Posted on 06/21/2006 3:47:40 PM PDT by neverdem
Shhhhhhh!
Don't give' em any ideas!
We are in agreement that the risk should be borne by the individual; the hard part is how do you make it happen across the board? God forbid us actually making gays pay higher insurance rates because of their high-risk behavior.
I would suggest an idea for the helmet/seatbelt Nazis: no stupid "Click it or Ticket" program, but instead if pulled over for some other infraction (whole new thread subject there) the fact I don't have a helmet or seatbelt should be reported directly to my insurance company - they can deal with me accordingly.
You arn't talking about OJ, are ya?
Simple. When you get the category of license that lets you ride without your helmet then you get a badge or whatever that you display on your bike. You either display the badge (and pay the extra insurance) or you wear a helmet.
To use your other example, insurance for people with drunk driving and other traffic convictions is very high, if it's available at all. And it's true that it's the drunks without insurance who cause the accidents causes us all to pay through the nose. If we had the nerve to not treat people who haven't maintained their insurance or can't get it because of prior risky behavior then I think we'd see things change. But we'll never do that.
And if I could figure out similarly simple solutions for other risky behaviors I'd propose them as well. Ever buy life insurance? The very first question you are asked is "do you smoke?" And if you do, guess how much higher your rate is going to be? And rightly so.
In our area, the Cincy Post was always the sorta lib paper, and the Cincy Enquirer was always the sorta conservative paper. They both are really full of themselves. Believe it or not, the Tafts are worse.
The Bloominidiot strikes AGAIN
Majorly major NANNY-STATE Ping........
Old age is a major contributor to deaths around the world. I'm doing my part to reduce the number of old-age deaths, by smoking, and pi$$ing off psychopathic enemies of freedom.
One of my favorite things to do!!!!!
absolutely not..if i was in regards to OJ, it would have read "SLASHENATOR!"
Hold on a minute. I'm supposed to get my guts in a knot over the person who runs me over, fails to yield or pulls some other stupid stunt in a cage that gets ME mangled or killed?
You can die with a helmet on, too. It happens a lot.
I am sick and tired of my brothers and sisters dying to preserve people's alleged right to drive like assholes, especially those people who characterize motorcyclists as lowlife subhumans to assuage any guilt they might feel over running over another human being.
Put the blame where it belongs, helmet or no helmet, the rider would have been fine if some jerk hadn't cut them off or hit them.
The main problem with bikes is that there are too few of them. Consequently they get hit because drivers don't expect them to be there. My view, then, is that bikers should do as much as possible to protect themselves. In any case, bikers should alws be very, ver careful and drive conservatively. This afternoon I watched a guy on the bike--with no helmet or protective clothing--maintain a respectful distance from every car and truck, maintain a space greater than I saw between any two other vehicles. He made sure he made LOTS of noise. The pavement was quite dry. Even so, he accelerated very carefully and I think if he had run over a thick oil spot there would have been no spinning out. A model driver. Very heavy traffic by the way.
Thanks for the ping!
Unfortunately, there is the perception that anyone who is breathing has the skill to operate a motor vehicle, including people I would not trust not to break things with no moving parts. If automobile accidents were investigated with the same standard aviation accidents are (pilot error, mechanical failure, etc.) and licenses revoked or suspended as a result of pilot error resulting in a crash, maybe the death toll out there would drop.
BTW, of the major orthopaedic groups in the human body, the head comes in last for fracture injuries in motorcycle accidents. The lower leg is number one on the broken bone list.
The legs are closest to the ground. BTW, do high boots help? Where ARE most of the breaks? Feet, ankles, legs, knees, thighs, hips?
Not surprisingly, tibia and fibula. (Think bumper height). Most states have seat minimum height requirements (24" in ND) which move the pelvis out of the immediate impact zone in most cases.
Why not design bikes with a guard, maybe something like an airbag, or alternatively, put it inside a pod?
They are a good defense against pipe burns and open primary belt drives as well, which is why I wear them. (I run a 3" open belt for my primary drive)
As for airbags, there is always the possibility that you will need to maintain control of the vehicle in an impact which does not completely wreck the bike. An airbag would make that impossible
Putting everything in a pod of some sort would just must make a two wheeled car, and with air cooled engines, would cause cooling problems. Heat is an enemy on all but the coldest days, for the rider and the machine.
There is a tradeoff with requiring helmets: reduced visability...unless they want to require bike helmets.
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