Why do you wear a helmet or not?

[amarider]

A compainion poll for Billys Helmet Law poll.
It would be interesting to see why we wear a helmet or not.

[BillyOmaha]

John, I would have liked to have picked both, my choice and the law.

Why I wear a helmet:

1- It's the law where I live and from the moment I bought the motorcycle I never had to rationalize whether to wear one or not. No debate, no discusion, just put it on and ride.
2- I want to live and enjoy life. I know that I will "go down" someday and when I do, I want to live a life more fulfilling than, say, a squash.
3- I have children, a woman that loves me, family and friends that I want to be around to share my life with and a helmet increases my chances.
4- Not wearing a helmet tells those that love me that I don't care enough about them to want to stay alive and be with them.
5- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I don't care about my life enough to protect it.
6- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I am so arrogant that I believe I'm am impervious to harm.
7- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I am so foolish and irresponsible that you wouldn't trust me to watch your dog overnight.

Full disclosure about a "guilty pleasure":
In Breckenridge during the CCR, Nancy and I rode down main street without our Aria Full Face helmets to see what the attraction was. It was very intoxicating. The sensory perceptions were incredible, especially the sounds. I can see why it's so attractive (addictive) to riders. However, I know that I can get 90% of that sensation wearing an open face helmet and that is a reasonable option.

.

[messenger13]

...if one chooses option 'C', that they are immediately banned from the site? :D

[hawg]

I love my Arai Corsair, hardly ever go without it...real cosy in all kinds of weather and my wife loves it cause it muffles my snoring!!! :rolleyes:

[amarider]

I noticed that you did not have a responce that you wear a helmet because it could be a social burden to others....

I would have your exact list but in this order.


1- I want to live and enjoy life. I know that I will "go down" someday and when I do, I want to live a life more fulfilling than, say, a squash.
2- I have children, a woman that loves me, family and friends that I want to be around to share my life with and a helmet increases my chances.
3- Not wearing a helmet tells those that love me that I don't care enough about them to want to stay alive and be with them.
4- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I don't care about my life enough to protect it.
5- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I am so arrogant that I believe I'm am impervious to harm.
6- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I am so foolish and irresponsible that you wouldn't trust me to watch your dog overnight.
7- It's the law where I live and from the moment it became law I never had to rationalize whether to wear one or not. No debate, no discusion, just put it on and ride.

[amarider]

...if one chooses option 'C', that they are immediately banned from the site? :D

Come on - If you've never been banned then how could anyone be banned for option C!;):p

[motorhead]

Raced off road for over 25 years, and in that time have done some horiffic damage to my helmets.

In my last street bike mishap @ 18 years ago, a fist size chunk of helmet was taken from the side of my Bell aerostar full face, along with ripping the sheild & brackery clean off !!

;) Still here with most of my brain cells ( Age don't count ) and if NOT for HELMETS would be long ago gone from this world.

Very Humbled.
Scott

[messenger13]

Come on - If you've never been banned then how could anyone be banned for option C!;):pTrue dat! All the admins are wimps! :D

[vernvernvern]

To me it is the common sense thing to do.

June bugs hitting you at 60 mph hurt when they hit your face. I don't like that hurt. LOL

My brains are in my head so I feel it's a good idea to use some protection that modern technology provides to protect my brain. It does work most of the time. It's real hard to function with out a brain.

Ride safe...........you'll go farther!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :bmw:

[MOSLEYDS]

I spent some time doing home nursing care for severly disabled people. One was a 30 year old man who, at the age of 18 had crashed his motorcycle and received a disabling closed head injury resulting in severe brain truma. He was able to get arround using a joy stick on his wheelchair. He couldn't speak, but was able to comunicate by putting a pointer in his mouth and pressing keyboard keys. He couldn't feed himself, had a permanent catheter and wore diapers. With good medical and nursing care he could look forward to many more years of this type of life.

Don't wear a helmet...It's your choice: to live the rest of your life not being able to change your own diapers.

[UncleRock]

I spent some time doing home nursing care for severly disabled people. One was a 30 year old man who, at the age of 18 had crashed his motorcycle and received a disabling closed head injury resulting in severe brain truma. He was able to get arround using a joy stick on his wheelchair. He couldn't speak, but was able to comunicate by putting a pointer in his mouth and pressing keyboard keys. He couldn't feed himself, had a permanent catheter and wore diapers. With good medical and nursing care he could look forward to many more years of this type of life.

Don't wear a helmet...It's your choice: to live the rest of your life not being able to change your own diapers.
Anything can happen at anytime, that I accept. My mother died from cancer, yet all but 1 of my siblings smoke?
Fat people eat at McDonalds everyday, raising the price of health ins for non-fat people, because of all the related health problems being overweight brings. The oil that they use in the fryers is now so synthic, it never leaves your body.
Over 100,000 people will have some form of heart attack this year, but less than 5000 died in bike accidents.
I could be in the same state as the young man you spoke of, from the pool cues and bottles that have broken on my head over the years.
I could go through life in a inflated rubber suit, with a helmet on, isolated from life and the things around me, but thats exsistance not living.
I had my helmet on when I rode the 400 miles through the storm of the century to become the legend of the WV Turnpike in 1993. later dubbed the worse winter ride ever by Thunder Press. Not because I was worried about someone running into me, they had closed the turnpike.
I wore a set of full gear well over 400 miles in the heat yesterday, except for the 2-3 miles when I should have had it on the most! Test riding my bike after we got it put back together
Rock

[Ron82much]

Your poll is (unintentionally I'm sure) a bit incomplete in that the only choices appear to be I always wear one (two choices of why) or I never wear one.

My answer would be...

"I wear a helmet when required by law or, when not required, when I choose to based on circumstances."

I wear a helmet most of the time, however under certain circumstances I feel the risk is acceptably low and greatly enjoy riding without it.

[Ron82much]

John, I would have liked to have picked both, my choice and the law.

Why I wear a helmet:

1- It's the law where I live and from the moment I bought the motorcycle I never had to rationalize whether to wear one or not. No debate, no discusion, just put it on and ride.
2- I want to live and enjoy life. I know that I will "go down" someday and when I do, I want to live a life more fulfilling than, say, a squash.
3- I have children, a woman that loves me, family and friends that I want to be around to share my life with and a helmet increases my chances.
4- Not wearing a helmet tells those that love me that I don't care enough about them to want to stay alive and be with them.
5- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I don't care about my life enough to protect it.
6- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I am so arrogant that I believe I'm am impervious to harm.
7- Not wearing a helmet tells others that I am so foolish and irresponsible that you wouldn't trust me to watch your dog overnight.

Full disclosure about a "guilty pleasure":
In Breckenridge during the CCR, Nancy and I rode down main street without our Aria Full Face helmets to see what the attraction was. It was very intoxicating. The sensory perceptions were incredible, especially the sounds. I can see why it's so attractive (addictive) to riders. However, I know that I can get 90% of that sensation wearing an open face helmet and that is a reasonable option.

.


I have had people cite your numbers 4 through 7 to me as reasons why no one should ride a donor-cycle at all. Plenty of times.

[Eric_R]

MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — Motorcycle fatalities involving riders without helmets have soared in the nearly six years since Gov. Jeb Bush repealed the state’s mandatory helmet law, a newspaper reported Sunday.
A Florida Today analysis of federal motorcycle crash statistics found “unhelmeted” deaths in Florida rose from 22 in 1998 and 1999, the years before the helmet law repeal, to 250 in 2004, the most recent year of available data.
Total motorcycle deaths in the state have increased 67 percent, from 259 in 2000 to 432 in 2004, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.
Records, though, also show motorcycle registrations have increased 87 percent in Florida since Bush signed the helmet law repeal on July 1, 2000.
The debate over motorcycle helmet safety resurfaced last week when Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, an advocate of helmet-free riding, broke his jaw, nose and several teeth in an accident. He underwent seven hours of surgery.
Physicians and insurance companies say helmets are crucial safety gear.
But Merritt Island motorcyclist and helmet law opponent Dave Carroll said the helmet law debate is misguided.
“What causes most of the crashes is cars,” he said. “Usually, it’s the car driver turning left at an intersection and causing an accident because they didn’t see us coming.”

[UncleRock]

I have had people cite your numbers 4 through 7 to me as reasons why no one should ride a donor-cycle at all. Plenty of times.
I had a lady at the gym say that to me "Donor-cycle"
I told her she was saying it wrong, when she asked me what I meant. I told her it was a "Boner-cycle" that was what her daugther got everytime she rode with me. Hasn't said a word to me since then??
Rock

[havnablast]

I ride with a helmet because it's the law in my State, Mi. When traveling to other States who have the freedom of choice, my helmet wearing, or not, is determined by the situation in which I'm riding. I do enjoy the feeling of freedom from not wearing one. I understand the risks from riding a motorcycle and try to be safe and aware at all times. Life is good on a bike.

[GregK100rs]

I was roller blading down by the park and a few young girls were standing there talking. All on roller blades. One of the girls, she was 17, was just moving her feet forward and backwards, maybe some nervous energy. You know how girls are. She did this for many minutes, then all of a sudden she lost her balance. She feel backwards, her head hitting the concrete. She may have been all of 5'4" tall and 100lbs. I watched her get collected by the medics and rushed to hospital. I found out later what happened to this beautiful person.

She died from the injuries to her brain. No helmet.

I think of her every time I strap on my helmet.

[SilverBuffalo]

You guys and your gruesome stories are depressing and the newspaper related post is total BS, I worked for a newspaper for over 16 years and I'm here to tell you newspapers don't know a damn thing about either helmets or motorcycles or most of the other things they write about for that matter.
Simple math tells me that if fatalities increased by 67% and registrations increased by 87% motorcycling actually got safer didn't it or is it just that the way they use statistics is a load of crap.

For the record I wear a helmet. I just prefer to, for me it's more comfortable, quieter and it keeps my head from getting sunburned.

[bruce2000ltc]

MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — Motorcycle fatalities involving riders without helmets have soared in the nearly six years since Gov. Jeb Bush repealed the state’s mandatory helmet law, a newspaper reported Sunday.
A Florida Today analysis of federal motorcycle crash statistics found “unhelmeted” deaths in Florida rose from 22 in 1998 and 1999, the years before the helmet law repeal, to 250 in 2004, the most recent year of available data.
Total motorcycle deaths in the state have increased 67 percent, from 259 in 2000 to 432 in 2004, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.
Records, though, also show motorcycle registrations have increased 87 percent in Florida since Bush signed the helmet law repeal on July 1, 2000.
The debate over motorcycle helmet safety resurfaced last week when Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, an advocate of helmet-free riding, broke his jaw, nose and several teeth in an accident. He underwent seven hours of surgery.
Physicians and insurance companies say helmets are crucial safety gear.
But Merritt Island motorcyclist and helmet law opponent Dave Carroll said the helmet law debate is misguided.
“What causes most of the crashes is cars,” he said. “Usually, it’s the car driver turning left at an intersection and causing an accident because they didn’t see us coming.”
The helmet debate should not be about whether helmets save lives or not - most reasonably educated people have come to that conclusion. Several states, realizing that many of their citizens are not reasonably educated, have enacted helmet laws.

The real helmet debate should be about whether or not a state has the right to protect us from ourselves. I think they do, that is, until you've turned the age of 21 (we owe it to our children). 21 and older...it's our right to choose.

Choose wisely.

Bruce Hodges

[meese]

Bummer story, Greg. I can already see a huge push to ban roller blades to save the helpless children.

But I gotta ask: where did you get your avatar, or really, where can I get a copy of the pic? That's definitely laugh-out-loud funny. :D

[VickyBeads]

My brother was in a motorcycle accident back in 84. Wasn't wearing a helmet and has the road rash and memory loss to prove it.

He was in a coma for 4 weeks before he finally came out. Had no memory of what happened. Spent the next two year in rehab learning how to walk, talk and semi think again. He's 50 going on 14.

We never did find out the whole story. He was north bound in the Tehachapi Pass and crossed over 6 lanes of traffic and the grass median before going over a 12 foot embankment. The local VFD received an anonymous call about the accident. His girlfriend at the time ended up with a broken leg and a few scratches. Don't even remember what kind of bike it was.

I had my bike for two months before I told my mom I had one and then only told her when she was taking me to the airport to head back to TX (I'm not good at confrontation). Promised her I was wearing full gear whenever I rode. That was 3 years ago, still wear full gear, even when it's 100 outside.

[SilverBuffalo]

I usually stay out of helmet debates because I know that I'm not going to change anybody's opinion, but the earlier newspaper quotation just got me riled up.
So you may ask why do you have such a low opinion of journalists and newspapers in general?
Having been a part of the inner workings of the St. P Times for over 16 years I can answer that easily, they are unscrupolous liars.

I'll give you a couple of examples:

In the late 60's a guy who had been drinking whiskey, snortin coke all evening along with some hallucinogenics took of all his clothes and rode a motorcycle at a speed over 0ne hundred miles an hour.
Where the road ended he flew between two buildings and took his head of with the electric meter. According to the next days newspaper article, he died because "he wasn't wearing a helmet"

One more, then I'll shut up!

The day the Florida helmet law was repealed a local man died on his motorcycle.
A van turned left in front of him,
he was crushed by the impact and weight of the Goldwing and died of upper body trauma.
So what do you think the headline read?
First non-helmeted fatality after the repeal of the helmet law.

Nobody has done more damage to the image of motorcycling than the media.
End of rant.

[The_Oracle]

I wear a full face helmet simply because when I became a father I swore that I'd take every precaution to be there for my daughter's life. So far, I've kept that promise and will until I can no longer ride.

[hagar]

Even if a helmet offered ZERO protection in a crash, I would still wear one for the sake of keeping wind, bugs, rain, dust out of my eyes. And from keeping my hair from standing straight up! :D

[kdbell]

I did not vote. I feel the question is worded to spark unneeded debate.
I do not see what there is to debate. Proper peer pressure would ask:
"Why don't you wear one! ?"
For the record, my choices in life follow a loose logic I think.
I wear a helmet although there are those on this board who would not approve of my helmet choice.
I do not smoke, never have.
Don't take illicit drugs, never have.
I do not drink with the exception of the occasional holiday glass of wine.

I choose these things.
I choose life and to live it more abundantly.

my $ 1/50th
KennC

[KBandit]

i nearly always wear a helmet, by choice.

but this summer the missus and i spent a few days in glacier national park, which is in montana (no helmet required). when we rode around the park for siteseeing we frequenly went without helmets, and let me tell you, it was a glorious, glorious feeling.

on the road coming and going we wore them religiously.

a good helmet: $200-plus
reconstructive brain surgery: $50,000-plus

cool mountain air blowing through my hair, and being able to thumb my nose at the safety nazis: PRICELESS! :D

[fas]

.....cool mountain air blowing through my hair, and being able to thumb my nose at the safety nazis: PRICELESS! :D

Have you seen the Porsche that lost the fight with a chicken at speed? Hope the attachment worked. Lots of new German windshields are REALLY thin. Part of their weight savings ideas.

Driving to work many years ago in Pittsburgh, PA, I encountered a cage driver who died from a bolt that flew off a truck and stuck in his neck. He died.

One reason I wear a race helmet, not a street helmet, is the face shield is much thicker than the street types. I strive to keep the windshield above my line of sight.

Sweat is good. Vision is good.

[KBandit]

not sure what your meaning is with the truck/bolt anecdote, rob, other than to advocate wearing a neck guard while driving.

look ... each of us draws a line in the sand in the course of our daily lives. i've got a line i won't cross. no doubt my line is different from yours. whose line is correctly marked? i dunno. not sure i'm qualified to judge.

i drink coffee ... but try to limit myself to three cups a day.

i carry a few extra pounds ... but i don't sweat it too much, even though i know it is not good for me.

i sometimes ride a bicycle without a helmet.

i speak out on politics on this board, which as far as i can tell is staffed by gun-lovers, some of whom violently disagree with me.

i have a drink or two on occasion ... and when i hook up with some of my running buds from my earlier, crazier days i have more than a few. not good for me.

and i putt through national parks without a helmet. heavens.

i don't make these points to ridicule your line in the sand. i make them to point out that we all take risks. if we start judging each other based on what we do and what risks we take, then it won't be long before some bureaucrat comes along and decides the correct line for EVERYONE falls just short of riding motorcycles, period.

[dlancello]

In America, when you try to make some one do somthing, we rebel, no matter what the outcome may be.
We have states that require a motorcyclist to ware a helmet and they ware one that offers little or no real protection unless you only hit the top of your head.
My home state of Indiana dosn't require me to ware any type of protective gear but I always ware a full face and glasses and usually ware a jacket.
So I guess this is one of those things that won't ever be properly sorted out.
Maby it's just gods way of culling the herd.

[jgburns]

... should NOT be the brain! ;) I need it to keep a roof over my head, feed/educate my kids, and earn the income to afford a BMW K1200 LT.

As an added benefit, I've found a helmet that fits well and increases comfort, endurance, and confidence.

[jdhargrave]

I like the way my hair looks when I take one off :histerica

[jgburns]

I like the way my hair looks when I take one off :histerica...on your head? :histerica :histerica :histerica

[NOGILLS2]

I usually stay out of helmet debates because I know that I'm not going to change anybody's opinion, but the earlier newspaper quotation just got me riled up.
So you may ask why do you have such a low opinion of journalists and newspapers in general?
Having been a part of the inner workings of the St. P Times for over 16 years I can answer that easily, they are unscrupolous liars.

I'll give you a couple of examples:

In the late 60's a guy who had been drinking whiskey, snortin coke all evening along with some hallucinogenics took of all his clothes and rode a motorcycle at a speed over 0ne hundred miles an hour.
Where the road ended he flew between two buildings and took his head of with the electric meter. According to the next days newspaper article, he died because "he wasn't wearing a helmet"

One more, then I'll shut up!

The day the Florida helmet law was repealed a local man died on his motorcycle.
A van turned left in front of him,
he was crushed by the impact and weight of the Goldwing and died of upper body trauma.
So what do you think the headline read?
First non-helmeted fatality after the repeal of the helmet law.

Nobody has done more damage to the image of motorcycling than the media.
End of rant.


Hans many years ago I was involved in several newsworthy events, only to discover the spin put on stories to make them more sensational, since then I quit believing newspapers and the news on tv or radio.
Another good example is "operation enduring freedom", my son spent 1 year there and we spoke weekly, he would tell me what was going on and I would tell him what the news was saying and they were not even close to the truth. There are many successful events in the war, only you hear none of it, only the bad things!
I am amazed at how so many take the news as Gospel, will argue till the cows come home, and never delve into the true story to discover the facts.
Many have never considered that propaganda is being used to confuse the enemy, They watch CNN and Fox news also!

[meese]

If propaganda was being used to confuse the enemy, wouldn't the news be full of how we're winning the war on terror and how they have no choice but to surrender?

[dhendy]

Two things in this too-long thread that I have to comment on:

1. Hair on head is not always a good thing...as I get older I find that I can usually comb increasing amount growing out of my ears, nose, and eye brows to cover the loss of hair on the top of my head -- what's up with that?

2. Cagers cause biker deaths? I thought that:

- most motorcycle deaths are single vehicle accidents -- as in the motorcycle running into something hard after running off the road.

- most of these of these are after dark.

- most of those riders are coming home after drinking.

I think I am the only non-drinking rider at my bar's bike night -- and that is only b/c there are some folks that would kill me. Especially after reading this somewhat funny article -

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/riding_drunk/

Damn cagers! Are bikes really that hard to see? Surely no harder than a van -- right pete? (Sorry, I could not resist)

[CajunBass]

I wear a helmet because I choose to. (Even though the law in Virginia requires it, I still choose to.)

As I believe I said in another thread, I have never had anyone who didn't want to wear a helmet trying to stop me from wearing mine.

[Montycs]

I used to race bicycles and blew out a front tire going into a curve at 35mph. Landed on my shoulder slid into a curb and tried to block the blow with my head. Luckily my helmet took the brunt of the blow and I was alright other then a separated shoulder and some road rash. I never ride anything with two wells without a helmet on. My wife and kids matter more to me then not to wear one

[mefly2]

... her helmet saved my wife's life about 2.5 years ago when the new scooter she was riding had not been road tested by the dealer ... she had limited braking when turning off of highway and crashed over the boulevard ... she is still receiving physical therapy! Helmets are important in saving lives.

[Morley]

I wear a helmet because I believe the grey matter belongs inside one's skull, not spread across the road like so much peanut butter.

[2fattires]

Yes.
I wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle.
I wear a helmet when I ride my mountain bike.
I wear a helmet when I ride my road bike.
I wear a hemet when I ski.
I wear a helmet when I rockclimb.

I've cracked one mountain biking, one road biking, and one climbing. Any questions?

[larrykay]

Yes.
I wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle.
I wear a helmet when I ride my mountain bike.
I wear a helmet when I ride my road bike.
I wear a hemet when I ski.
I wear a helmet when I rockclimb.

I've cracked one mountain biking, one road biking, and one climbing. Any questions?

Instead of rockclimbing, I wear one while river rafting and kayaking as well as skiing and all forms of biking. I have several cracked helmets on display in my garage. My preaching also saved the head of a friend's son who started wearing one when I insisted that he could not do any riding with me unless he wore a helmet. He was in a serious bicycle accident that almost cost his life, due to head injuries. Helmets save lives!

[NOGILLS2]

I have to say that I am surprised that this subject has attracted so much attention on this website, because of all the "ATTGAT" post that are here. If I bother to wear a pair of cycling pants, a jacket,and full finger gloves, why would I not wear a helmet.

BTW with the medication I am taking right now the only way I will mount the "Beerburner" is with full gear, just common sense while taking blood thinners.

[tvguy]

My helmet is my entertainment center... Everything is piped right in.
Tunes, GPS, Radar. I wear my helmet for safety as well... A few mishaps in the past keeps me wearing it.

[mikehall]

I enjoy life.

[myk_edwards]

However, I know that I can get 90% of that sensation wearing an open face helmet and that is a reasonable option.

.

I'm with you there, I have a BMW system 4, and convert to open face for shorter trips, or when the sun is out, but carry the fullface section in the trunk.

[bluebeam]

3- I have children, a woman that loves me, family and friends that I want to be around to share my life with and a helmet increases my chances.

Ive had enough road rash & concussion for 2 days from a moped wipeout at 25mph when I was 14, I really dont want to go thru that again.

[andy]

You forgot one: "I wear a helmet because otehrwise I would no longer be here to tell about it"

AMHIK

[wacolt]

1. Believe the helmet promotes safety
2. Agreement with TX DPS to wear helmet when certified as MSF RiderCoach
3. Believe the helmet promotes safety

[chrisorkelly]

I wear a helmet because it's the smart thing to do. It's also required by the law, as well as my employer. Sometimes I do not wear a helmet if I am in a state where they do not have so many "protect the stupid people" laws. I guess I have a tendancy to stupidity. Which is too bad, as I 've already reproduced twice, continuing my stupid in the gene pool.

[bovine]

Both concrete and asphalt are pretty hard, and while
I have been accused of having a hard head, but it ain't that hard.
I would just as soon keep it in tack.

[quattro]

1. My family,wife and four kids, is so important to me
2. Why not protect your most important capital?