[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

[HamiltonJay]

Motorcycle accidents by and large fall into 3 categories:

1) careless and immature bikers speeding or performing other wrecklace acts

2) Older/Baby Boomers buy far too much bike for their abilities. A 55 year old who has never ridden a motorcycle before in their life goes out and buys a machine with more power to weight ratio than the muscle car they owned in the late 60's or 70s and then promptly wraps it around a tree, or ditch or other object.

3) Caged drivers pulling out in front of them, on top of them etc etc.

I don't buy into the argument not wearing a helmet makes you safer or more aware, it doesn't. Don't believe government should be telling adults they have to wear one either.

I personally think that the policy of requiring age and experience to be a prerequisite to bike licensing, similar to Germany would be the best course from a public safety perspective... IE The larger and more powerful bike you are licensed to drive, is in direct perportion to your age and experience. Its not going to happen, but that's a far more sound public policy from a public safety perspective than simple mandatory helmets.

[JoeFromCA]

How many miles have you ridden in your lifetime?

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

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

Not true for me (I've been riding for 25 years). Without a helmet I'm more aware of the noise that wind makes rushing past my ears and I'm more aware of the bugs and rocks that hit me in the face. Other than those two things I'm more aware of everything else with afull face helmet on.

That being said, there should not be a law requiring helmets. If some idiot wants to splat his/her brains on the concrete that's fine with me.

I think the "study" that found that $103 million taxpayers dollars was spent on 119 people in motorcycle accidents is a bunch of crap. No way roughly one million govt. dollars was spent on each person. The only way this is true would be if they counted 100 govt. HUD workers (do nothing so must be assigned somewhere) on the payroll for each accident.

More nanny-state govt. at work...

[JesseHousman]

I agree with your #2, Joe.

[RightWhale]

Are you talking about the full helmet that limits both seeing and hearing? Don't they allow the kind that protects the brainpan yet leaves ears and eyes open?

[RWG]

You're supposed to wear motorcycle helmets, not football helmets. Saying helmets cause accidents is like saying birthdays cause pregnancies.