Well, someone's gotta do it...might as well be me.
It is not INSANE to drive without a helmet. It is not abnormal to ride without a helmet (drive Wisconsin roads anyday to see just how normal it is). It does not mean anyone has a death wish who rides without a helmet. Which is not to say it isn't SAFER to ride with a helmet. But it is our choice, and we do so with full understanding of the risks involved. And stop saying motorcyles are inherently UNSAFE. The only people who say such things don't ride. Learn how to ride one, you'll have a much different opinion. Whoever said "squids"...that's nice, isn't it? That's a good sign of respect for people's choice to ride on two wheels on the roads, isn't it? No wonder we have trouble with idiot car drivers when we ride. They already dismiss us so easily, small wonder they do the same thing when they're driving.
It's not nice, but it's true. I've been passed by people going 120. I didn't see them come up on me. Only saw them after they passed. No helmets. If I had moved into their lane, there is no way they wouldn't have hit me or the concrete wall. If you can guarantee that no other driver will do something stupid that you can't avoid, then you don't need a helmet. I have three friends with one short leg from their cycles.
Motorcycles are inherently unsafe on today's roads because no matter how safe you may be, as this accident demonstrates, you will lose vs. a car.
Roethlisberger, by all accounts, had the right of way....doesn't matter....the car driver was uninjured, and he suffered a head injury (which one must presume would have been greatly mitigated if he had been wearing a helmet).
Its not insane to drive w/o a helmet...after all, I may need a organ someday....
Agreed, but it's extraordinarily STUPID and selfish. This man is likely to be dead by weeks end. Will your opinion change then? Remember, few people are as physically fit as this man was.
In the Maryland motorcycle license exam test, one of the questions is;
"What is the #1 cause of motorcycle accidents and fatalities?"
'Riding without a helmet' is one of the choices but *not* the correct answer.
"Automobiles pulling into the path of oncoming motorcyclists" is the correct answer.
You'd almost think people were so afraid of bikers that they take joy in hearing of their accidents.
[since they're not riders themselves, why else would they be on the thread in the first place?]
To all the bikers here;
"Cagers" don't care about you.
Your [realtively] tiny bike won't do as much damage to their cars as another car would, if they pulled out in front of -it-, instead, therefore, they will not accord you the usual respect and/or attention they'd give to a Mack semi approaching their intersection.
Learn to deal with their callousness [often bordering on disdain and loathing] towards your existence and choice of vehicle and treat every car driver as though they mean to kill you....and drive accordingly....hyper-defensively.
[God, this place is full of buzzards]
It is not INSANE to drive without a helmet. It is not abnormal to ride without a helmet (drive Wisconsin roads anyday to see just how normal it is). It does not mean anyone has a death wish who rides without a helmet. Which is not to say it isn't SAFER to ride with a helmet. But it is our choice...
Helmet laws suck, but then again, I don't ride a bike, so I don't care. I do wear a seat belt, and those laws suck too. But just a quick question: do helmet wearers in PA pay a smaller premium for insurance than those who like to fly their melon proudly? I don't mind if the herd culls itself voluntarily, I just don't want to pay for it, know what I mean?
Sorry but Cycles are unsafe period when riding in and around cars at speed.
If you don't believe me then I have a small experiment that should prove such.
Sit on your bike and have a car traveling just ten miles an hour hit you broadside. Chances are you will have severe injuries, maybe even loose a limb by having it crushed.
Now sit in your car and have a similar vehicle hit you at ten miles per hour broadside. Chances are if you have your seat belt on worst is gonna happen is maybe some whiplash or banging your head against the side window and get a concussion. You could still get hurt bad in such a wreck in a car but if I knew I HAD to have such an accident And I got to choose whether I was in a car or on a cycle I know which line I would be in.
Wrecking on a bike (running into another vehicle or stationary object) at highway speeds even with a helmet on most likely will mean permanent injury if you are real damn lucky and if you are not, death and/or dismemberment. In a vehicle with airbags and seat belts you have a much better chance of surviving and may even avoid serious injury all together.