I have written an article on my Biker and Motorcycle Lawyer Blog called "Helmets and Face Protection; You decide.

You can find the article here: http://www.bikerlawblog.com/index.php?blog=3&title=helmets_and_face_protection_you_decide&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

I know this is a very controversial subject in the biker and motorcycle community. Read the article and make your own decision!

Awesome!

 I cant tell you how many funerals I went to last year of customers / friends that died,Its a crazy figure.

 For the most part,They all passed as a result of head injuries,Its not just helmets that are important but whether they fit or not.........

Helmets are a HUGE debate,I hear people that state that helmets are dangerous as they restrict vision yada yada yada..........Here is the defining  argument for helmets.....

I originate from the UK,I now reside within the USA.

There are many differences between the countries,However Health care is one of the bigger ones.

 In the UK,Its the good old NHS,Free health care basically,In the U.S - The health care for the masses is a privatized sector.

So what??? Well,Ok,Lets say that you fall and injure yourself in the US,You end up in Hospital and bottom line is either YOU or your insurance company are gonna pay the bill,Money is generated,Doctors are paid,tax is paid...........

 Now,Lets do the same in the UK.........You get injured,The government there is paying the bill,You have absolutley nothing to do with it!

Basically,If you get injured here in the U.S then its not really a hurtfull event to the Government - If you become injured within the UK it has a financial impact on the government and as such its in the UK governments interests to ensure that if your going to ride a motorcycle then your going to be well trained and well equipped - The UK implemented blanket helmet laws a LONG time ago to save lives AND save them money!

If helmets could be proved to cause injuries then this would not be the case......

MB

Thanks for your reply. This subject is controversial that is why I wrote the article the way I did. The real issue in controversy is freedom. Bikers want a right to choose.

I must admit that I loved riding with no helmet and the wind in my hair.

However, at this point in my life, I am not willing to take the risk and ride without a full face helmet anymore. I do use the Flip Up variety like I said in the article.

I always recommend riding with a DOT Helmet preferably of the Full Face variety. I am against the government telling a biker that he must wear a helmet.

As far as the fit of the helmet you are also very right as well. It has to fit propertly!

Force,

You state in the US doctor bills get paid by you or the insurance company.  Unfortunately, many people do NOT have medical insurance.  Sooo... you know who pays their bill?  You guessed it.. you and I that pay taxes!!  My take on this whole helmet law issue (which by the way, I live in a state that enforces it) is that we SHOULD have the freedom of choice.  But..with that choice, whether or not we wear a helmet, I believe we should have laws passed knowing full well that helmets do save lives and the consequence of not wearing one should NOT be placed on the insurance companies should you decide not to wear one.  It might even bring down my premium!  Wow, what a thought!  I believe we need to start taking responsibility for our own actions..whatever choice you make.  I don't think the majority of motorcyclists want to wear a helmet, but we do because we know it can save our life.  I believe it is time we all start taking responsibility for our own actions!!  This means if you don't want to wear a helmet, no problem.  I just hope you or your family have a million dollars to foot the medical bills!

 Be Safe,

M. Wiggins  CA
 

I can't speak for other states, but in TN, the problem with this argument is that the 1.5% of the head-trauma cases on public assistance are automobile accidents.  0.05% of the head-trauma cases on public assistance are motorcycle accidents.  Ergo, if you really want to save tax dollars, pass a law that cagers have to wear helmets.  (Currently, an operator wearing a helmet in a cage on a public road in TN is illegal.  Say what?)

Furthermore, the way the 0.05% is calculated is based on whether ANY of the medical stay required public assistance.  If it did, ALL of the stay is treated as being public pay.  So, for example, you are a motorcyclist involved in an accident (with a 2/3rds chance that it was caused by a cager violating your ROW), you end up in the hospital with head trauma for 60 days.  Your private insurance pays for 57 of those days.  The last three days are public pay.  ALL 60 days are counted as public pay.

Just based on the economics, you should mandate laws that require helmet usage for cagers, horse-back riders, skateboarders, hang-gliders, etc., etc. long before you mandate them for motorcyclists.

--g.a.

(A person who won't leave his garage without donning his helmet regardless of the law but nonetheless believes in freedom of choice.)

ga33611:

Just based on the economics, you should mandate laws that require helmet usage for cagers, horse-back riders, skateboarders, hang-gliders, etc., etc. long before you mandate them for motorcyclists.

Head injuries occur in cars mainly because occupants aren't belted in. Buckled up in a modern crash-resistant cage, you're pretty safe. But if Mom thinks her 3-ton Executioner is itself all the protection that's needed and lets her crumb-crunchers roam unrestrained, when she rolls the POS 'cause she spills her latte in her lap while reaching for the phone, they're gonna get tossed around or even ejected. Serious or fatal head injuries are the inevitable result.

In the past, admittedly, I rode passenger a number of times without a full-face (or ANY) helmet.  I simply didn't know better... I'd never been personally affected by the loss or injury of someone as the result of a motorcycle accident.

NOW?  I won't even ride up the street to get gas without a full-face helmet (and full gear) on.  It's simply not worth the risk.

On July 30th, a dear friend of ours was injured very seriously in a MC crash.  He is a very experienced rider, and was wearing full gear.  And yet, due to the severity of the crash, his face was quite literally shattered when his visor came off and he landed face down on a tree stump.

And then this past Sunday, another friend was involved in a (slightly less serious) crash, in which she was launched from her bike, and rammed head-first into a steel light pole.  EMS made no bones about the fact that her Shoei helmet is what saved her life.  While she has a few broken bones, the only damage to her head is some buising.  No blood, no stiches, no damage to the brain.....

Having seen these incidents, and hearing the words of the medical personnel, it only further instills the importance of a full faced helmet to me.

*** Applause ***

Very well written indeed!

Wearing a helmet is a very good practice, but a very bad law.

Parents -  Ensure your kids wear a helmet.

Government - Don't you have better things to do ?!? Next you'll pass a law called, "Wear a coat young man, it's cold outside and you'll catch pneumonia".

Personally, I have been wearing a full face helmet ever since my teen years when I performed a text-book low speed high-side at a major traffic intersection wearing a 3/4 open face style helmet with a snap-on sheild. The first thing to hit the ground was my face. Actually the first thing to hit the ground was the shield; but after it popped off, the second thing to hit was my lower lip, which was subsequently ground away by the hot asphalt. I have been wearing a full face helmet ever since. I recently aquired a flip-up type helmet which I enjoy very much, especially in the summer.

What does the helmet law actually accomplish???. The "DOT approved" beanie helmets will only protect one from the effluent of a pigeon flying overhead. So, how do we raise the level of awareness that will bring about a culture change in this country?

I think your article is an asset that could help accomplish just that.

Bravo!

Pretty good commentary

I personnally wear only full face and occasionally a modular (flip up) helmet as well as other riding apparel  A few hundred thousand miles and a bit of common sense dictates that what limited protection a rider wears and the attitude that the rider adopts while riding.

 Just one means of "managing risks".

I wore an illegal beanie helmet for over 20 years. One day when my husband was changing the oil he forgot he had set my helmet on the seat and some time during the oil change my beanie helmet landed in the oil. After that I couldn't find another novety helmet I liked so I bought a legal helmet. At first the weight of it gave me neck aches but I like it now. I like that it keeps the wind out of my ears and I like the perfect fit. It they want a helmet law it should be any place that sells hemets should have manufacturer approved document explaining how your helmet should fit your head.

But I do disagree with a mandatory helmet law though I would wear my helmet if there wasn't one in New York state.  I think it should be a personal choice. Who will pay for my care if hurt in an accident, my insurance. What if I didn't have any and was hurt? Well first of all if it was a right of way violation the person/insurance not paying attention and causing the accident should pay. And if not all the taxes my husband and I have paid would hopefully put dent in the cost.

I do not want the government making my personal choices for me. I belong to a legislative organization that watchs motorcycle bills in NY. The legislator that has the bill written doesn't have to know any details about the topic. It is kind of scary to think of the kind of laws they could push through if no one was watching!

I know a lot of motorcyclists and some of them are fools when they ride - drinking - too fast - showing off. Helmet or not they are going to go down hard sooner or later. I do think my state government should focus a lot more on motorcycle awareness and ticketing those that abuse the priviledge of riding on the road than chasing after illegal helmets. 

I 100% agree with the June bug comment in the article. One hit my wrist while being a passenger  on a motorcycle, it hurt so bad I thought my wrist was broke; like a mini missle!

As always these opinions are my own and do not reflect on the organization I belong to.

I think the subject is controversial only between the uninformed and/or the irresponsible.   It is hard to make a rational case against something that is harder than your head!  

 Riding without a proper helmet is similar, I think, to cutting the top off your car, removing the front windshield, then stating that you love the feel of operating this vehicle! 

 
Seriously, during all of our MSF classes, we try place emphasis on the fact that a helmet is an item of comfort when riding in rain, dusty conditions, sun, etc.   At least you are always in the shade and, with a visor, always have a good windshield. 

Although I will ride without a helmet whenever the chance arises, I know first hand how a helmet can save your life at slower speeds, under the perfect circumstances. I bounced my head off the pavement in June of 97, and my helmet saved my life. I had loaned my skid plate helmet to a friend the day before. If I had been wearing it, I would have certainly died. The next day, he went skidding down the highway, busting himself up, but the way the accident occured, it was determined that if he had been wearing his helmet (the one I destroyed in the previous days accident), he would have been killed instantly.

 Yes, helmets do save lives, just as not wearing one can also do the same. It's all up to the situation.

One person described it to me like this... Having one of the 5 unloaded chamber during Russian Roulette will save your life. It's that one time the bullet is in the chamber that'll kill you.

We should be free to choose wether we wear a helmet or not. We should also be required by our insurance companies to carry a DNR card in our wallets. Not something for the government to decide, but the Insurance Companies!

 Just my 2 cents.
 

It's nice to know we all tend to agree that our government needs to stay out of this topic, and give us the choice, but since they are involved (and created laws in certain states) how do we go about changing it???  Any suggestions Biker_Lawyer??  You started this thread (HaHa).

Ride Safe,

M. Wiggins  CA  

"If it's predictable, it's preventable" 

Laws are written by the legislators of each State, and usually signed in my the Governor of each State. Each of these persons are elected officials.

Most States have provisions for "propositions" of laws to be voted on by the people of each State.

At a personal level, you can write letters, send emails, and make telephone calls to your elected officials.

As a grassroots level, you can organize petition drives, organize your friends, try to get media attention, and either send the petitions to your elected officials, or get enough votes to put a proposition up for a vote by the people of the State.

There are various organizations out there such as the MRF, ABATE, etc., that work full time on our rights.

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that motorcycle injuries and deaths are climbing, especially in States that have recently revoked their mandatory helmet laws. This may bias the people in power.

In the end it's really about votes. If your legislator and/or governor, thinks he or she will get booted by the voters, then they should do what the voters want. That is the way the system is supposed to work. As we all know it is a tall order, but not impossible.