[250 Tom]

I live in the State of Michigan ( U.S.A. ) and our govener just made it legal to ride without a helmet. I will still always wear a helmet but believe many more riders will be killed or badly hurt. I am against the change but i guess its going to be up to each rider to do what they want. Wondering if theres a helmet law where you live.

 

[Wynne G Oldman]

We have a compulsory helmet law over here. I holiday in Turkey and was surprised to find that they have a compulsory helmet law too, because hardly anyone wears one over there.

 

[Azul the Cat]

We have a mandatory helmet law in NJ. Even if it wasn't required I don't see why people would go without a helmet.

 

[Empty Sea]

Illinois: helmets not required. protective eyewear required. I think riding without a helmet is stupid, but I don't think it should be legislated.

Here's a link that might be useful when folks move from state to state.
Motorcycle and bicycle helmet use laws

 

[PAJKRUBI]

In PA you can ride without one if you've had a motorcycle license for 2 years our have completed the msf course. I myself will never ride without one either but I hate big government and think they should have no say over our day to day lives like they do. If someone doesn't want to wear their helmet then they are hurting nobody but themselves.

 

[jnilla]

In WI only protective eye ear is required. I'm not exactly sure where I stand on this one. I almost always wear one, am guilty of occasionally running down to the gas station without, or riding down the street to check noises when working on the bike. I personally don't like the idea of legislation requiring you to wear one but at the same time not wearing them contributes to more injuries, deaths, and ultimately higher insurance prices which we don't need.

This is always a tough subject. Most of my friends rarely if ever wear one.

 

[Lowcard]

In TX under 21 its mandatory to wear a helmet, but you really cant go without one unless youve had youre liscense for a while either. Its a choice, government shouldnt decide to force people to wear them. I dont wear one if running down the block to the store real quick.

 

[Lowcard]

And to add, once you hit about 35-40 mph helmet probably wont help you anyways. Seen some low impact crashes when i was a volunteer firefighter that opened my eyes.

 

[Pete]

In California it's mandatory. Shouldn't be, and neither should seat belts, but since there's a trend toward people not wanting to take responsibility for their own health care I suppose there's no way around it (and other far more intrusive laws to come). You give up responsibility, you give up freedom.

 

[Lowcard]

^agreed. Effin liberal hippies.

 

[Goyble]

Helmet laws are about REVENUE (MONEY)! Everyone should learn the truth and history of helmet laws. Helmet laws were a result of the federal government threatening the states with withholding millions of dollars.

Deaths per person in states with mandated helmet laws are the same or higher compared to free states. All states had mandatory helmet laws at one time due to a federal mandate.

" In 1966, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation threatened to withhold millions of dollars in highway funds from states failing to enact mandatory helmet laws (blackmail). Every state except California complied. In 1976, Congress revoked DOT authority to impose fiscal sanctions against states that refuse to enforce helmet laws. Over half the states soon repealed their laws or amended them to exclude most adults." Helmet Page

I wear a helmet in a non mandated state but not because I think people who don't are "stupid" as someone above said. Stupid is a relative term. The same argument that people make for wearing a helmet can be made for not crossing the street or not getting up in the morning. The idea that riding a motorcycle with or without a helmet is inherently more dangerous than traveling by SUV is false.

Wear a helmet if it makes you feel better, I do but it's much more of a physiological decision. I don't fool myself into believing there is a definitive correlation between my helmet and my personal safety. If a correlation existed it would be reflected in the statistics and it's not.

If such a correlation existed it would please me because I would feel even better about wearing a helmet but I would still defend a riders right to ride without a helmet. I've done it and I love it. I love to feel the air in my hair.

Being a smart rider (which means you have to be a smart person to begin with which excludes most people) is far more important to your safety than wearing a helmet.

Another thing to keep in mind when nutty people start screaming about helmets and saving lives is the fact that out of the nearly 8 MILLION riders in America only 4500 will die in motorcycle accidents annually. That's 0.06 % or 0.18 of all deaths in America. This means that 99.82% of people who die will not die in a motorcycle accident.

 

[jnilla]

And to add, once you hit about 35-40 mph helmet probably wont help you anyways. Seen some low impact crashes when i was a volunteer firefighter that opened my eyes.

I would strongly argue that point. A helmet may not help in a direct head on impact, but in many other cases that statement is ridiculous. If you lowside and slap your head on the ground at 50 you don't think a helmet will help? Or while you are sliding down the pavement? Racers get up after brutal crashes because of their gear, including helmets. Similar to seatbelt discussions you can point out examples, but in most cases you are always better off wearing a helmet. The thinking that above 25 a helmet won't help anyways only feeds the belief that you don't really need one.

 

[Wynne G Oldman]

I personally would like the freedom to ride without occasionally, but would wear one every day for my normal commute. I am under no illusion that it's definitely more dangerous without.

CDC Features - Motorcycle Safety: Helmets Save Lives

 

[jnilla]

If such a correlation existed it would please me because I would feel even better about wearing a helmet but I would still defend a riders right to ride without a helmet.

There is a correlation.....Motorcyclist deaths spike as helmet laws loosen - USATODAY.com

• As states weakened or repealed the laws, the percentage of riders who wore helmets began dropping. And fatality rates increased
• In 1996, 5.6 motorcyclists were killed for every 10,000 registered motorcycles, according to Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics. By 2006, the most recent data available, the rate had risen to 7.3, the analysis shows
• About 42% of riders killed were not wearing helmets

 

[BBoyd09]

I live in the State of Michigan ( U.S.A. ) and our govener just made it legal to ride without a helmet. I will still always wear a helmet but believe many more riders will be killed or badly hurt. I am against the change but i guess its going to be up to each rider to do what they want. Wondering if theres a helmet law where you live.

I live in Michigan as well and I think that getting rid of the helmet law is completely stupid! So many more accidents are now going to be "Manslaughter"! So not cool Gov. Snyder!

 

[Lowcard]

I would strongly argue that point. A helmet may not help in a direct head on impact, but in many other cases that statement is ridiculous. If you lowside and slap your head on the ground at 50 you don't think a helmet will help? Or while you are sliding down the pavement? Racers get up after brutal crashes because of their gear, including helmets. Similar to seatbelt discussions you can point out examples, but in most cases you are always better off wearing a helmet. The thinking that above 25 a helmet won't help anyways only feeds the belief that you don't really need one.

Youre talking about racing. Im talking about actual wrecks where i have picked up decapitated heads and limbs out of a ditch. Laying a bike down in a race and being driven into a telephone pole by a truck are two different things bud.

 

[Lowcard]

^ and to add, im not arguing that we shoudlnt wear helmets, im arguing that some guy in washington has no right to tell me that i must do something simply because he says to.

 

[Empty Sea]

The stats posted are very interesting as is the conversation about the merits of wearing a helmet. I didn't really mean to say that others are "stupid" for not wearing a lid. I meant that I think it's the smart thing for me to do.

I still think, regardless of the stats, that it should be an individual choice and that, at least in the U.S., we could legislate the consequences of the behavior rather than the behavior itself.

 

[Lowcard]

The stats posted are very interesting as is the conversation about the merits of wearing a helmet. I didn't really mean to say that others are "stupid" for not wearing a lid. I meant that I think it's the smart thing for me to do.

I still think, regardless of the stats, that it should be an individual choice and that, at least in the U.S., we could legislate the consequences of the behavior rather than the behavior itself.

Agreed.

 

[Pete]

Im talking about actual wrecks where i have picked up decapitated heads and limbs out of a ditch.

OK...but was the head w/helmet still in one piece?