For those of you that ride further than the corner store or pub, you know that helmet laws across the United States are a mishmash.  The differences in the technicalities in each state’s rules vary so much that it is almost impossible to decypher.  For adults it’s pretty cut and dry, whether you have to wear one or not, in most states minors MUST wear helmets. 

Technicalities in Flordia for example, require a helmetless biker to have proof of ten thousands dollars in medical insurance.  This does nothing, as ten thousand dollars insurance is chewed up in a day or two in a hospital after brain surgery and the possibility of institutionalization from permanent brain injuries could run into the hundreds of thousands easily. 

How do I feel about helmet laws and helmets? 

Helmet laws are absurd, no adult that I know of, gave up his or her right to think for themselves when they reached 18.  A person should be able to decide whether or not they want to wear a skull bucket, and we don’t need control freak politicians telling us how to be adult in our recreations.   Hang gliding, another of my past hobbies has far less restrictions and is genuinely much more dangerous.  I know, but that’s another story for another time.

If you don’t want to wear a helmet, you should not have too.  However, I believe that riders that go helmetless should have at least 500 thousand dollars in medical insurance, for one reason, you and I pay the bills for people that cannot afford medical care!  The helmet choice should be yours, the choice to put me in a position to pay your bills by raising the cost of mine, is not yours.  Get some fucking medical insurance people, or just try to make sure your head pops like a grape when you have your accident, so the rest of us don’t pay your liftetime medical bills.

How do I feel about helmet use personally?  As the victim of a recent crash on my Heritage Classic, I can tell you that my choice to wear a helmet was very good.  The same window and door that broke my left shoulder and hip also took the full force of my helmet against the top roofline and then through the window shattering it.  It probably would have killed me, taking off the top three inches of my skull when my head hit the roofline just above the passenger window.  I was wearing a very expensive Carbon Fiber half helmet that took no damage whatsoever.  Yeah for www.carbonfiberhelmets.com !  I won’t argue that I am not already brain dead or stupid, but at least I kept what I had huh?

So as a man and citizen I say it is your right to do whatever you want with your braincase.  As a friend and concerned biker, I urge you to always wear a helmet, protect your most valuable asset your brain!

 

PR

June 19th, 2008 by forniss | Bikers, Uncategorized

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