helmets were not cool or sexy.

Sport bikers think that helmets are cool and sexy? That seems like a crappy reason to choose to wear a helmet.

[cfd37buckeye]

Being in public safety, I have seen my share of fatalities either way. Sometimes a seatbelt, or a helmet is not going to make a difference. For the most part, helmets and seat belts will save your life. I am guilty too of not wearing a brain bucket on short trips, but have been more conscious about it recently. I agree that there should be a law for helmets, but going the other direction, and abolishing the seat belt law is not the answer. Proven fact that since the seat belt law came into effect, highway deaths have gone down. It would be a shame to die from a head injury sustained from a fall from your bike at low speed, that would have been othewrwise prevented by wearing a helmet.

[cfd37buckeye]

On top of that, my neighbor who had never ridden in his life, went and bought a Sporty a few years ago, refused to wear a helmet even during his permit year because "the girls couldn't see him". Needless to say, I refuse to ride with him, because 1, he rides like an ass, and 2, I dont want to witness the process of death.

[chevysoldier]

Sport bikers think that helmets are cool and sexy? That seems like a crappy reason to choose to wear a helmet.

Out of all those reasons, that's the one you reply about? Ha.

[SpeedTriple44444]

I don't think it's the governments place to tell us what to do for our own safety. I choose to always wear a helmet, because I'm smarter than the average Harley pirate. Law should be based in common sense. If you can hurt someone else, it should be illegal. Unfortunately, common sense seems to be in shorter supply every year in the US.

[Uncle Punk]

If you can hurt someone else, it should be illegal.

This is a poor standard as minimum criteria for a law. Thousands of people are killed in motor vehicle accidents every year; I doubt you wish to have everyone’s transportation away. Even though society as a whole knows the danger involved with transportation the rewards outweigh the risks just like those who choose to ride without a helmet they can justify their risks.

[jmwildi]

I get that, your perogative bobby brown, I'm saying the helmet will more likely keep you from vegging rather than cause you to veg.

I never said a helmet would cause me to veg out, I think a helmet would keep me alive but paralized in some crashes. Becomming a carrot doesn't worry me because in that case, I'll never know what happened anyway. It's being concious and aware and having bits and pieces of my life or my body taken away that I can't or won't accept or deal with. I could always be afraid that the worst will happen and not ride my bike but it's silly to live in fear of things that may or may not happen. That'd be like refusing to walk down to the corrner store because a bus might jump the curb and kill me. Unlike the riders that say, "well I just just don't fall off or lay my bike down," I know and accept the possible outcomes and concequences of not wearing a helmet when I ride. I have no illusions that I might crash due to my own mistake or someone elses mistake or negligence and that's okay with me. If it kills me at least I had some measure input as to how I went out. We should all be lucky enough to meet our end on our own terms. Besides, what's life without free choice?

[SpeedTriple44444]

True... I guess that was a little oversimplified on my part.

[Uncle Punk]

NORTH CAROLINA MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FACTS

Motorcycles represent about 2 percent of all registered vehicles in NC, but account for about 10 percent of all fatalities on our roads.

As of Sept 1st of 2007, 63 % of all crashes involving motorcycles were single vehicle crashes (motorcycle only).

Of those crashes involving other vehicles, over half (53%) were the fault of the motorcyclist.

Of those motorcyclist at fault crashes 81% occurred when the rider crossed the centerline either while passing another vehicle or while negotiating a curve.

Of those other vehicle at fault crashes 57% were failure to yield right of way at an intersection and 43% were turning left across the motorcycles path.

The majority (82.7%) of motorcycle fatal crashes occurred because of the fault of the motorcyclist.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Uncle Punk
word took over the pdf and numbered it

[chevysoldier]

What was number 1?

[Uncle Punk]

I copied & pasted from a PDF that didn't have the lines numbered, somehow when I pasted the info line numbers appeared. I edited them out but you were lurking too quickly and read it before my edit.

I will be in N.C. on the coast later in the month being tortured by having to stay in a beach house for four days. I would rather be at Deal Gap if I'm going to take the time off from working but it's a family event so I'm going. I plan to take the scooter to give myself some form of entertainment because I can get it there without a trailer so I started looking up N.C. helmet laws because I don't usually wear one when riding the scooter. I knew N.C. had a helmet law because I have been to the gap several times but thought I would look up the laws for any changes that might have taken place since my last visit along with concealed carry laws. The information I posted two posts back came from N.C. DMV.

[chevysoldier]

Ahh, gotcha. Interesting stuff.

[InyaAzz]

NORTH CAROLINA MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FACTS

Motorcycles represent about 2 percent of all registered vehicles in NC, but account for about 10 percent of all fatalities on our roads.

As of Sept 1st of 2007, 63 % of all crashes involving motorcycles were single vehicle crashes (motorcycle only).

Of those crashes involving other vehicles, over half (53%) were the fault of the motorcyclist.

Of those motorcyclist at fault crashes 81% occurred when the rider crossed the centerline either while passing another vehicle or while negotiating a curve.

Of those other vehicle at fault crashes 57% were failure to yield right of way at an intersection and 43% were turning left across the motorcycles path.

The majority (82.7%) of motorcycle fatal crashes occurred because of the fault of the motorcyclist.

Not to go too off topic of this post...but I cringe when someone who doesn't ride (or does ride) says that most accidents are the cause of the cager. I read the local papers online just about every day, and while I don't claim to be doing scientific research, almost EVERY SINGLE accident report involving a bike involves an idiot going too fast through a curve or losing control at some point. Yeah, there is the occasional stupid cager that didn't see the bike..but even then sometimes the bike is coming at such a high rate of speed that he/she is damn near invisible. I myself have been in a cage and on 2 and looked in a side mirror....looked away...looked back 2 seconds later just to see a bike that wasn't there 2 seconds ago getting ready to fly past me.

Anyways...as much as cagers need to get shit for not watching out for us, I think we are our own worst enemies most of the time.

[cg2112]

Out of all those reasons, that's the one you reply about? Ha.

That was the one that was funny.

[Uncle Punk]

Not to go too off topic of this post...but I cringe when someone who doesn't ride (or does ride) says that most accidents are the cause of the cager. I read the local papers online just about every day, and while I don't claim to be doing scientific research, almost EVERY SINGLE accident report involving a bike involves an idiot going too fast through a curve or losing control at some point. Yeah, there is the occasional stupid cager that didn't see the bike..but even then sometimes the bike is coming at such a high rate of speed that he/she is damn near invisible. I myself have been in a cage and on 2 and looked in a side mirror....looked away...looked back 2 seconds later just to see a bike that wasn't there 2 seconds ago getting ready to fly past me.

Anyways...as much as cagers need to get shit for not watching out for us, I think we are our own worst enemies most of the time.

This reflects my own observations as well. I have put on thousands of miles solo and in groups and have yet to see an accident that wasn't the riders fault. (At least all that I can remember.) The accidents caused by automobiles are usually deadly so they tend to leave a bigger impression.

I rode a cruiser for three years without a helmet and I currently ride a scooter without one, I always wear one on the sport bike when I go south to have some fun. I have weighed the risks vs. the rewards involving what I can control and I am okay with my decisions. I like to ride and can kind of relate the gear issue to a concealed carry issue in that carrying a full size firearm is a pain in the ass so we compromise and carry a sub-compact so we at least have some firearm on us. My ride to work is only six miles and it takes me about nine minutes to complete. If I geared up in boots, over pants, jacket, gloves and a helmet plus having to take them all off again when I get to the shop I have doubled my time spent in my commute. Instead I get on the scooter with sunglasses and ride within the speed limits on roads I am familiar with. I know the risks involved and am okay with them, at least I get to ride and scooters are a blast, don't judge me.

[InyaAzz]

^ This

[Disclaimer]

Judging you now.

[jbot]

This reflects my own observations as well. I have put on thousands of miles solo and in groups and have yet to see an accident that wasn't the riders fault. (At least all that I can remember.) The accidents caused by automobiles are usually deadly so they tend to leave a bigger impression.

I rode a cruiser for three years without a helmet and I currently ride a scooter without one, I always wear one on the sport bike when I go south to have some fun. I have weighed the risks vs. the rewards involving what I can control and I am okay with my decisions. I like to ride and can kind of relate the gear issue to a concealed carry issue in that carrying a full size firearm is a pain in the ass so we compromise and carry a sub-compact so we at least have some firearm on us. My ride to work is only six miles and it takes me about nine minutes to complete. If I geared up in boots, over pants, jacket, gloves and a helmet plus having to take them all off again when I get to the shop I have doubled my time spent in my commute. Instead I get on the scooter with sunglasses and ride within the speed limits on roads I am familiar with. I know the risks involved and am okay with them, at least I get to ride and scooters are a blast, don't judge me.

you're such a fucking squid. how do you look at yourself in the mirror?

[vintage rider]

leave my freedom alone! goverment is large enough in everyway.. if i'm old enough to pay for and licence it it is my decsion to ride with or without a lid..... and i feel the same way about all of the freedoms i have lost, because people think to much about how they can effect society instead of taking care of themselves............ sounds harsh but please leave my freedoms alone!