Driving through Indiana today, I was struck by tne number of helmetless motorcycle riders. Riders in shorts and no helmets....that's very scary to me.

What do you think - helmet or no? What's your personal preference if you or yoru loved ones ride? Do you think it should be a law?

cj/

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If a person values their life, I can't understand why the would ride w/o a helmet. It just seems common sense to me!

We live in a "hot bed" of motorcycle activity--just a little ways from Butte (home of Evil Kneivel) and about 6-7 hours from Sturgis, and about 4 hours from Glacier National Park/Canadian Border. I'd say that it's about a 50/50 split on the helmet.

I just don't understand why you wouldn't ride w/ a helmet--boggles the mind. Of course, I've had the opportunity to see head vs. highway--the highway always wins!

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This is difficult. We have a motorcycle and the rule here is you have to wear a helmet...period AND full garb (jacket, leathers, etc). It sucks in the summer but we are alive and not all scrapped up.

We are a no helmet required state and we are the only ones in our group of friends who wears them. I think it's funny that we have seat belt laws, car seat laws, drinking and drinking laws but no helmet law. Wouldn't a helmet and a seat belt be the same kind of law? I have seen small children riding behind some of the riders with no helmet and I get SO MAD! I mean, piss away your life but not your kids KWIM? I know two people who have died from no helmet that would have otherwise most likely survived 9it was head injuries that killed them). It's a no brainer but I know A LOT of people around here are against a law to say you have to wear a helmet

Of coarse I think it's kind of an oxymoron when you see a person in a helmet with a tank top (or no top), shorts and flip flops...sure you care about your brain but not the rest of your body? Gives us the heebie jeebies

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and then they wreck, if they do survive then insurance has to kick in, should be some other option for insurance companies about people who think their above death by not wearing a helmet and proper clothing

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We have a helmet law here in CA. But you still see the idiots riding their crotch-rockets in shorts, tanks & flip flops. They just haven't learned that it's not a matter of "if" you go down, it's "when"...

We call them future organ donors.



I think it should be law like seatbelt laws or make some sort of provision that if I hit you accidentally and you die because you didn't have a helmet then I shouldn't have to pay for your mistake for the rest of my life.

What? YOU hit someone and it's not your fault?

dl

I think it should be a law for the riders to wear a helmet . leathers and full shoes, not flip flops. I have had clients who were wearing helmets and hit dogs, deers , gravel or other stuff in the road and wiped out and the road rash is HORRIBLE.... not to mention that some were stuck in wheelchairs now for the rest of their lives.
I also agree that if someone is riding without a helmet and wipes out due to something that wasnt someone elses fault, the insurance shouldnt have to pay for forever for their lack of good sense.

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Just because a motorcyclist doesn't have a helmet on doesn't give anyone else the right to hit and kill them. Even if the motorcyclist had a helmet on doesn't mean that if they're hit they wouldn't die. Sometimes internal injuries is what kills.
I believe in helmet laws for anyone riding a motorcycle. Here in AR the helmet law applies to those under the age of 21.

A 50 year old gal just died from not wearing a helmet. She was on the back of the motorcycle (her hubby was driving) and they swerved to miss a deer. She hit her head on the pavement and was killed instantly.

If I think about it too much I get really worried, but DH doesn't wear enough gear to be safe, we might need a talk about that. He has a great padded leather jacket, but the helmet needs improvement and he would never ride in anything other than at least boots and jeans.

Those people in shorts and tank tops should get pulled over and made to walk home, that is just stupidity. And FLIP FLOPS!

A friend of his just had an accident this past week, looks like he;ll be ok, don't know about the girl he had with him. And my FIL dumped it last year but he was fine, the proper gear makes all of the difference.

I complained about falling in the driveway and skinning my knee, I can't imagine the pain of road burn all over my body. And that would be a lucky accident.

So to the original question, yes to helmet laws! And how about a law against flip flops and shorts?

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Yes, I think you should wear a helmet. But, I must say.... I don't get too upset when I see someone on a bike without a helmet, especially if they're old enough to know better (gray hair). I just tend to think of it as a "natural selection" type of thing. It's nature's way of weeding out the stupid. LOL

Now.... if I saw a CHILD on that bike without a helmet, I think I'd get extremely upset. I get very upset when I see little ones that are not in a seat belt.

.

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I completely agree.

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I think it should be a law that you wear a helmet. I don't ride, but I would love to learn someday. ~Lisa

It's a law in my state that the motorcycle rider must wear a helmet.

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It is STUPID on their part .
I live in Indiana and I totally agree they need to wear helmets! We need our law changed so they have to wear them.

I worked at a hospital and every spring one of the orthopedic doctors refered to them as "our bread and butter."
The bad thing is that we have to pay for medical expenses for those with no hospital insurance.:

There is a couple north of us that are both injured and they are wanting donations for them and their children.

Here in Virignia you have to wear a helmet.

DH rides with helmet, boots, leather gloves and leather jacket. If he goes down, at least his head and skin is protected.

What we have to watch out for is all the idiots on the road who ignore the motorcyclist!

I think they call them "donorcycles" around here because of organ donations from brain injuries. That says it all for me!

If adults don't want to wear helmets and wind up dead, that is their choice IMHO. I do think there should be helmet laws for those under 18, kids should be protected until the law says they are an adult and then they are free to make up their own minds.

I have nothing at all against motorcycles and those that ride them but I cannot understand why in the name of all that is holy you'd want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet on.

But then I think the same thing every time I see people riding horses and not wearing helmets. That is something I do have experience with, I've seen first hand what can happen to someone riding without a helmet and it isn't pretty. I can only imagine what it's like to be in a motorcycle wreck with no helmet on.

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Only if they have insurance to take care of their self.
That sounds good but what about the ones that don't end up dead but lay in the hospital running up bill with NO insurance.

It is passed on to those of us who do pay.

My mom works in a funeral home and they say the difference between helmet/no helmet is open casket/closed casket.

Helmet laws and seatbelt laws are enacted for one reason and one reason ONLY-to generate money into municipal funds.
If the government really cared about our health they would ban HFCS and smoking.
Don't tell me this crap about saving lives of course seatbelts and helmets save lives but it should be a personal choice just like smoking or eating like a pig.
The government and law enforcement care less about your health and safety then they do about how much $$$ they take in.

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I think wether or not riders have insurance is a non-issue. How is a helmetless rider winding up in a hospital on the tax payers dime any different than people having kids they can't afford and one of them winding up in the hospital on the tax payers dime? Or someone with no insurance getting cancer and winding up in the hospital on the tax payers dime? We all wind up paying for things we don't want to, that is the way our society works.

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In your first example the child did nothing wrong. In the second, cancer is liable to strike anyone. Wearing a helmet is a choice.

I think that under age 21, helmets and gear should be required for riders as well as drivers. After age 21, you can either sign a waiver on your driver's license that will remove any responsibility for providing for your medical care if you are hurt while riding on a bike, or option two is to buy special insurance for just such a event. If you chose the first option, you simply take care of any injuries yourself or pay upfront for medical care. In the second option, your special policy would cover you to the limits in the policy. It can get pretty expensive when you end up at age 23 and have to spend the rest of your life in a head injury section of a nursing home.

This is from NHTSA but I'm not sure of the date.

Most of the studies reviewed in the course of this project examined the impact of safety helmets or helmet laws on motorcycle injuries. These studies consistently found that helmet use reduced the fatality rate, the probability and severity of head injuries, the cost of medical treatment, the length of hospital stay, the necessity for special medical treatments (including ventilation, intubation, and follow-up care), and the probability of long-term disability. This work reinforces similar conclusions from earlier studies.

A number of the reviewed studies examined the question of who pays for medical costs. Only slightly more than half of motorcycle crash victims have private health insurance coverage. For patients without private insurance, a majority of medical costs are paid by the government. Some crash patients are covered directly through Medicaid or another government program. Others, who are listed by the hospital as “self-pay” status, might eventually become indigent and qualify for Medicaid when their costs reach a certain level.

While the literature has widely explored acute medical costs, research is sparse in the areas of long-term medical and work-loss costs. For victims of serious head injury, acute hospital care might be only the first stage of a long and costly treatment program. For many crash victims, lost wages from missed work days will outweigh medical costs. And for victims who are permanently disabled, their earnings might be reduced for the rest of their lives. More research is needed on these subjects to provide a more comprehensive picture of the full cost of motorcycle crash injuries.

Here's the link to the whole thing.
Costs of Injuries Resulting from Motorcycle Crashes: A Literature Review, Overview, September 2002, DOT HS 809 242

My SIL bought a motorcycle and I absolutely hate it. I worry about him when he's riding.

Thank God, though, at least my DD can't ride on it with him.

I think helmets should be mandatory in all states~

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in Tn there is a road called the dragon that motorcyclist love. You wouldnt believe the amount motorcyclists especially crotch rockets that go over 100 mph on this road, no helmet, shorts and a white beater. They say there is an ambulance up and down this road all the time. I dont understand how one person would want to do this to themselves. Ky doesnt have a helmet law as far as I know or atleast you see alot of people w/o helmets on.

steph

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What surprises me is how many motorcyclists don't seem to get the idea that MOST accidents will NOT be their fault. Of course if they were alone on the road in perfect weather with no possibility of interference they probably wouldn't need a helmet. But can't they even entertain the possibilities? For crying out loud, we just had a gentleman die on his motorcycle because he ran into a wolf! The potential for mishaps on a motorcycle are mind-boggling!

I think it should be a personal choice. I also think it should be up to insurance companies to stipulate wether or not they will cover your injuries/death if you are in an accident and NOT wearing a helmet.

I worry about people on motorcycles. When a motorcycle wrecks, unlike a car, there is not much to absorb the impact. So, the person riding it usually takes the brunt. I hear about someone dieing on a motorcycle at least twice a month.

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think it should be law like seatbelt laws or make some sort of provision that if I hit you accidentally and you die because you didn't have a helmet then I shouldn't have to pay for your mistake for the rest of my life

If you *accidently* hit them..then YOU was not paying attention...what is next...you want people on the sidewalk to wear helmets in case you *accidently* hit them..the ones crossing the streets? Walking thru parking lots?
That is a insane comment...
What bothers me is the ones who yack on cell phones, throw open their doors on the street without even looking to see what is coming...
I have more of a chance of being killed by a person *accidently* going down the road on any given day on my bike then me dropping it..and I will one day..I will..
I guess the guy who turned his boat *accidently* over into the lane DH was in was faultless..
Give me a break.
I wear a helmet and leather...and would even if it was not the law in VA.

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Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard

I work in a hospital and witnessed this first hand this past weekend. A married couple drove with helmets through WV. When they reached Ohio, where helmets are not required, the husband took off his helmet. They were involved in an accident minutes later, and the husband (36 yr old) was determined to be brain dead. The wife broke her arm, but will recover. The husband did become an organ donor.

What a senseless waste.

Helmets seatbelts, knee pads, chest protectors, mouth guards the more safety the better i feel. Seriously these items are made to help us and safe our lives which are so precious, I cannot understand how many people still do not use a seatbelt, it simply blows my mind. What are these people thinking. Peace to all. Catherine

+Seeing people on motorcycles without helmets makes me cringe. I hate it. I just wish someone could put some sense into them!

Something that wasn't mentioned or brought up was scooters or mopeds.
Do those who are for helmet wearing also feel they should be extended to these as well (I do).

And what about those battery operated scooters that the kids were using not so long ago. We bought our son one, and he was all over the place in it. It went pretty fast as well. Helmet or no?

What about non motorized bikes? Bicycles? Helmets? Yes/no?

I mean, I guess what I am saying is, where do we draw the line on what, as a society, we deem to be right for another? I think that if a helmet law is passed, it should be put into place for anything that is riden. Period.

I have to echo the sentiments that were said about riding a horse without a helmet. It boggles my mind as well why people don't wear helmets. The injuries sustained from ONE fall can be the same as any injury off of a bike.

Anything can happen anywhere to anyone.

Maybe we need to stay inside a room with padded walls, ceiling, and floor so we are overly protected. Well, some should be in a padded room......

dl

I have to echo the sentiments that were said about riding a horse without a helmet. It boggles my mind as well why people don't wear helmets. The injuries sustained from ONE fall can be the same as any injury off of a bike.
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The worst I have heard of around here from a fall is back injurys, or tail bone from a horse...however I can personally count 7 people I know that have permant brain injury from being KICKED by their horses while screwing around in the stalls, fooling with their feet etc...yep 7...and they were no where near riding the horse, so IMHO the horse is more dangerous while NOT riding it then while riding it...
Other then some stupidity, most motorcycle accidents are caused by other people not paying attention...going thru red lights, drifting over in front of them on the road, opening up doors on streets without looking etc...
What about people that ski? They are hurt horribly all the time, not counting getting killed...snowboarding...walking along the road for their jogs...
The list can be endless...there comes a time when you just have to stop being big brother to everyone.
And in our town, the moped drivers have to wear helmets too..
Though I am constantly amazed at the people who have growed to adulthood without bicycle helmets and other concerns we seem to have now..utterly amazed!!

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"Cast upon this globe without physical strength or innate ideas, incapable in himself of obeying fundamental laws of this nature which call him to the supreme place in the universe, it is only in the heart of society that man can attain the pre-eminent position which is his natural destiny. Without the aide of civilization he would be one of the feeblest and least intelligent of animals.."
Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard

Me too.

Maybe we just got smarter than those stupid backwards ol' foogies who lived in the 70's?

I think each generation feels as if they are smarter than the last and are trying to "one up" those that came before, on what they feel will better help humanity. Unfortunately, don't they think we have to draw the line somewhere? We only have so much to work with here! lol

If I were to ever ride a motorcyle (which I wouldn't), I would wear a helmet. I think it only makes sense to do it.
When I was in college we had a neighbor who said he always wears his helmet and riding gear because he took a spill once and scraped up his body pretty bad. He said he doesn't allow anyone to ride with him without all their gear on, either.
Not long ago one of my husband's coworkers had an accident on a motorcycle with his girlfriend. They never wore helmets...she died.

Here in Texas we used to have a mandatory helmet law. Back in 1997 they modified it so that anyone 21 or over are exempt from wearing a helmet if they have completed a motorcycle safety class and are covered by a health insurance plan.

I pray my kids never want to ride motorcycles.

Am I confused in thinking that in States that require seat belts, your insurance company will pay if NOT wearing a seat belt ??... I have a clause in my policy that states if I don't have a seat belt on they can reject the pay out for any and ALL damage's/ medical bills.

We are a helmet require state and seat belt require state.

My SIL has a Bike and I hate hate hate it when he rides or has my DD or grandkids with him.

I think that if you are on a motorcycle you should have a helmet on. When you are in a car you have to wear a seatbelt. Its about being safe. Accidents happen everyday and if it can save one life than that is a good thing.

I believe in helmet laws - my husband is alive today because a helmet saved him in an accident. (and yes, it was the car driver who was at fault/not paying attention) Most military bases require helmets for bicyclists as well - so not wearing a helmet has never been an option for my children. Funny thing though, we pulled up next to motorcycle in Wichita, KS and my 4 yr old son looked over at the guy (who wasn't wearing a helmet). and said, "Wow, I bet his mom would be pretty mad if she saw that he didn't have his helmet on" I laughed and said "Yep, that would be a total time out!"

If it has wheels and no doors....you ought to wear a helmet