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Helmet laws

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Started 10 months ago by Coy
Latest reply from vestanpance

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Coy
Discovery District
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http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/07/03/biker_dies_protesting_new_york_s_motorcycle_helmet_law.html

How totally ridiculous that this had to happen.
I don't get why helmet laws are still up for debate at all.
Bikers, motorized or otherwise, ought to be helmeted up.

I know a coworker that was your typical Harley guy that could have come right out of Sons of Anarchy that laid down his bike on 71 doing 70 without a helmet, and he was not the same afterwards, though he did live through it. His family went through a whole heckuvalot. Last I heard he wasn't allowed to ride anymore.

Since I have been making bike commuting about 75% of my transport, I probably have 3-4 near misses a week.
Thats with 5 lights on my bike (a total of 12 leds) riding a slow singlespeed and being extremely defensive in my riding. In the past month I've had to lay down a full-on skidded braking stop about 4 times, so once a week there is a scary near miss.

I ride to work around 10:30pm and see tons of hipsters lacking helmets and lights every night.
No you don't look the coolest with a helmet, but that wool biking cap ain't gonna do much against pavement...

I just don't get the arguments against helmets.
Am I crazy, or just tragically unhip?

Posted 10 months ago #
cc

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No, I think you are spot on. I guess I am guilty of not wearing my helmet* on short hops, but that makes as much sense as not wearing a seatbelt for a couple mile drive - you never know when the shit will hit the fan.

In that regard, I don't understand how the helmet law can be seen any different than the seatbelt law. Who prostests that?

*refering to bicycle helmet which I think should be a law for adults also.

Posted 10 months ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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I talked w/ a guy a couple of yrs ago who wears a motorcycle helmet when riding his recumbent. He said bike helmets don't protect you from breaking your jaw or from injuring other parts of your face. I don't recall his name but he had on his recumbent attached to a car battery in a milk crate a car horn and large yellow flashing lights like the ones sometimes used w/ road way barriers to alert motorists about construction.

Posted 10 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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TomOver said:
I talked w/ a guy a couple of yrs ago who wears a motorcycle helmet when riding his recumbent. He said bike helmets don't protect you from breaking your jaw or from injuring other parts of your face. I don't recall his name but he had on his recumbent attached to a car battery in a milk crate a car horn and large yellow flashing lights like the ones sometimes used w/ road way barriers to alert motorists about construction.

I think that's Carl.

Frankly, helmets should be a personal choice, not a mandated one. Who is really hurt, besides yourself, if you choose not to wear one?

Kids are a different story but the legislation and enforcement have to be done right.

Posted 10 months ago #
cc

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Just wondering, do you also think that seatbelts should be a personal chioce? It does seem that the same logic applies.

I saw a slow speed car/bike accident a couple of years ago. The bicyclist clearly had head trauma from falling off of the bicycle. The driver and her family were in shock and very upset. It was a heart wrenching scene. I am not sure only the bicyclist was impacted. I don't think recovery was a one man job.

Posted 10 months ago #
groundrules

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lifeontwowheels said:
Who is really hurt, besides yourself, if you choose not to wear one?

examples:
-The person who has to wipe your ass at Dodd Hall while you learn to use a spoon again.
-Your mom, who has to quit her job to take care of you while you recover
-Everyone else who pays increased medical costs or insurance costs because you have a very expensive head injury that someone has to subsidize.
-Your family, who's pretty bummed about it.

That doesn't mean I think helmets should be mandated by law, but I think that means they should be mandated by common sense and common courtesy.

Posted 10 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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cc said:
Just wondering, do you also think that seatbelts should be a personal chioce? It does seem that the same logic applies.

I saw a slow speed car/bike accident a couple of years ago. The bicyclist clearly had head trauma from falling off of the bicycle. The driver and her family were in shock and very upset. It was a heart wrenching scene. I am not sure only the bicyclist was impacted. I don't think recovery was a one man job.

Honestly, yeah. Stupidity shouldn't be legislated against.

There is the emotional impact on someone involved in the accident. I think the driver and family you mentioned would still be in some state of shock regardless of the helmet.

Posted 10 months ago #
JimL2

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Should pregnant women be allowed to ride motorcycles without a helmet yes/no

I say "no" because what if they stage a fake accident and use it as an excuse to abort the fetus?

New helmet law: the mother should be allowed to ride a motorcycle, but the fetus has to ride in a tiny fetus sidecar.

Posted 10 months ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
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I never wore a helmet when riding my bmx when I was younger. I still don't now.

Posted 10 months ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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vestanpance said:
I never wore a helmet when riding my bmx when I was younger. I still don't now.

Me neither except for one time, where coincidently I lowsided on slick pavement and slammed the shit out of my helmet covered head on the pavement.

Weird.

Posted 10 months ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
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Snarf said:
Me neither except for one time, where coincidently I lowsided on slick pavement and slammed the shit out of my helmet covered head on the pavement.

Weird.

You got your one time out of the way then. You're good to go.

Posted 10 months ago #