VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions A no brainer (pun?)

About 5 years ago our governor (you know him, "the brother" and maybe your President in a few years) signed into law the repeal of requiring helmets on motorcycle riders. Which I thought went against common sense. My thoughts were, why not also stop requiring seat belts for children and passengers in cars and trucks too. Oh well, what do I know.

Well, the results (5 year study, as if you needed one) just came in; motorcycle deaths have more then doubled since the law change....even taking into account the increase in riders. The number of serious head injuries has also more then doubled.

We had a rider here in our county crash without a helmet and of course he had serious head injuries, took him to the county hospital when he died after many surgeries and several weeks. Very sad and very unnecessary IMHO and it also cost the taxpayers in this county several millions of dollars because he had no insurance.

The governor said when he signed the bill that he wanted people to be free of government interference in their personal lives...I had always thought that the most important job of government was to protect its' citizens (even from themselves). Oh well, what do I know.

Guess it was a no brainer after all...

Just goes to show ya...a Gore in hand is worth two Bushes...or something like that...

Naw.......if ya have seen one Bush you have seen them all! :eek: :eek: :( :( :(

But Seeing one bush then another, don't keep you from looking at bushes does it JYD? He! he!

Isn't a bush a small shrub?

Back to no helmets required for motorcycle riders in Fla among other states: That news story made it all the way out here to Oregon today also.

I listened with horror as to what the "new" statistics would be compared to the "old" statistics when helmets were required.

It was simple to figure out which direction they would go; but they were even worse than I guessed they'd be.

What in the heck is 'wrong' with these folks who are 'in charge???' Some things seem sooooo obvious and yet the 'politicians' do the exact opposite!!!! Who would "lobby" for no helmets?? It seems like "business" (helmet makers, plastic/petroleum sellers/etc/etc) would want riders to be required to wear helmets.

Who is it that put money in the politicians' pockets to get them to 'vote no' on helmets being required????

Freedom to choose..... yeah, my a*s!!! "They" never say that unless we're getting it where the sun doesn't shine!!!

Bill.

How many deaths before and after in Florida? :confused:

I don't remember the 'before' and 'after' numbers, Jerry. But it was significant. And, 'the media' reported the percentage increase in addition to the 'raw number.' The number of deaths/serious injuries would be higher simply because there's more riders these days.

The percentage increase was pretty shocking!!!

Bill.

Before you start up on Bush the helmet law that you are referring to was passed by the state legislature and then signed by Bush only after the bikers got thousands of signatures on petitions! there is NO law that says you can't wear a helmet. In my humble opinion if you are STUPID enough to ride without a helmet It's Your own D*M fault if you get your brains scattered all over the pavement!
also the rider is supposed to carry additional insurance if they decide to ride without a helmet

My cardiologist told me my heart was worn out and needed to be replaced. The only problem he said, "hearts are hard to come by".

His suggestion was that I hang out with a motorcycle gang because they are good donors.

Hence, they are called "donorcycles".

So maybe this is all a conspiracy to get organs.

our local paper had reported that the rate of deaths had risen about 80% since the fl helmet law was repealed...however, across the country, motorcycle fatalities were up 50%, due to more riders, particularly us old, fat guys riding big hogs...(well, not exactly me, since I parked my two bikes years ago...when my first son was born, I promised my wife no riding until the boys were adults...still have a few years until the younger makes that mark)...

that's still 30% higher than the national average over the same study period...

on the other hand, isn't this situation analogous to us vintage car buffs and the right to choose whether to retrofit our old rigs to have seat belts?..should we be made to drive with a helmet on, if we don't have seat belts?..just a thought...

or, maybe motorcyclists without helmets is just darwinism at work?..


epi

"...maybe motorcyclists without helmets is just darwinism at work?.." I think the answer is 'yes it is'.

IMHO (and Darwin?) the smart riders use helmets and also have the extra insurance...the not so smart don't and die (so they can't breed) so maybe Darwin was right.

How about seatbelts required on motorcycles for riders who don't wear helmets? LOL

gator,

weird, but I have thought about the utility of seat belts on motorcycles!..


epi

The irony is that the federal government is providing extra dollars to local police agencies to screen and crack down on seatbelt use, which in turn makes the insurance carriers very pleased.

Guys;

I think the increased use of motorcyles has something to do with the injuries number going up. Just too many rookies out there without helmets. Two wheels vs. an SUV and geuss who wins.

Bikers for the most part are almost kin to us guys. They take a lot of pride in thier ride and will be a lot more attentive while riding. They will also go way out of thier way to help another biker. Sounds like us don't it?

Unless you have taken a HD out on a back road and let the wind blow thru your hair ya can't really get the true meaning of riding without head gear. Sounds like a stupid thing to do for some, and I know were your comming from, but just try it some day...it's awesome!

Been there and done that in HS and college...wish I still had that Indian bike...opps, is it ok to say Indian? LOL

Would still have a bike if there wasn't anyone else on the road with me.

P.S. they took into consideration the increase in motorcycle riders when they did the study so that would not affect the results.

I agree that it's too much of a risk to ride around the city without a helmet.
I just wanted to say that the old time bikers are OK people.
The young guns on the rice burners are a totally different story. ...

:( :rolleyes:

Riding without a helmet is nice, especially on a hot day. Been there, done that. Age and education has taught me this is not a great idea. Helmets will not prevent accidents, but do help cut head injuries.

Motorcycle accidents are on the rise because there are more riders. A good share of the “new” riders are those who used to ride as teenagers and believe they still can ride like they did back then. They forget “I’m not as good as I once was.” (Toby Keith)
Statistics show that Rider/ Driver Education by professional instructors will lower Motor Vehicle Crashes. I have been riding for 30 years and have taken a rider education class twice, and have learned what situations lead to crashes and how to avoid them, as well as what emergency maneuvers to use to escape the ones caused by other guy. Remember crashes occur because somebody did something they should not have,("stupid"), and by definition can not be classified as an accident

I feel the key is to mandate rider education for both new and experienced riders. In NH the state sponsored class for beginners is about $85.00 for a 20-hour class. The experienced rider class is $50.00 for eight hours on the range. This, in my book, is the no brainer,(no pun intended).
Dan.

to add a little more to the discussion of guvment interference in our lives, News Max had an article on the new worry about drivers, that is the INCREASED NUMBER of rear end accidents at intersections where there are Stop Light cameras. Figures I saw show an increase of rear enders up to 33% because people are actually stopping for traffic signals.

Florida does require riders to take and pass classes to get a motorcycle license.

Wonder how high the dead/hurt rates today would have been without the class requirement?

k1dan,

isn't the toby keith video of that song the best?..I must have watched it a half dozen times & I still get a chuckle...


epi

Say, what are "rice burners??"

(From August 12th around 441pm.)

:confused: :confused: :confused:

"rice burners" are cars imported from countries that are known for growing and eating a lot of rice. :arrow: