[joesnuffy]

Helmets cause accidents...you can be more aware of what is going on around you without one and hence avoid accidents..

I'll bet more bikers with helmets get into accidents than without...(if you throw out data from the pharmacologically impaired biker's accidents)

In biking where there is no traffic to watch out for...in the woods racing etc...helmets are a great idea)

imo

[Onelifetogive]

They point to a Louisiana safety commission report that estimated that 46 deaths and 73 severe injuries could have been avoided if motorcyclists had worn helmets between 1999 and 2002. The study calculated that those casualties cost the citizens of Louisiana $102 million.

Maybe the citizens of Louisiana should elect politicians who won't PISS AWAY $100 million taxpayers dollars on 119 private citizens who commit motorcide (Or is it suicycle?)

[CalvaryJohn]

Let those who ride decide. If you choose to not wear a helmet, however, you are just being foolish.

[JSteff]

There is one good thing about "No Helmet" laws. My wife is an R.N. and says that they usually leave good organ donor bodies. Unlike those who die from old age etc, most of the time the other organs are in relatively good shape.

[HELLRAISER II]

If & when you ride a motorcycle without a helmet, you most definately are taking your life in your own hands. I hate some laws as much as the next guy, but helmets should be required when riding on the asphalt. Just my most humble opinion.

[nothingnew]

What are "do-rags"?

FMCDH

[BraveMan]

Louisiana's Fatality Rate Experience with the Reenactment of a Helmet Law – A Classic "Misrepresentation" of the Facts

Did Louisiana have a 30% reduction in fatalities when they reenacted a helmet law 1982 as compared with fatalities from '76 - '81?

This is a classic "misrepresentation" of the facts. After Louisiana reinstated a mandatory helmet law in 1982, the NUMBER of fatalities decreased ONLY because of a substantial DECREASE in the number of registered motorcyclists. The fatality rate (fatalities/100 accidents) actually went UP, which is contrary to what is implied by the insurance industry.

Yes, fatality rates for motorcyclists DID increase from 1976 through 1981 in states that repealed their mandatory helmet laws. What the anti-choice folks never mention is the fact that fatality rates actually rose slightly HIGHER during the same time period in states that still maintained a mandatory helmet law when compared to "repeal" states. There was also a corresponding increase in fatality rates among drivers of compact vehicles and light trucks. These increases were due to the increased usage of economical transportation by new and inexperienced riders and drivers during the "energy crisis". This can be easily verified through NHTSA. It should be noted that approximately 70-85% of all motorcycle fatalities occur among NEW riders (less than one year of riding experience) and that with any significant increase in motorcycle registrations comes a corresponding increase in fatalities.

From BULLET POINTS FOR ADULT CHOICE ON THE HELMET LAW ISSUE

[Tax Government]

State legislators all over the country should be wearing motorcycle helmets while doing official business. I advocate a referendum in each state to force this.

Soft heads need protection.

[friendly]

Fine: no helmet, no Medicare/disabilty/welfare when you end up a brain damaged vegetable as so many bikers do. The problem is that the low lifes on hogs are always demanding their welfare.

[WackyKat]

Not wearing a helmet does not cause an accident," said Lawless, ABATE-Louisiana's vice president. "And just because you have a helmet on does not mean you're going to survive an accident."

Exactly the sort of non-logic I would expect from an anti-helmet idiot.

[tje]

I always thought that a person who didn't think their head was worth the cost of a good helmet was probably right.

[martin_fierro]

	FReeper Motorcycle Hooligan
Send FReepmail if you want on/off FMH list

[JoeSixPack1]

Blah, blah, blah ,blah

Make law, rescind law, make law, rescind law, make law, rescind law.

I'm so cornfused!

Oh look, goofy brother-in-law is gonna die too!!

[newgeezer]

A motorcyclist is now 26 times more likely to die in a crash than an automobile passenger

I wonder how many different ways there are to measure such a "statistic." I mean, at the very least, there is deaths-per-million-miles-traveled, deaths-per-million-passenger-miles-traveled, deaths-per-registered-vehicle, ...

[petercooper]

Government shouldn't legislate common sense.

[Old Professer]

46 deaths, 73 injuries cost Louisiana $102 million? That would be $857,142 each; highly questionable numbers.

[70times7]

Have a buddy who was out riding with friends and went down without a helmet - nearly died from head trauma. I also know of a professional rider who hit the pavement going only about 10 mph and was killed - no helmet. I ride all the time and I am super wary of cars. I was run off the road 2 years ago when a pick-up truck cut me off. I had no serious injuries, just some scrapes. Their insurance paid for bike repairs.

I always wear a helmet, and often quip that those who don't have nothing to protect. It scares the excrement out of me that I am at the mercy of cars pulling out in front of me as I tool along at 20 to 25 mph.

Don't think I mentioned I'm talking about bicycles in all the above accidents. Take the MPH up to 60 and give it a go? Not me, pal - helmet or not. It's not the bikers, it's all the idiots in cars that make it way too dangerous. BTW, the quip still applies.

[R. Scott]

Even when its helmet law was in place, Pennsylvania's motorcycle deaths rose 42 percent between 1996 and 2002 - outpacing a 35 percent increase in ridership during that same time. After two decades of steady decline, U.S. motorcycle deaths also are up, by more than 50 percent since 1997.
A motorcyclist is now 26 times more likely to die in a crash than an automobile passenger, with 3,141 killed in 2001. Researchers are still exploring the causes of the sudden rise, and possible culprits include more motorcycles, bigger engines, older riders, increased alcohol consumption, and the repeal of helmet laws.

As an ex-biker with more than twenty years on a Harley I have to chime in here.
Much like the move to “safer” cars, helmets tend to give the novice rider a false sense of security.
Why pay attention to road conditions and traffic when I’m “safe”? In a car I have explosive restraints (AKA “air bags), three point seat belts, crushable frame (AKA “impact absorbing”), and great insurance coverage to cover any financial liability.
On a motorcycle I have a helmet – it guarantees my safety no matter how idiotically I ride. After all, anytime a rider is killed when not wearing a helmet the news report always mentions the deceased wasn’t wearing a helmet. They seldom if ever mention the rider was wearing a helmet.
Of course, there is the little thing about restricted vision and hearing …
As long as people have this false sense of invulnerability they will continue to live dangerously and take unnecessary changes.
I’ve made the coast to coast run twice on a Harley before many of the States caved in to the federal green mail and enacted helmet laws. Many times riders of crotch rockets (wearing full face helmets and full leather in warm weather) would ask me why Harley riders mostly rode near the speed limit and never really maxed out. I would always tell them that the ride on a Harley - without a helmet - was the fun (on a Harley), and was far more important than actually arriving in a hurry.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I heard in the area news last week that motorcycle-related crashes and fatalities are up in Illinois.

[hosepipe]

Going 80 miles an hour can kill you on a motorcycle even if your stopped..enclosed in an 18 wheeler with bubble wrap all around you...