Posted on 07/03/2011 8:33:56 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
LAFAYETTE, NY (WSYR-TV) – New York State Troopers say one man is dead after a motorcycle crash near McClary Road and Route 11 in LaFayette on Saturday.
New York State Police say 55-year-old Philip Contos of Parish was part of a protest against motorcycle helmets.
Police say several motorists from the group ABATE (American Bikers Aimed for Education) of Onondaga County had come together to make a point that they didn't need their helmets.
The group was driving south on Route 11 in Lafayette around 1:30 p.m., headed toward Lake Como, just south of the Finger Lakes.
Police say Contos suddenly hit the brakes and lost control of the motorcycle.
According to troopers, Contos was thrown over his handlebars and hit the pavement as his 1993 Harley Davidson motorcycle skidded toward the guardrail.
Contos was still alive when crews arrived at the scene and was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to police, Contos was not wearing his helmet, as required by law. Witnesses say this decision was part of the protest.
Police say that based on evidence at the scene and from doctors, Contos would have survived if he had been wearing a DOT-Approved helmet.
(Excerpt) Read more at 9wsyr.com ...
Oh, now it makes sense.
Well gosh muawiyah, don’t blow a gasket. It’s just a discussion about laws & personal beliefs. It’s unlikely that helmet laws are going to be repealed nationwide.
That'd be a good reason!
If you’re wearing a seatbelt in an accident it is less likely that you will lose control of the vehicle. This affects other vehicles (people) on the road.
Not so much for a motorcycle helmet.
That type of reasoning can be used to justify nearly limitless government intrusions. And what is a "minimum" level of safety? In my eyes, a minimum level of safety would be to ban motorcycles from public roads completely. But my preference is for the government to stick with rules that safeguard innocent others and let the individual put his own health at risk to whatever degree he wishes.
Don’t forget flip-flops.
These riders always make me cringe when I see them. Or when their girlfriend is wearing a t-shirt and shorts, while the boyfriend is completely protected.
Just the clean up of the remains is so much easier and cheaper to do if the head parts are still in a helmet.
Laws for safety if they concern other people than an individual are fine but you, government, or anyone else have no right to protect my health or safety from actions of my own!
When I intentionally endanger my life and it hurts no one else that’s totally my business and none of yours!
I’ve done it hundreds of times since I made a point of excluding myself from the laws of OSHA by not being on the payroll of my corporation and taking all compensation as rent.
I also won’t wear a seat belt and don’t have to since I drive a 65 Chevy pickup which is exempt!!!!
If I kill myself it’s none of your god damn business!
There's always a massive cost to others when one of these accidents happens on an Interstate.
Anyone who has had a june bug or similar insect enter thier mouths at 60mph appreciates a helmet.
As a former full-time bicyclist, that is how I learned to think. Whenever I came up to a corner, I always assumed he was turning right. This way, because many people don’t signal their intentions, I was always prepared.
There was a particular owner, big body builder Harley rider who was quite the asshole and really took great pleasure in being one.
Well, for months he was never there when I called on his store and was glad because he was a difficult customer.
Low and behold one day I call on the business and there he is......missing his right leg mid-thigh and missing his left arm at the shoulder. Quite shocking as he was a huge guy, massive muscles and attitude to go with it. Now he basically was a feeble cripple in wheelchair.
2:00 one night he was T-boned on his bike at a light by a drunk going 60 MPH, never saw it coming.
Needless to say he was no longer the raging asshole from before.
It is American Bikers Against Totalitarian Enactments.
What the hell is she shocked about? He wasn't wearing a helmet!
It's the same rationale that stupid people use when they don't wear seat belts: they don't wear them because they're not planning on having an accident!
I agree with your sentiments and, as another Freeper suggested, you should be willing to pay extra insurance or taxes to reflect your belief because everybody else, to the reasonable extent possible should not have to bear the brunt of the costs of your decisions.
Almost cut it in 2, but not quite
I have a problem with people using the word “cement” when they mean “concrete”; they are not interchangeable, yet people write and say it all the time.…To clarify, cement is the powder used to make concrete. The hardened surfaces on which we walk and drive are concrete, not cement. It’s really no big deal, just something that leaps out at me when I read it or hear it.
I’ll be happy to defend your right not to wear a helmet or even a seat belt (which you say is legal for your model of car).
But just because you have the right to do something stupid doesn’t make it sensible.
Do you have insurance to cover your lifetime costs in the event of you becoming an invalid due to your choices?
If not, by virtue of you risking yourself, not to death but disability, you are passing those costs onto your fellow taxpayers, which makes it my business.
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