Posted by Jim on April 16, 2000 at 14:52:51:
In Reply to: Here I go again posted by Hogryder on April 14, 2000 at 07:21:19:
Hey Hogryder,
I'm agree and disagree. First off, this is the USA, noone should be telling me what I have to wear or not wear (except of course that I'm a Marine, so I do have to wear a helmet per the regulations.... just had a senior Marine go down on his bike in SC, no helmet, didn't live, survivors may not be eligible for military life insurance and could get billed for medical treatment... sucks, but thems the rules...)(I digress). I am strongly opposed to helmet laws, but if I was an EMT and came to the scene of a motorcycle accident, I would step over the injured, non-helmeted rider to get to the guy with the helmet first: one guy seems to care more about his own safety, so I'll treat him first.... (kind of a farfetched example, but it makes the point) Anyway, I think the laws suck, and I think riders should be able to decide what they want. If the insurance companies want, they can put a clause in the contract that says the policy is null and void if the guy isn't wearing the helmet.
As far as your comments on helmets CAUSING injury, yeah, maybe, but not probable in the least. Couple reasons here:
- Helmets do not shield you from impact, they absorb impact (that's why you have to trash them after a fall).
- Your neck is a shock absober, your skull is a thin piece of bone. Past the baby stage (when the plates fuse together) your head is pretty solid. A shock can either shatter/crack bone, or just get transfered to your brain. (My big brother got a relatively mild bump at a bad spot and angle on his head.... 2 subdural hematomas, 1 lobectomy, 2 20-hour brain surgeries, and 1 coma later, he began his new life.... Kinda sucked, no broken bones, all the shock went to his brain.) (10 years ago, by the way, he's pretty much OK now.)
- Any blow that bounces your helmeted head hard enough to break your neck would have PROBABLY trashed your head (the bounce-back is energy minus that soaked up by the helmet).
OK, so what's the point? Is wearing a helmet safer than not? Sure, but so is (gasp) not riding. Or bathing. Or driving. Or flying. Or listening to heavy metal music. Or drinking flouridated water. Or breathing (smog). Am I getting the point across?????
Let those who ride decide! and KTRSD!
-Jim
PS. For the curious: I wear a full face (DOT/SNELL) in the winter, and a half helmet (DOT)in the summer.