It was just announced that the South Carolina Supreme Court struck down a recent law that made riders wear helmets within the city limits of Myrtle Beach,SC. Reports say that the law was designed to keep bikers out of one of the most popular vacationing spots in the US. I would give it up for the people who petitioned this law in the first place. Helmets save lives. Period.
I don’t know what the sick fascination is with not wearing a helmet when you ride. It’s dangerous. I mean, we all get it; you’re cool because you’re on a bike with no helmet and we can see your hair blowing in the wind, and Marlboro cig hanging out of your mouth, but why risk becoming a side dish on the road if you go down. It’s kind of hard to smoke a cigarette when it’s halfway down your eye socket.
Every state requires drivers to wear seatbelts or they get a freaking ticket. Why wouldn’t the state want to protect motorcyclists as well? And why do motorcyclists fight helmet laws; it’s for their own good. Now, I know I’m going to get some haters on this one; mostly cruiser guys that aren’t going to let the system tell them that they need to wear a gosh darn helmet I’m an American damnit, or some sportbike squid with hair gel and a wife-beater who wants to be cast on the next season of Jersey Shore.
Now, this is just my opinion, and since I’m a writer, I get to share it with the motorcycle world. So, tell me what you think. Should Helmets be required across every state?
Comments
for real tho. they should be required. everywhere, for everyone. i also think gloves and long pants should be required too. just me tho
After riding motorcycles for most of my life....and turning over half a MILLION miles on two wheels.....I wear mine every time. Just under a year ago I struck a deer at a high rate of speed on my new Ducati. And while the euro and metric guys would laugh at me for wearing an HD shirt and boots, jeans and a beenie helmet while riding the flagship Italian race bike...it was a beenie helmet and a laptop in a backpack that saved my life. But, the beenie was sure part of it when my nugget skipped off the ground at 75mph.
I wear full face and full riding gear at all times now.....BUT the choice should be the riders.
I can go overseas and serve in the military, doing things nobody else wants to do, but some politician somewhere thinks they are qualified to make this kind of decision for me? This is exactly what is wrong with our country. LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE!!!
Would you support a law saying you must wear a full leather riding suit with airbags like the one Alpinestars makes? It's only for your own good. How about 100 HP limits on motorcycle engines... if it's for your own good? Or maybe we outlaw motorcycles all together? I mean, to a non-rider, motorcycles are unnecessarily dangerous and risky. It's for your own good, after all. Don't dismiss these suggestions as ridiculous, they're merely steps down the very same path.
But why stop there? I mean, what are the most common types of injuries in automobile crashes? Head and neck injuries. Why not helmet and HANS devices mandated for all cars? They would prevent so many injuries, and it's for your own good. I don't think anyone would argue that jumping from planes is inherently dangerous, why isn't that outlawed? I think that most of us will agree that you can't get anything really healthy in McDonald's, right? Why don't we outlaw McDonald's and fast food in general, as long as it's in the public interest? I mean, pot is no more dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol... why aren't they banned as a group?
If we're going to live in a nanny state, dammit let's not do it half way. Our elected officials should just sit down and decide what's not good for us, then create legislation to keep us from hurting ourselves. No bathtubs without non-slip bottoms. No knives in the home longer than 1" and none with a point. No scissors save for the 3" long round nose elementary school variety. No household cleaners stronger than vinegar. No alcoholic beverages anywhere - ever. No fried foods, contact sports, mountain climbing, caffeine, downhill skiing, mountain biking, fishing - hell, eliminate anything to do with water more than 2" deep.
Helmet laws are one fight in a string of choices government takes away from us - "For Our Own Good". Rather than trying to eliminate risks for someone else's own good, we should simply accept the consequences of our own actions like adults. Do you want to educate people about the proper use and life saving capabilities of helmets? I'm with you. Do you want to advocate for their proper fit and accurate testing/rating systems? Soldier on brother. As soon as you write a law mandating their use though, I've just moved to the other side of the line. You can't outlaw stupid.
One other point I'd like to make is that you present yourself as "All About Motorcycles", then write an editorial bashing the largest segment of motorcyclists - cruiser riders. Then immediately bash the other main segment with comments about squids with gelled hair. Your actions have consequences as well, and you should remember that as I say this. Motorcyclists are usually their own worst enemy. We're a small segment of the population in the US, but instead of sticking together publicly and respectfully arguing our points to work out our differences, we childishly make statements alienating segments of our community we deem "beneath us". You make your point, then accept that the other person may not agree with you and may make a choice you don't like. The approach you take will continue to fragment our community.
Finally, if you're going to call yourself a writer, please learn how to use the language properly. I understand that a public school education and a liberal arts degree means that little things like sentence structure and vocabulary probably don't mean much to you, but as this is your chosen profession, you should be able to express your thoughts better than you did in this article. That's just MY opinion though.
I think you just proved Hazra's very eloquently made point. I wear a helmet when I ride, I take similar precautions when I pursue my other interests that have an inherent level of danger to them - but I should not face legal action by the state if I choose not to.
I wont reiterate everything that Hazra said, only offer my whole hearted agreement.
T
My 2 cents, free as usual.
I wear a full face helmet everytime I ride a motorcycle. I also where an armored riding jacket and pants as well as special construction motorcycle boots and gloves. By choice, not by law.
What if your bad choice sends you to the emergency department with severe head trauma? Who is paying for that? Even if you have employer sponsored or individually purchased healthcare insurance the cost of your bad choice is passed to others.
LET THOSE WHO RIDE DECIDE!!!
I am a 2005 FLHRCI riding non marlboro smoker who appreciates the wind in my face!
The cost of the healthcare people would have you believe that a handful of people getting hurt is the single cause of waste in the US healthcare system without backing up it up with anything in the way of proof.
basics (without detail of formula): current premium x trend factor x claims experience = renewal premium
this is one of the major faults of the way healthcare is handled in this country (uh oh, I just pissed off a lot of people on this blog - I mentioned there are problems with this country's healthcare system).
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