Posted on 07/05/2011 7:06:05 AM PDT by Red Badger
Edited on 07/05/2011 7:07:30 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
A bareheaded motorcyclist participating in a ride to protest mandatory helmet laws was killed when he was thrown over the handlebars in Onondaga, New York.
Philip A. Contos, 55, of Parish, New York, was on a ride organized by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE), state police said Sunday.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Yup. Just think of all the lives we could save by wearing helmets 7/24.
The story about this poor unfortunate non-helmet wearing protester has been in here for the last three days. Could we give it a rest?
I searched.
It didn’t come up.....................
Yes, but he only hurt himself, no one else. It isn’t up to the government to tell people they must protect themselves via seat belts, air bags or helmets. He died for something he believed in and hurt only himself. Not wearing that helmet impacted no one else.
I appreciate the personal freedom argument against helmet laws and it is probably correct.
That said, there are some things that should require no laws. Anyone stupid enough to ride a motorcycle without a helmet deserves whatever consequences he suffers. I would also add that not one dime of taxpayer or charity money should go to assist such irresponsible fools.
I like Jerry Seinfeld’s take on helmet laws. “...the idea behind the helmet law being to preserve a brain whose judgment is so poor, it does not even try to avoid the cracking of the head it is in.”
If you want to protest helmet laws, I say get a sticker saying “I don’t need Big Government to tell me to wear this!” and put it on your helmet.
I think the best argument in favor of helmet laws might be that in the nanny state enviroment that is becoming more pervasive, many people assume anything legal is safe, and therefore laws are needed to to educate people.
I wonder if a “helmet law” with absolutely no penalties for disobeying it might make sense. It would put people on notice, without really compelling them to wear helmets, and also might help others escape liability for injuries suffered by helmetless fools.
Here, in FL, we have a choice.
No Helmet: MUST HAVE INSURANCE.
Helmet: NO INSURANCE REQUIRED.
Weird.............
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Yep, assuming of course that he leaves no children or parents or spouse or friends behind and, assuming of course that there were no eye-witnesses who now have the lovely image of a splattered melon to occupy their dreams.
If you look at motorcycle fatality statistics, there are only two states that account for over half of all motorcycle fatalities in the US. And the two states are: (drumroll please......)
California and Florida. Maybe we should make those residents wear helmets and leave the rest of the 48 states alone. Don’t forget... If you want to wear a helmet you are always entitled to do so... nobody is preventing you from wearing a helmet.
That is sort of weird, given that the lack of a helmet will mainly only endager the rider and not others on the road.
Of course there is the argument, (which is also used for seatbelts), that a motorcylist with no helmet or a driver with no seatbelt will not make take sudden actions (like slamming on the brakes) to avoid collisions with others. There is some validity to that rationale, but more for seatbelts, than helmets, IMO.
Maybe the reasoning is that anyone who refuses to wear a helmet is an idiot, and therefore much more likely to have an accident? :-)
I would agree, on one condition (along the lines of "Above My PayGrade's post)...that NONE of MY $$$$ goes to pay for your Freedom of a stupid choice.
So...let me clarify: If a rider wants to ride without a helmet...that's fine. However...they better be able to pay for every bit of medical care ON THEIR OWN if they get head trauma. I should not have to pay be anyone's poor choice.
And even if the person has insurence...I would still pay for it. A $50K medical bill that would have been $5K with a helmet is going to get passed on in the form of higher premiums.
Guess that’s called making the anti-point. He showed the mean ol’ helmentniks. ‘How dare you try to help and protect me! Ya’ think I’m STUPID, or somethin’? Take THAT!’
So he dies free.
I always wear seatbelts because it is the smart thing to do, once came out of an accident without a scratch thanks to my seatbelt. But the laws mandating them make me want to not wear seatbelts just on principle.
Therein lies the trap of socialized medicine. Under that logic I am accountable to you for everything I do.
But if you buy into that process I suggest you lobby fiercely for laws against unsafe sex since that costs “US” about 1000X more than unhelmeted bike injuries.
A helment saved my life as well,still have the thing in
a closet now.The grinding that thing took would have been
my head.
Rear ended by a drunk on Nashville Pike
Still take it off tho when I`m in a state where its legal
I agree with the personal freedom to decide aspect, but I prefer to wear my brains on the inside. For me it is helmet on, always.
If you are the government telling you to wear a helmet, it's none of your damn business.
Now, let me clarify a bit. The 'foolish' part is because of the disregard some drivers have for motorcyclists in general. Any city driving is dangerous. On open road, I'd rather feel the wind and see the sky, than have to sweat inside a brain-bucket on an all-day ride.
total and complete irony.
that said, I disagree with all these laws.
next up: requiring cars to go no faster than 25 mph, and a law requiring the wearing of helmets while driving a car. after all, that just might save a few lives. and we can’t have people dying, can we?
freedom !!!!
NASCAR safety harnesses for everybody!................
Everybody has a right to hit their head on pavement.
Already posted at least three times in the past 3 days...
Come on people...search is your friend.
=8-)
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