Not Wearing a Helmet

First topic message reminder :

An Off-Duty Cop had a pretty bad accident while riding his own personal M/C the other day on the I-10 Freeway here in Phoenix. He may have prevented some of his serious injuries, if he would have been wearing a helmet. But you are not required to wear a helmet here in Arizona. You will get a ticket for not wearing a seat belt while driving your vehicle. But you are more than welcome to splatter your brains on the highway here, by not wearing a helmet. Ride Safe...Robert.

As some of you know, I lost my son in a m/c accident 10 years ago. They went to Scottsdale, AZ for Arizona Bike Week, were going to dinner and all agreed not to wear helmets. Well, they were going up Superstition Mountain . There was a group of riders coming down. One of them cut the yellow line and Rick, my son, was riding to the inside going up in the lead. They were behind heavy car and bike traffic so were going about 20mph in 2ond gear. It threw him off over the handle bars and landed on his head. Spent 30 days in hospital and died. Left four boy's and a wife 18, 17, 13 and 10 ages. Worst day of our lives! He "always" wore a helmet but was talked into not wearing one that day. Don't know if it would have saved his life or not but. . .
Old Dave in Western Nebraska

I was doing an Internet search the other day, looking for a picture of helmet damage especially on the chin bar when I came across a thumbnail image that left an impression on me.

I didn't need to blow up the thumbnail to see exactly what it was showing. There was a man laying on the pavement, all sprawled out. Can you picture what an apple pie looks like when a large slice has been taken out? That's what his head looked like. It wasn't mashed in. It didn't even look like there was road rash on his face. There was a large slice of the skull gone totally like that apple pie. Over a foot or so, was something that looked like a blob. I assumed that was his brains. Like I wrote, I didn't click on it. I had seen enough.

Chris

Peer pressure can kill you...

You can get a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt while driving your car,but you are not required to wear a helmet while riding your m/c. here in Az. It's called freedom of choice, you can splatter your brains on the highway or try and protect your noggin by wearing a helmet, it's up to you. Ride Safe.

You will probably get a ticket for not wearing clothes but very few people protest about not being free to walk around naked! There again with some of the pictures of people on here thae fact that they do wear clothes is something to be thankful for (I include myself in that group).

Cheers,

It is very necessary to wear helmet while driving. Helmets are designed to support and secure the head from the effect of any sort of incident. A helmet may be the only security you have if you experience an accident while driving.

I do not wear a helmet on the days I KNOW I will not have an accident. Haven't found one yet.

"Hi Yo" wrote:

I do not wear a helmet on the days I KNOW I will not have an accident. Haven't found one yet.

That is probably the best answer to the 'Do I, Don't I?' question.

If it wasn't for the fact that wearing a helmet is compulsory where I ride I would adopt this.

Cheers,

My agreement, fwiw, is with all of the above scribes. Maybe I'm a wimp but I want as much stuff between me and all the other "hard" things out there if I happen to go down/under/over/against anything. I'm not even sure I ride in the correct lane when out on the road. Like to look ahead as much as possible but also, since a great deal of my riding is rural, prefer to have quick access to a grassy ditch if the occasion should arise.

It is true Arizona does NOT require a rider to use a helmet unless he/she is under 18. Freedom of choice is what they say. Who pays is what I ask?

GHM-PM wrote:

Freedom of choice is what they say. Who pays is what I ask?

Well we all pay.
non-helmet injuries cost much more to treat/stich back together.

I read a goverment (insurance related) web page that stated that 97% of motorcycle wrecks include one or more of the following items.

1) no helmet ( or wearing a non-DOT helmet)
2) no valid M/C license
3) alcohol/drugs
4) no insurance
5) no current tag

Harry
from Atlanta

We have a m/cycle race circuit about 5 miles from the hospital I work at. Accident cases from there are usually airlifted to a larger hospital, but we get the ones who try to copy the racers, but on the open highway, on their way home from the track.

A couple of weekend shifts in our A&E department (trauma room), and most people would think twice about not wearing safety gear - it saves lives!

The last case we had in, the guy came off on a bend at about 70mph. Totalled his helmet, skin scrubbed down to the bone on his hip and elbow, bruise on his cheekbone.

Helmets save lives!

Be safe.
Graham.

One thing about the UK is no one rides wearing those silly 'brain buckets' that look like climbing helmets. I've noticed they're very popular in places like Florida, and with Hollywood celebrities on their tarted up Harley's.

You can use hot weather as an excuse for not wearing any helmet or just a glorified piss pot, but on my recent visit to Italy almost everyone was wearing stylish jet-style open face helmets in the summer heat, the Italians having similar EU helmet laws to the UK.

Riding without a helmet is probably more about wanting to look bada** than anything else, and personal choice is the excuse used for doing it.

Meldrew wrote:

Riding without a helmet is probably more about wanting to look bada** than anything else, and personal choice is the excuse used for doing it.

Well said, ala Marlon Brando in "The Wild One". I am SURE we look wild on our Silver Wings...

On a sobering note, a Canadian friend of mine drives a Harley and had new tires installed; then headed out on holiday. Something went wrong in the front end. perhaps the tires were installed incorrectly but who knows? A severe accident resulted and he is lucky to be alive! His helmet and leathers took a lot of the damage. A hospital stay was still a necessity and although he was badly hurt; he is doing well and in the market for a new bike... Had he been w/o a helmet I am afraid a funeral would have been in order.

God created us in His Image! The word Image, carries with it the ability to "reason and think." Now with that said, we should understand why He did that. We should also understand why we should wear a "Helmet." Our brain is what gives us our ability to do what no other creature on this earth is able to do and that is to use common sense when it comes to protecting this physical body which gives us the capability to explore and do things beyond any other creature that inhabits this planet. By our Creators Standards, I am positively sure He expects us to explore our environment etc. but take some precautions to preserve and protect our bodies. That includes the "Brain". With out the brain we will cease to function at the physical level. Why take the risk?
Old Dave in Western Nebraska, U.S.A.

Winger61 wrote:

...A couple of weekend shifts in our A&E department (trauma room), and most people would think twice about not wearing safety gear - it saves lives!...Graham.

I wish when these discussions come up, we had more members who work in trauma rooms or as paramedics tell us what they see all the time.

It is easy to say that no one will force me to wear a helmet or safety gear till you look at people who didn't and got into an accident. And if they are conscious, you can hear their screams.

Chris

JeffR_ wrote:

I understand all of this. But when 400,000 people die a year from smoking, and 35,000 of those that don't even smoke, why is this not brought up also. Look at the 1,000,000 babies that die each year due to abortions. Do you think God approves of all these babies dying. Where are the helmet backers for all of these deaths? I guess alot of helmet wearers on this site smoke and approve of abortions.

Absolute nonsense. There is no rational relationship between smoking, abortion (or God for that matter) and wearing or not wearing a helmet. I suppose the reason we are not talking about some of the latter issues is that this is a riding forum, not a health issues forum. FWIW, you are comparing a very nasty physical/mental addiction that kills over a protracted length of time (I'm not a smoker) with the simple act of placing a piece of plastic on your head and doing up a buckle. Gosh, that's tough isn't it?

Trying to use this topic to raise the abortion issue in connection with this discussion is insulting, no matter what your point of view is.

cjuzda wrote:

Trying to use this topic to raise the abortion issue in connection with this discussion is insulting, no matter what your point of view is.

Definitely +1 on this.

ETA The post cjuzda is referring to is not the kind of comment I would expect of a site administrator.

+2

+3

Um Jeff, there was one other little thing that you did mention and that I and a few others found out of place on this thread/forum.

JeffR_ wrote:

Look at the 1,000,000 babies that die each year due to abortions. ... I guess alot of helmet wearers on this site smoke and approve of abortions.

Do I have to spell it out? Last time I looked this was a Silverwing forum not a political forum. Please keep your beliefs to yourself and don't insult mine.

As I have gotten older I've come to realize that I have neither the time nor desire to wade through this kind of bull****. Time to check out other forums.

Bye folks, it was fun until it wasn't.

Sorry Jeff, I don't think you're a bad guy and you've done a great job with this forum and providing valuable information, but this has gotten completely out of control. I'm sure there are other forums that it would more appropriate for you to participate in with specific reference to your "beliefs", whatever they may be. Practically speaking you have raised issues that have absolutely nothing to do with the topic being discussed. No offense.

Chris

As a newbie to the site, just thought I would share my perspective about helmet use. It is a topic that brings out strong opinions anywhere motorcycle folks gather.

First of all, I respect the right of the individual to choose to do as they see fit on this issue. Personally, I will hardly sit on a bike without a helmet. Wife and I ride bicycles every day, and yes, we wear bike helmets every time. That is our choice.

A few years ago I low sided(ok, crashed) a K1100LT in Arkansas near Petite Jean State Park. Too much front brake in a very slight lean in an "S" curve. Stupid on my part, certainly, but I was wearing jeans, a light weight perforated leather jacket, and a Shoei full face helmet. Result of a 40mph low side: bike slid away, I slid and tumbled several times and landed in a ditch. Hip and leg major bruising, jacket torn up but minimal road rash, and the helmet had several major scratches and dings. Bike was eventually totalled but I managed to ride it(painfully) 400 miles home.

I guess my position is it is great to have a desire for freedom and enjoy the wind in your face, wish I could do that. Experience has taught me to always ride with a good quality full face helmet.

Ride safe.

realbtl wrote:

As I have gotten older I've come to realize that I have neither the time nor desire to wade through this kind of bull****. Time to check out other forums.

Bye folks, it was fun until it wasn't.

+1

It's a forum mate, we're just a bunch of mainly old blokes with a Silver Wing a computer and the time to sit and type this stuff. You don't have to read it, comment on it, or get wound up about it. Life will go on whether you or anyone else leaves. I left that Silver Wing Tech forum a couple of months ago, no one noticed and no one one cared either, which exactly is how it should be.

Meldrew wrote:

It's a forum mate, we're just a bunch of mainly old blokes with a Silver Wing a computer and the time to sit and type this stuff. You don't have to read it, comment on it, or get wound up about. Life will go on whether you or anyone else leaves. I left that Silver Wing Tech forum a couple of months ago, no one noticed and no one one cared either, which exactly is how it should be.

Well said!

Many excellent points here. I rarely ride without and when I do, I am usually thinking how risky/dumb it is to go without. My wife despises how it messes up her hair but I've told her a lot of the same things. Our biggest concern is what our two adult children and other family would go through if we crashed and had brain injuries that a helmet would have prevented/minimized. Death happens - of course, but few people think to remember that death is not the worst thing that could happen. I ride year-round and there are conditions I just won't ride in. The problem is there are others out there that would rather knock me over than obey the laws of the road.

+lots to everyone. Freedom with responsibility is a great thing. Freedom without responsibility is reckless or better yet, a train wreck waiting to happen.

Not wearing a helmet = natures way of eliminating the stupid!!

I agree with Meldrew
Old Dave

In aviation, we have a saying... There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old bold pilots.

Wearing Helmets.

Your LIFE choice.

I believe in personal choice but it must come with personal responsibility. Cannot have one without the other.

Helmet been on my face since 1975 gloves on after 1983 ( lesson learned ) Florida has a no helmet law as long as you have 10 k in health insurance . lol a real joke I know . Come off two wheels and you have already most likey over 10 k

I had an accident a little over a year ago (on a different bike, not my swing) and I was wearing one of those "brain bucket" helmets that have been so derided and insulted as being "useless" by people on this forum.

I was wearing it and some protective padded motorcycle glasses and they protected me perfectly well. The helmet was damaged and the glasses were scratched up from where my head hit the pavement and skidded along for several yards.

I definitely don't consider them useless.

The thread was at the top of my list, I didn't know it was a very old thread. I will be careful to examine the dates of all posts from now on. If you really don't want people posting on old threads, consider locking them if people haven't posted in them after a period of time.

Thank you for taking the hint.

As a member of the emergency services, I cannot understand the desire to spread the contents of one's skull on the tarmac. Research and practical experience show that wearing a helmet reduces injury and saves lives.

Same principle with proper protective clothing. It may not protect against broken bones, but at least all the bits will be in the same bag!

For the record, I do wear a helmet always.

This idea of laws like helmet laws based on perceived public interest should scare the bejesus out of every rational human being.  There is no limit to them.

It's a short distance from the "public good" requiring motorcyclists to wear a helmet to the "public good" banning motorcycles all together.  Same principles, same reasoning.  Apply it to private aircraft, private boats, model airplanes, guns, knives, there is no end.  The banning of certain breeds of dog based on the behavior of a few?  How about banning shorts and t shirts because of the increased risk of skin cancer?  Or that moron Bloomberg in NYC banning soft drinks over 32 oz?

With over 7 billion people on the planet, each of whom has their own perception of public interest, there is no end to the potential for mischief and misery.

Gary

Good point and well said Gary.

Oh those rebel scooter riders. A dangerous bunch i say . A menace to society! Always wanting to go against the grain

I agree with Gary totally. However, I would go ones step further. You have the right to decide IF you want to wear a helmet, BUT society should not have to pay your medical bills for your stupidity!!! LOL

Think i will cancel my MC insurance. Im never going to have an accident so why be dictated by the law to buy something i dont want to! Im also never wearing my helmet again or eye protection! Think i will even wear my coat inside out to show im a free scooter ridin  rebel.........., a bandana for sure.....

How does Vehicle insurance work in the US?
In the UK it's mandatory; drivers/riders are prosecuted for driving without it and the uninsured vehicles can be seized by the police and crushed.
It's a very serious offence here.

MikeO wrote:

How does Vehicle insurance work in the US?
In the UK it's mandatory; drivers/riders are prosecuted for driving without it and the uninsured vehicles can be seized by the police and crushed.
It's a very serious offence here.

Each state sets their own rules and don't even get into local rules and regulations.

MikeO wrote:

How does Vehicle insurance work in the US?
In the UK it's mandatory; drivers/riders are prosecuted for driving without it and the uninsured vehicles can be seized by the police and crushed.
It's a very serious offence here.

Unless the goal posts have been moved in recent years that is not strictly true bud, if you have a specific amount of money lodged at Llyod's of London, personal car insurance is not necessary.

I didn't know that.
My information comes from here:

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-insurance/uninsured-vehicles

In Washington State insurance on motorcycles is not required.