A motorcycle course likely won’t help….most motorcycle crashes are caused by cars or trucks that don’t see the bike. We won’t get on the bike without a helmet and we live in a state that has not required helmets for years.
$10K medical insurance won’t cut it either.
I understand having a choice, but to me the choice to feel the wind in my hair isn’t worth a traumatic brain injury. I know it doesn’t guarantee I will live through a crash, but it sure increases the odds
Use a helmet if you like. It should be up to EACH INDIVIDUAL RIDER to determine what he/she feels is the appropriate level of protective gear to wear. Do you also wear a full leather racing suit with steel knee pads ‘every time you ride’ ??? No ? WHY NOT ? Those are proven by motorcycle racing riders to prevent or mitigate serious injury even at very high speeds. My point is every situation is different and requires different judgements to be made by the RIDER not by some bureaucrat or legislator !!!!
My concern is the impact it will have on auto liability rates. The lack of a helmet can cause an accident that would have been a minor injury into a severe brain injury or death claim. The cost of the claim then skyrockets.
———– insurance companies neither raised their rates in states that ended the nanny law, nor lowered their rates in states that invoked this fascist intervention . . .
I don’t understand your comment, sorry. Why wouldn’t insurance rates decrease if the state law requires a helmet? Auto rates (for injury) are lower if the state has a seatbelt law.
——- your intuition is not accurate when it comes to insurance companies. the rate doesn’t go up when a state repeals its nanny law. nor does the rate go down when a state mandates helmets for everyone . . .
Wayne is right. I work in the insurance industry and I can tell you that insurance premiums and rates are based on the length of the states riding season and per capita vehicles on the road. Florida and Texas have high premiums/rates while the Dakotas have lower rates for example.
people needs to watch while they drive if you don’t know how to ride stay off the bike and if you don’t know how to watch for other drivers you should stay off the road its not my fault that people are to stupid and not know how to drive it should be my choice if I want to wear a helmet not yours. II been riding when I was 8 years old and I’m 41 now never wear a helmet till I moved to this state.
At what impact speed does the DOT helmet become ineffective? Do you recommend suing helmet distributors who sell helmets that do not pass DOT testing? Or suing helmet distributors whose helmet do not prevent brain injury or add to the injury? What percentage of motorcycle deaths/injuries are due to brain injury? All of them? Is Medical Payment intended to replace health insurance? Who pays for higher insurance costs, motorcycle riders or automobile riders? What is the cost for uninsured on a motorcycle rider as compared to an automobile?
A helmet ‘choice’ bill does not STOP any rider from wearing a ‘helmet’ or any other type of protective gear that THEY may choose. Untimatly it is the RIDERS risk of injury to accept. This just frees motorcyclist from harrasment by LE and from being FORCED by certain helemet manufactures into buying a product that may , or may not prevent injury. If the ‘cost of a head trauma injury’ is a REAL argument and all automobile drivers and PASSENGERS should ALSO be required to wear a helmet also as we ‘all bear the cost’ of injuries they suffer in accidents’ also (sarcasm intended here ……)
Brain trauma is not going to be limited to $10,000. That limit might pay for transport to a hospital where the trauma can be treated, where you can only hope that the individual comes out of the coma and isn’t a vegetable for life. Does anyone really believe that not wearing a helmet makes you more of an adult? Foolish is as foolish does.
———- if it’s true that helmets save one’s life, then why not DIScourage helmet use – since it’s so much more likely that a biker dumb enough not to use a helmet, will die – thus avoiding all those long-term, expensive vegetables in medical wards ?
$10k would pay for a medical scan and 5 minutes of a physician assistant’s time. A lifetime of 24/7 care for a biker with a preventable head injury costs millions.
I don’t ride anymore but I did like riding without a helmet. But on the two occassions where a driver who either didn’t see me or just didn’t want to wait till I passed by and pulled out in front of me, on those occassions, I just happened to be wearing a helmet and even though we both hit our heads on the ground, we didn’t even have a concussion, but a headache instead, plus some stitches required for my hand and my girl’s knees. So helmets work. the only real complaint I have is when someone riding without a helmet gets a head injury and expects continuing medical care or gets an attorney and expects someone else to pay for their long term care. If they are not at-fault, the helmet is a non-issue but when they are a contributor to the fault, the rider gets what he paid for and only that. But you can expect lawyers and judges to make laws where there weren’t any, so anyone riding without a helmet is not the “free’ spirit they mean to be, once they are faced with injury and financial ruin. How do we address that?
I know first hand that the helmetlaw is a really good law and that every state should have one, because a friend of mine wrecked with a HELMET ON just about every bone in his body was broke (but not his skull) and he is alive today! On the other hand my only child was in SC, which has no law, he choice not to wear his helmet, he wrecked and the only injury he had was to his skull. He passed away at the age of 28, leaving behind a wife and two small children.So someone PLEASE explain to us how a helmet law is not needed. They need to leave things the way that are in this state. It has been said that helmets don’t save lifes I SAY THEY ARE WRONG!!!!!
We the riders should have our rights If we want to wear a helmet i’m from Ohio moved here in 2009 I’m 41 years old and I been riding a long time and never wear a helmet till I moved here. It should be my right not to wear or to wear on not anybody else If people don’t know how to ride stay off the motorcycle and for the people that’s in the car they need to watch what they do if they don’t know to look for other drivers they don’t need to be one the road. It not my fault that people is to stupid not to look for other drivers and you say motorcycle hard to see I drive a car and I see them so that is not a good reason to anybody people needs to learn how to drive
Insurance companies are not the reason for helmet laws. Most ligitation comes in response to an attorney for someone who got injured and wants someone else to pay for their medical bills when their insurance ran out. The trial bar is the more likely culprit for insurance companies lobbying efforts to reduce liability….and mostly for liability which was not agreed to in the original insurance contract. Personal Injury lawyers are now a whole industry group that worked to create liability where there was none and force insurers to pay where there are no other “payers” available to sue, such as in extraordinary medical bills or uninsured/underinsured motorists coverages; these types of cases border on the equivalent of a moral hazard but government is always on the side of the “little guy” (read that as the one without the helmet who had no insurance but has big medical bills) Can you say personal injury lawyer? I knew you could.
We can legislate against ignorance or we can legislate ignorantly. I vote for the first.
Actually, if one does not want to wear a helmet, that is a simple choice. Just stay off public roads.
Would those who advocate against having to wear a helmet agree to signing a waiver releasing any and everyone from liability to pay for head injuries and resulting disabilities?
You know, maybe we should repeal helmet laws. While we are at it, we could repeal seat belt laws, speed limits, required car safety features and even traffic signals and stop signs. All of those interfere with my freedoms to die as I wish, too.
——— we could, and probably should, repeal all those laws . ah, but then, of course, you’d have to think for yourself – which you’re marginally not able to, now . . .
——— you do know, ken, that automobile drivers suffer TEN times the number of head-induced fatalities (twenty times as many if we only consider unhelmeted m’cycle drivers… ) ? . . .
actually, pedestrians have even more fatalities. so, according to you, there should be a law requiring one to wear a helmet in a shower, as well as on the sidewalk . . .
i’m pretty sure you won’t read this, but some statistics are here for you:
I was involved in a motorcycle wreck in SC years ago, spent 2 weeks in the hospital, we weren’t wearing helmets, the cop told my wife that if I was wearing a helmet I would most likely be dead, the strap on the helmet the way I hit the back of the car would of broke my neck. I had no major head or brain injuries. I don’t believe in helmets, I believe in let the rider decide if he wants to wear one or not. They’re more head injuries from car wrecks but no one is pushing for car drivers to wear a helmet!
A motorcycle course likely won’t help….most motorcycle crashes are caused by cars or trucks that don’t see the bike. We won’t get on the bike without a helmet and we live in a state that has not required helmets for years.
$10K medical insurance won’t cut it either.
I understand having a choice, but to me the choice to feel the wind in my hair isn’t worth a traumatic brain injury. I know it doesn’t guarantee I will live through a crash, but it sure increases the odds
Use a helmet if you like. It should be up to EACH INDIVIDUAL RIDER to determine what he/she feels is the appropriate level of protective gear to wear. Do you also wear a full leather racing suit with steel knee pads ‘every time you ride’ ??? No ? WHY NOT ? Those are proven by motorcycle racing riders to prevent or mitigate serious injury even at very high speeds. My point is every situation is different and requires different judgements to be made by the RIDER not by some bureaucrat or legislator !!!!
Should help medical cost with more fatalities and less disabled. Just hose down the highway and move on.
I think this is sarcasm. Which I can appreciate.
that’s your choice
My concern is the impact it will have on auto liability rates. The lack of a helmet can cause an accident that would have been a minor injury into a severe brain injury or death claim. The cost of the claim then skyrockets.
———– insurance companies neither raised their rates in states that ended the nanny law, nor lowered their rates in states that invoked this fascist intervention . . .
I don’t understand your comment, sorry. Why wouldn’t insurance rates decrease if the state law requires a helmet? Auto rates (for injury) are lower if the state has a seatbelt law.
——- your intuition is not accurate when it comes to insurance companies. the rate doesn’t go up when a state repeals its nanny law. nor does the rate go down when a state mandates helmets for everyone . . .
no they are not, all states have seat belt laws mandatory.
——- if you don’t like my comment, check the rates in YOUR state. are they lower than in free states ? are they higher than in nanny states ?
intuition is a poor guide in this case. here’s some real data:
http://www.sbumaui.org/helmet-law-facts
Wayne is right. I work in the insurance industry and I can tell you that insurance premiums and rates are based on the length of the states riding season and per capita vehicles on the road. Florida and Texas have high premiums/rates while the Dakotas have lower rates for example.
people needs to watch while they drive if you don’t know how to ride stay off the bike and if you don’t know how to watch for other drivers you should stay off the road its not my fault that people are to stupid and not know how to drive it should be my choice if I want to wear a helmet not yours. II been riding when I was 8 years old and I’m 41 now never wear a helmet till I moved to this state.
not wearing a helmet will not cause a accident people that don’t know how to drive
At what impact speed does the DOT helmet become ineffective? Do you recommend suing helmet distributors who sell helmets that do not pass DOT testing? Or suing helmet distributors whose helmet do not prevent brain injury or add to the injury? What percentage of motorcycle deaths/injuries are due to brain injury? All of them? Is Medical Payment intended to replace health insurance? Who pays for higher insurance costs, motorcycle riders or automobile riders? What is the cost for uninsured on a motorcycle rider as compared to an automobile?
A helmet ‘choice’ bill does not STOP any rider from wearing a ‘helmet’ or any other type of protective gear that THEY may choose. Untimatly it is the RIDERS risk of injury to accept. This just frees motorcyclist from harrasment by LE and from being FORCED by certain helemet manufactures into buying a product that may , or may not prevent injury. If the ‘cost of a head trauma injury’ is a REAL argument and all automobile drivers and PASSENGERS should ALSO be required to wear a helmet also as we ‘all bear the cost’ of injuries they suffer in accidents’ also (sarcasm intended here ……)
Brain trauma is not going to be limited to $10,000. That limit might pay for transport to a hospital where the trauma can be treated, where you can only hope that the individual comes out of the coma and isn’t a vegetable for life. Does anyone really believe that not wearing a helmet makes you more of an adult? Foolish is as foolish does.
———- if it’s true that helmets save one’s life, then why not DIScourage helmet use – since it’s so much more likely that a biker dumb enough not to use a helmet, will die – thus avoiding all those long-term, expensive vegetables in medical wards ?
Motorcycle Med Pay and uninsured rates are much higher in WV than they are in the surrounding states that allow adults to make their own choices
$10k would pay for a medical scan and 5 minutes of a physician assistant’s time. A lifetime of 24/7 care for a biker with a preventable head injury costs millions.
As Bev Purdue said, just like Mississippi..
I don’t ride anymore but I did like riding without a helmet. But on the two occassions where a driver who either didn’t see me or just didn’t want to wait till I passed by and pulled out in front of me, on those occassions, I just happened to be wearing a helmet and even though we both hit our heads on the ground, we didn’t even have a concussion, but a headache instead, plus some stitches required for my hand and my girl’s knees. So helmets work. the only real complaint I have is when someone riding without a helmet gets a head injury and expects continuing medical care or gets an attorney and expects someone else to pay for their long term care. If they are not at-fault, the helmet is a non-issue but when they are a contributor to the fault, the rider gets what he paid for and only that. But you can expect lawyers and judges to make laws where there weren’t any, so anyone riding without a helmet is not the “free’ spirit they mean to be, once they are faced with injury and financial ruin. How do we address that?
Realy dum. No helmet for motorcyclest. But have to wear your seat belt in your car.
so did the law get passed or not?
I know first hand that the helmetlaw is a really good law and that every state should have one, because a friend of mine wrecked with a HELMET ON just about every bone in his body was broke (but not his skull) and he is alive today! On the other hand my only child was in SC, which has no law, he choice not to wear his helmet, he wrecked and the only injury he had was to his skull. He passed away at the age of 28, leaving behind a wife and two small children.So someone PLEASE explain to us how a helmet law is not needed. They need to leave things the way that are in this state. It has been said that helmets don’t save lifes I SAY THEY ARE WRONG!!!!!
sorry for the lost but it still should my choice not yours
We the riders should have our rights If we want to wear a helmet i’m from Ohio moved here in 2009 I’m 41 years old and I been riding a long time and never wear a helmet till I moved here. It should be my right not to wear or to wear on not anybody else If people don’t know how to ride stay off the motorcycle and for the people that’s in the car they need to watch what they do if they don’t know to look for other drivers they don’t need to be one the road. It not my fault that people is to stupid not to look for other drivers and you say motorcycle hard to see I drive a car and I see them so that is not a good reason to anybody people needs to learn how to drive
The only reason for helmet laws is to reduce the INSURANCE COMPANIES’ risk and liability.
Half the laws in this country is in place because of the Insurance Co. lobbies.
We have been sacrificing personal freedom for the protection of “Major Stockholder” greed for decades now.
It is a pity that Capitalism defines our country now more than Democracy since 1953.
So why is there only 19 states out of 50 has a helmet law
I would suspect this number to rise over time.
———- of course, the number of states, that require every biker to wear a helmet, has been falling . . .
Insurance companies are not the reason for helmet laws. Most ligitation comes in response to an attorney for someone who got injured and wants someone else to pay for their medical bills when their insurance ran out. The trial bar is the more likely culprit for insurance companies lobbying efforts to reduce liability….and mostly for liability which was not agreed to in the original insurance contract. Personal Injury lawyers are now a whole industry group that worked to create liability where there was none and force insurers to pay where there are no other “payers” available to sue, such as in extraordinary medical bills or uninsured/underinsured motorists coverages; these types of cases border on the equivalent of a moral hazard but government is always on the side of the “little guy” (read that as the one without the helmet who had no insurance but has big medical bills) Can you say personal injury lawyer? I knew you could.
We can legislate against ignorance or we can legislate ignorantly. I vote for the first.
Actually, if one does not want to wear a helmet, that is a simple choice. Just stay off public roads.
Would those who advocate against having to wear a helmet agree to signing a waiver releasing any and everyone from liability to pay for head injuries and resulting disabilities?
You know, maybe we should repeal helmet laws. While we are at it, we could repeal seat belt laws, speed limits, required car safety features and even traffic signals and stop signs. All of those interfere with my freedoms to die as I wish, too.
——— we could, and probably should, repeal all those laws . ah, but then, of course, you’d have to think for yourself – which you’re marginally not able to, now . . .
——— you do know, ken, that automobile drivers suffer TEN times the number of head-induced fatalities (twenty times as many if we only consider unhelmeted m’cycle drivers… ) ? . . .
actually, pedestrians have even more fatalities. so, according to you, there should be a law requiring one to wear a helmet in a shower, as well as on the sidewalk . . .
i’m pretty sure you won’t read this, but some statistics are here for you:
http://www.sbumaui.org/helmet-law-facts
I was involved in a motorcycle wreck in SC years ago, spent 2 weeks in the hospital, we weren’t wearing helmets, the cop told my wife that if I was wearing a helmet I would most likely be dead, the strap on the helmet the way I hit the back of the car would of broke my neck. I had no major head or brain injuries. I don’t believe in helmets, I believe in let the rider decide if he wants to wear one or not. They’re more head injuries from car wrecks but no one is pushing for car drivers to wear a helmet!