Michigan repeals helmet law

[Prilliant03]

How many cagers die of head injuries each year? Specially for those under 18. Its for the children, after all.

Dave

Statistically the number will be a tiny percentage compared to deaths from head injuries amongst motorcyclists. I don't need to look up actual figures. That has always been, and always will be the case.

While I understand your point it seems that taken to an extreme the state could just decide to ban motorcycles altogether. Of course that is not going to happen, but don't kid yourself that there aren't memebers of society who would be happy to see that happen. Where personal safety is concerned we have little option but to allow the legislature to draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not. This a neccessary evil and is not limited the the world of motorcycling.

[Thom]

i rode without a helmet once, for about 5 min. didnt feel right, and i will never do it again, well unless im in the backyard riding around a minibike.

i like the idea of the no insurance coverage without safety gear. we have the seatbelt laws, and graduated license.

I pulled a tom cruise and road around the block after doing some maintenance on the bike. Shorts, shoes, gloves, shirt, sunglasses. most terrifying 3 minutes around the block ever. it would have taken 1 minute to put on my helmet.

[commandodave]

Statistically the number will be a tiny percentage compared to deaths from head injuries amongst motorcyclists. I don't need to look up actual figures. That has always been, and always will be the case.

There are many cases when the lawmakers go overboard and pass laws based on one or two deaths. Not to make light of the incident, but shoot just one black teenager and they want to ban all "stand your ground" laws.

Dave

[Prilliant03]

That's a totally separate issue and not a direction I particlarly want to go. My point is that pretty much everybody would agree that there must be some safety laws in modern societies. It is the role of our law makers to draw the line at what they consider to be acceptable levels of risk. For some people the laws may be too stringent, for others too lax. You're never going to please all of the people all of the time, but that doesn't mean we should scrap any ambition to find something approaching a middle ground.

[kevinb]

People should be encouraged to drive and ride more thoughtfully and carefully in general rather than being required to take arbitrary measures to protect themselves. That said, I still think that for riding on any road where the speed limit is above 35, not only should helmets be required, but boots, kevlar or leather trousers and jacket and gloves, too. But for your neighborhood streets, all that shouldn't be necessary. I mean, bicyclists go as fast. They sometimes fall off and get hurt, but it's rarely catastrophic at that speed; for that matter, people break bones slipping or tripping while walking all the time. And consider: a lot of people can run 12-15 mph on foot, but you should be required to wear a helmet to ride around a parking lot or parade through the park just because you're on a moving motorcycle? I don't think so. At 45 mph, its another story - if you're not wearing any protection when you fall to the road, you WILL get hurt.

If I were a legislator, I'd write the law such that exceeding 35mph without a helmet could get you a ticket and maybe 2 points, but exceeding 45 without could qualify as reckless riding: up to 6 points. Get caught on a 55mph+ highway in shorts & flip-flops (or without helmet): impoundment of bike. But other than that, helmet and such not actually required.

If people didn't feel like they had to get all armored up just to ride around the neighborhood running simple errands and such, there would probably be a lot more on the streets, and more people would have the defensive driving/riding skills and altertness that come from the experience of motoring down the road outside of a cage. The notion that people have to take a 4,000 lb vehicle everywhere they go is not only ridiculous, its rather sad.

[Davy_Baby9]

Meh, I don't like this. The news did a report on it the other day, and interviewed a guy riding a Harley around without his helmet on. He said he was glad they repealed this because this is MURICA!1!! and what this country was founded on.

And if people don't know, the roads in Michigan are terrible, absolutely terrible, and nobody knows how to drive. I would say for anyone in this state that doesn't go out wearing any protective gear when they ride must only have a few brain cells firing.

[abouc]

And if people don't know, the roads in Michigan are terrible, absolutely terrible, and nobody knows how to drive. I would say for anyone in this state that doesn't go out wearing any protective gear when they ride must only have a few brain cells firing.

I'm not sure which part of the state you live in, but the majority of roads here in West Michigan are better than any in Chicagoland. Considering the annual freeze/thaw cycles, I'm quite happy with our road quality -except for every spring when the back roads get the annual tar/gravel "resurfacing".

[commandodave]

Even as this discussion rages, there is one more brain dead motorcyclist in Florida. My wife's coworker's ex-husband is lying in a hospital waiting for the plug to be pulled. The story is that he was out riding his Harley sans helmet. He hit some water on the road, lost control and slid out. The Harley wound up taking a chunk out of his brain. The family is currently on their way to Florida for the end game. But I am sure he died free, doing what he loved. Yea, right. Tell that to the rest of the family.

However, until the law makes everyone wear a helmet while riding in (or on) any wheeled vehicle, I support his right to choose. Personally I choose to wear a helmet.

I look at helmet laws as being similar to the Obamacare mandate for an individual to buy insurance. The helmet is not part of the motorcycle, as is a seatbelt. Nor does it come "free" with the purchase of a motorcycle. The rider must purchase the helmet at his expense in order to ride legally in certain states. I personally bought a helmet, I personally bought health insurance. The government did not have to make me do either.

Dave

[cokoop]

In Boulder Colorado it's legal to ride a motorcycle w/o a helmet but illegal to ride a bicycle w/o one. Go figure. I'm all for letting people be as stupid as they want to be.

[BikerGeek]

People should be encouraged to drive and ride more thoughtfully and carefully in general rather than being required to take arbitrary measures to protect themselves. That said, I still think that for riding on any road where the speed limit is above 35, not only should helmets be required, but boots, kevlar or leather trousers and jacket and gloves, too. But for your neighborhood streets, all that shouldn't be necessary. I mean, bicyclists go as fast. They sometimes fall off and get hurt, but it's rarely catastrophic at that speed; for that matter, people break bones slipping or tripping while walking all the time. And consider: a lot of people can run 12-15 mph on foot, but you should be required to wear a helmet to ride around a parking lot or parade through the park just because you're on a moving motorcycle? I don't think so. At 45 mph, its another story - if you're not wearing any protection when you fall to the road, you WILL get hurt.

If I were a legislator, I'd write the law such that exceeding 35mph without a helmet could get you a ticket and maybe 2 points, but exceeding 45 without could qualify as reckless riding: up to 6 points. Get caught on a 55mph+ highway in shorts & flip-flops (or without helmet): impoundment of bike. But other than that, helmet and such not actually required.

If people didn't feel like they had to get all armored up just to ride around the neighborhood running simple errands and such, there would probably be a lot more on the streets, and more people would have the defensive driving/riding skills and altertness that come from the experience of motoring down the road outside of a cage. The notion that people have to take a 4,000 lb vehicle everywhere they go is not only ridiculous, its rather sad.

It is a common misconception that serious injury only happens at higher speeds. As a cyclist and motorcyclist, I have seen individuals (with or without helmets) become invalids or die because of injuries suffered at slower speeds (under 35mph). An obvious example was the motorcycle officer that died in a motorcade incident in Washington DC last year. The officer struck a curb and was thrown from the motorcycle.

[TheX]

I'm with you on that one.
"No helmet, no payout" sounds good to me.
You can have All the Freedom you want. You can pay for it out of your own pocket too.

DM

I like that idea.

[Prilliant03]

I like that idea.

I want to like that idea too, but as a medical professional it would go against everything I hold dear to leave a person to die simply because they didn't have the correct insurance, even if they were a grade 'A' idiot.

[kevinb]

It is a common misconception that serious injury only happens at higher speeds. As a cyclist and motorcyclist, I have seen individuals (with or without helmets) become invalids or die because of injuries suffered at slower speeds (under 35mph). An obvious example was the motorcycle officer that died in a motorcade incident in Washington DC last year. The officer struck a curb and was thrown from the motorcycle.

The point isn't that people don't get injured at low speed. Heck, people have died or become invalids from injuries sustained while walking down the street or just standing on the sidewalk. You might as well say people ought to be required to wear a helmet and an airbag suit whenever they leave the house. The point is, people slip and fall at low speed, injuring little more than their ego all the time. But when people are involved in a high-speed mishap without protection, they ALWAYS get SERIOUSLY hurt. It's about being reasonable.

[TheX]

I want to like that idea too, but as a medical professional it would go against everything I hold dear to leave a person to die simply because they didn't have the correct insurance, even if they were a grade 'A' idiot.

Who says to let them die, just make sure that they pay for it.

[scubacat]

I want to like that idea too, but as a medical professional it would go against everything I hold dear to leave a person to die simply because they didn't have the correct insurance, even if they were a grade 'A' idiot.

Stupid hurts...and you have to draw the line somewhere....