Helmets are not optional

[Jd Powell]

Some will never learn.

I had already poated this elswere but I feel it deserves another turn. Now I do not think that laws should be conjoured up to force us to protect our selves. Not being much of a people person, I fully respect the rights of stupid people to remove themselves from the gene pool. However, About 2 months ago two of my friends were killed while riding here in Phoenix. One was hit headon by a drunk that was on the wrong side of the freeway. The other rear-ended at a stoplight. Both were really cool mofos that never wore any gear. When I had asked about it they had both told me that it was about how others percive them. No problem guys no ones watching you now. Heres the other side of the coin. 3-4 months ago my little brother was in the fast lane on the 42 in NJ when a buick on a side street not seeing him, pulled into his lane and stopped waiting to make a left onto the other side of the freeway. (most highways in NJ are divided, but without turning lanes ) He admits that he was speeding as he was passing a tanker that was in the center lane. The tanker was the reason the other driver never saw him. He t-boned the buick before he had any time to cover his levers. Trying to remeber the statistics, but I belive he flew aprox 140 ft before first impact and his bike doubled that. Several broken ribs. One collapsed lung. One broken hip. Shattered lower leg, and shattered ankle. He is already walking again with a cane. Though he will have to use an electric shift solenoid because the nerve damage was irrepairable. So why did he survive what should have been a fatal wreck? Scorpion FF helmet, First Gear leather jacket. No remorse for the stupid, I just hope they dont take anyone else with'em. ](*,)

[Ironriot]

OK. I can do that. I have a scar on my forehead from an initial impact, and a second on the back, which curiously enough, came from a second impact.
The first was where the car hit me and the second happened when I hit the concrete. My skull was split at the back.

The police arrived and found me with no life signs.

An hour later the wreckage was cleared up. I was checked again and still had no life signs, but the law demanded that a doctor officially declare me to be dead, so I was sent to a hospital. (This is the actual police report.)

I returned to life lying on a gurney, with lights shining in my face. Two doctors were standing by my feet, ready to turn and walk away when I sat up and asked for a telephone. Their mouths dropped wide open in shock.

Exit hospital.....

Just pour me into a cab and send it on its way. I had no idea which way was up, so I fell on the floor and stayed there.

I always had a near-photographic memory. Not anymore.

I did not have amnesia, just a malfunctioning brain. Memory came and went. Long-term memory seemed OK, but short-term was just that: often minutes, sometimes days, occasionally weeks, would pass, and then most or all of it vanished.

There was nothing but loneliness every day, because I had no idea where anyone was, including me, even hours before.

Perhaps the loneliness was what got me to marry a woman I had met only weeks before the crash, a woman I did not know. Not to worry, even today I have no trace of memory of the marriage ceremony or anything else concerned with it, including where it took place. All of it is blank.

I do recall falling over.....frequently.... and that lasted for many months. This was because, being a typical male, I often lost track of direction, but in my case it meant an inability to tell which direction was up and which was down. I usually found which way was down.

A daughter was conceived and born before my memory returned to normal and a son was on his way. Later, the marriage that should never have occurred, and which proved highly distasteful to both of us, was dissolved.


My life was literally taken and gone, and then it was restored, but it was totally and irreversibly changed.


I was not wearing a helmet at the time because I was changing a tire on my car when someone drove into the car, and that drove the car into me, and me into the concrete abutment that was behind me.

Is there any valid reason to say there is a difference between this and a motorcycle crash?
NO.
Absolutely not.
Impact and head injury is exactly that.


On the other side:


While in the right lane on a 3-lane highway a car from the far left chose to make a sudden exit and as it crossed the lanes its rear bumper intersected with my front tire. I had no chance of advance reaction as the car began its move across the lanes from behind me, out of my range of vision, and it was travelling faster than me. I did not see it until a split second before it hit me.

The bike almost instantly went over on its side, almost down, but after a bit of fighting with it, I got it back up, still at about 60MPH, and just in time to meet a bumper on the back of another car that was stopping on the side of the road.

I went over the car and landed on my head and shoulder. As I slid across the pavement face-down, with the open-face helmet and one shoulder taking the rest of my weight, I clearly recall thinking to myself " Am I ever going to stop sliding?"

I think it was the sissybar that hit me just as I left the bike and broke my back. My wrist was also broken. One leg was lacerated more than the other, and more than a bit. The right side of my face had to be rebuilt as the sunglasses had bent down and in upon impact, shredding the skin and leaving my face full of broken glass and road dirt.

The helmet took the 60 MPH impact without splitting. My ex-wife (the second one) still has the helmet sitting in what is now her garage. I kept the leather jacket, and wore it for another 15 years, before finally using it to bury my cat, who always thought my shoulder was her favourite place in the world, and who had always found comfort being in and on that jacket (while I was wearing it) from the time she was 8 weeks old.

Since I both landed on it and then skidded for at least fifty feet on my head, there is zero question that the helmet saved my life and it allowed me to get the delightful experience of having surgeons spend a few hours cleaning me up and then cutting my remaining flesh into ribbons so they could stretch it, stitch it, and rebuild my face, all of this while I was fully awake.

Since then I choose to wear a full-face helmet and I choose to believe that people who choose to not wear helmets while riding motorcycles are fools.


Does that cover it?

One hell of a story. Thank you for sharing

Ever since i was small I've wanted to ride. Unfortunately I have that same mom everyone does. You know the one that says hell no you're not getting a motorcycle. So I went motorcycle-less for a long while. Then one day i read a quote, "Playing it safe all of your life is not living, its dying slowly" And it hits me, when its your time to go, its your time to go. So I decide that no one's gonna change my mind and start looking for a motorcycle. And the first thing I do? BUY GEAR. It makes so much sense in the world. Yet some people refuse. Why is this? Its like skydiving without a parachute. Completely stupid. I could never understand how people with much more expirence on a motorcycle than me would so foolishly put their life in even greater danger. I mean the first thing i did was buy a full face helmet and riding jacket. Even before I had the bike. And that's because I was a n00b. I mean the statistics are there. 60 or so percent of fatal injuries could be prevented on a motorcycle if a helmet was worn, I belive was the latest statistic(please correct me if thats wrong) And yet people don't wear them. Ah well I guess to each his own but I know for sure I'm gonna be ATGATT, because lord knows I don't particularly like how Argonsagas described the facial reconstructure

[tkent02]

Its like parachuting without a parachute.

Hear.

I wish I had kept all of my smashed helmets, or at least pictures of them.
The last time I came off, ruined another helmet and exploded my rain jacket with not one inch of roadrash, not even a headache. The face shield was scraped pretty much, probably didn't prevent a fatal head injury this time but it sure would have hurt.
ATGATT works.
Now I just need something to prevent broken ribs and collarbones.

[Ironriot]

Hear.

I wish I had kept all of my smashed helmets, or at least pictures of them.
The last time I came off, ruined another helmet and exploded my rain jacket with not one inch of roadrash, not even a headache. The face shield was scraped pretty much, probably didn't prevent a fatal head injury this time but it sure would have hurt.
ATGATT works.
Now I just need something to prevent broken ribs and collarbones.

Whoops lol had to go back and read that. I'm dumb people sorry

Do the broken collarbones come from the helmet? I know a few people on other forums where the helmet broke the collar bone. There is also a guy that lost his newlywed wife because a car hit her but the helmet broke her neck. Really sad story

[TheCafeKid]

Whoops lol had to go back and read that. I'm dumb people sorry

Do the broken collarbones come from the helmet? I know a few people on other forums where the helmet broke the collar bone. There is also a guy that lost his newlywed wife because a car hit her but the helmet broke her neck. Really sad story

A improperly fitted helmet can be just as dangerous as not wearing one at all for that reason...Helmet hits the ground...starts to roll/twist..body doesnt follow at same rate if at all...*shudder* You see what happens next...

[duaneage]

I had a low tree branch hit me in the face at night on a road, think about that when your looking at half helmets and open face versions.

[bwringer]

My 30mph lowside on a grease spill resulted in a broken left femur when I whacked a curb.

Otherwise, not a scratch or bruise, thanks to armored jacket and pants, full face helmet, gloves, and work boots. (Patched up a hole in the jacket, still wearing the scuffed gloves and boots. Waste not, want not.)

At least 25 people in the hospital walked up and poked at my perfectly intact knees in wonder. Several nurses and a couple of doctors refused to believe my reports that nothing else hurt, and examined everything else over and over without finding one contusion. No internal injuries either, thank goodness.

I found out later that a tetanus shot is pretty standard with accident victims, but I didn't get one because I wasn't scuffed up at all! :mrgreen:

No concussion at all, but judging from the damage to my helmet, I'd have a lopsided head if I hadn't been wearing a full-face helmet.

Chicks dig scars, but a man with half a face, one ear, and a diaper is pushing it...

[bhppy101]

I know that I might get flamed for saying this....but I agree with everyone that says "Its a matter of choice"

I am a helmet advocate! BUT I don't agree with the law stating that we MUST wear them! This country was based on freedom and the freedom of choice is being taken away from us. I think that our rights are slowly being picked away from us. Last I heard....we had a democratic government....that sounds like its going away as well!....lol

I wear my seatbelt in my vehicles....but I still think that this should be a matter of choice as well!

I think that some States got it right when they made their helmet law 18 and under....or even 21 and under. Protecting the minors would be ok just like needing a permit before we get our drivers license!

Not wearing a helmet is not hurting anyone else but the rider. Thats why I disagree with the mandatory helmet law. If you are old enough to die for our country by enlisting in the military at 18.....why not give us a choice to wear a helmet while riding or a seatbelt in a car?

Just my opinion! :-D

[marvinsc]

In Theory , I agree with the "It's a Choice" Arguement but this debate isn't all about Philosophy, it's about economics. When a person winds up in a long term care facility, they don't pay, their insurance doesn't pay (for long anyway), We the Taxpayers foot the bill. I have stated before that having slid down the pavement on My face with a Helmet, I don't recommend trying it without one! Kentucky is a "Helmet Optional" State but Proof of Medical insurance is Supposed to be Required. I have never heard of anyone being Checked, much less Ticketed for not meeting this Requirement. Each time I see a Bare Headed Rider I see a Potential tax increase that I Don't get to Vote on!:?

[bhppy101]

In Theory , I agree with the "It's a Choice" Arguement but this debate isn't all about Philosophy, it's about economics. When a person winds up in a long term care facility, they don't pay, their insurance doesn't pay (for long anyway), We the Taxpayers foot the bill. I have stated before that having slid down the pavement on My face with a Helmet, I don't recommend trying it without one! Kentucky is a "Helmet Optional" State but Proof of Medical insurance is Supposed to be Required. I have never heard of anyone being Checked, much less Ticketed for not meeting this Requirement. Each time I see a Bare Headed Rider I see a Potential tax increase that I Don't get to Vote on!:?

You are absolutely right! I can see the tax issues that we can go through....so lets get all of our troops back over here and do something about the alarming rise of prison inmate housing so that we can lower the nations Ten Trillion dollar deficit that we got ourselves into! I can go on and on...but I won't...lol

Honestly.... How many riders are we supporting in hospitals that are affecting our taxes?

I'm sure its not breaking our wallets. :-D

Helmet or no Helmet we cant focus extra taxes on that....lol

If you really think about it.....Everything should be a matter of CHOICE!\\/

[marvinsc]

If you really think about it.....Everything should be a matter of CHOICE!\\/[/quote]

Once again, Agreed on in Principle but I don't know many Who chose NOT to Pay taxes and got away with it! I do know a few who Didn't However!:shock:

[bhppy101]

If you really think about it.....Everything should be a matter of CHOICE!\\/

Once again, Agreed on in Principle but I don't know many Who chose NOT to Pay taxes and got away with it! I do know a few who Didn't However!:shock:

Touche!

:-D

[wolfie]

Grooveboy, I'm glad you are okay. Thank you for posting this story.

I have always worn a helmet. One evening though, I was headed to the grocery store, and apparently my mind was elswhere because I was halfway down my street before I realized that I had forgotten it. Oh well, it's only 3/4 mile away. By the time I was halfway to the store, I was thinking how stupid and irresponsible I was being. I'm married. My wife depends on me. Besides, I haven't been a teenager in nearly a decade, so the invincibility wore off long ago.

The rest of the gear, and my attitude toward it was slower coming. A coworker was decent enough to give me a pair of mc gloves that were a nice improvement over cheap leather work gloves. I still rode around in t-shirt and shorts when it was hot out for some time.

My wore out pig skin thin leather jacket was a joke. I eventually replaced it with a good textile armoured jacket a couple of years ago. It was nice experiencing the relative security it offered me. Think of all that skin I might retain when I get in an accident. So I bought the wife one as well.

Thinking about all that potential skin retention progressed to thinking about all that skin on my legs. So, I bought some textile armoured pants earlier this year. They have been optional depending on the weather...

Until about a month ago. I was a couple of blocks from the house, heading out. I hadn't worn my overpants, but it was just a touch chilly. I thought about going back for them. "No, I don't need them. I'll be fine." After another quarter mile I got to thinking about who is going to pay the bills while I'm in the hospital waiting on my skin grafts to heal up. I turned around, went home and put them on. I still haven't convinced the wife that riding pants won't make her butt look big though.

Yes, motorcycling is a calculated risk. Yes I might still die in an accident, but I can seriously reduce that risk through the use of quality, protective gear.

When I see people riding without a helmet (Kansas), or with a cheap novelty helmet to keep the lazy cops at bay (Missouri), or gear, all I can think of is what price they are willing to pay in pounds of flesh, or life, for an image of what some advertising exec decided cool should look like.

Foolishness.

[Jbeaber]

My brother-in-law had an interesting job for a bit. He picked up dead bodies and brought them to the morgue. He is a motorcyclist who was living in Arizona at the time. No helmet law. He learned to ride there, no helmet. Then he had to pick up the body of a woman who had been riding on the back of her hubby's bike. no helmet on either. He was at a stop, about to turn into the dealership. He lost his balance, bike went down. He was in serious condition with head injuries. She was dead. zero miles per hour. We've got him in a helmet and a jacket now.
Me, I'm the other extreme. I have a full Aerostich, race boots, armored gloves and helmet. Aerostich is $800 (I needed a custom color to match my Triumph). It keeps me warm, comfortable, colorful and has full armor. I ride year round because of it. I have been down, I had a few bruises on my fingers. My wife went down on a track while wearing full leathers. She walked away with some minor bruises (wish we could have said the same about the bike... radiators and gas tanks are expensive!).
with regards to helmet laws. I have trouble with the lack of helmets because they do typically make the injuries much worse. The other people involved have to deal with the reprocussions of that. The death of the rider, lawsuits, everything else. Fine, ride without a helmet. I think if you choose to do that, you have to sign away some of the legal protections because of your decision. If you are not going to protect yourself, why should the legal system protect you? It is a tough question. I know I will never ride without gear. Just seems insane to me.

[Beauetienne]

Weighing In

I believe that the decision to wear a helmet or seat belts should be an individual choice except where chidren are concerned and others are not put at risk.
If the arguement is made that the cost to the public is the issue, should we also legislate smoking, alcohol consumption and unprotected sex? All of these activities are also very enjoyable and all of them contribute to the deaths (both to the individual and to others) of many more people than riders without helmets do. Many riders that advocate helmet laws would probably be very upset if tobacco and alcohol were outlawed.
If we as a country would legislate all unsafe activities I would probably consider moving out, right or wrong.
I have hit the pavement both with (no head damage) and without a helmet (severe concussion only). I prefer with.
I also like cigars, Samual Adams and Jim Beam.