Oh the irony (Rider dies after crashing at an anti-helmet rally)

SL91
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SL91
Edited Date/Time 1/27/2012 5:48pm
Tragic but ironic: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/07/04/motorcycle-helmut-death.h…
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Jamie_Munro 7/5/2011 4:47am
7/5/2011 4:47am
This is tragic news, any death on motorbikes is horrible BUT those that can be avoided should be.

If it was going to happen @ anytime, sods law would have it happen then and on that type of rally.

And while my heart goes out to the family etc I don't see why America is so far behind on this (or any other country that allows it), why would it not be mandatory to wear a helmet? It's insanity at it's most simple.

Come on Governement and get with the program is all I can say.
Void Main
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Void Main 7/5/2011 5:16am
7/5/2011 5:16am Edited Date/Time 7/5/2011 5:19am
Jamie_Munro wrote:
This is tragic news, any death on motorbikes is horrible BUT those that can be avoided should be. If it was going to happen @ anytime...
This is tragic news, any death on motorbikes is horrible BUT those that can be avoided should be.

If it was going to happen @ anytime, sods law would have it happen then and on that type of rally.

And while my heart goes out to the family etc I don't see why America is so far behind on this (or any other country that allows it), why would it not be mandatory to wear a helmet? It's insanity at it's most simple.

Come on Governement and get with the program is all I can say.
Actually only 4 out of 50 states do not have some form of helmet law (I live in one of them, but I always wear a helmet). In 20 states helmets are mandatory for everyone. The rest have some sort of helmet law based on age.

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/PrintLaws.html
Jamie_Munro 7/5/2011 5:23am
7/5/2011 5:23am
Yes, fair comment and I prob should have eluded to that fact that it's not all of America I was aimed at, but why any states @ all? makes no sense. Still, it's a shitty thing to heppen.
Void Main
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Void Main 7/5/2011 5:46am
7/5/2011 5:46am Edited Date/Time 7/5/2011 5:50am
Jamie_Munro wrote:
Yes, fair comment and I prob should have eluded to that fact that it's not all of America I was aimed at, but why any states...
Yes, fair comment and I prob should have eluded to that fact that it's not all of America I was aimed at, but why any states @ all? makes no sense. Still, it's a shitty thing to heppen.
Well, if you ride in those states there is no law saying that you must not wear a helmet. You are perfectly free to wear one, or not. I choose to wear one. There is also no law stating you have to do FMX and attempt a double back flip. I choose not to attempt one. On the other side of the coin there is no law anywhere saying you must wear a helmet while snow skiing (that I am aware of). Most people do these days but I am one who chooses not to. I know, crazy right?

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Jamie_Munro 7/5/2011 5:57am
7/5/2011 5:57am
well @ least snow is softer than tarmac - although trees tend not to be, that I can consent to and since collecting some bark when on my mountain bike I refuse to go without a lid regardless of the activity.
Ashleymx
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Ashleymx 7/5/2011 6:34am
7/5/2011 6:34am Edited Date/Time 7/5/2011 6:36am
It's sad some people need to be forced but they do for the sake of themselves and their family's! I couldn't believe my eyes when I spent a few months in Rochester Minnesota. I was visiting one of the best hospitals in the world, seeing grieving familys on a daily basis in waiting rooms due to head injury's and motorcycles then Id walk out side and see helmet less riders? (Coming from Australia were it always has been law across the whole country it looked insane to me) I've knocked my self out and seen friends get knocked out on dirt with hardly any impact. I know Id be dead if I wasn't wearing one and concrete sure is harder than dirt.
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mmcmx 7/5/2011 6:52am
7/5/2011 6:52am
Because its the land of the free. Well, not anymore.
Void Main
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Void Main 7/5/2011 6:54am
7/5/2011 6:54am Edited Date/Time 7/5/2011 6:57am
Ashleymx wrote:
It's sad some people need to be forced but they do for the sake of themselves and their family's! I couldn't believe my eyes when I...
It's sad some people need to be forced but they do for the sake of themselves and their family's! I couldn't believe my eyes when I spent a few months in Rochester Minnesota. I was visiting one of the best hospitals in the world, seeing grieving familys on a daily basis in waiting rooms due to head injury's and motorcycles then Id walk out side and see helmet less riders? (Coming from Australia were it always has been law across the whole country it looked insane to me) I've knocked my self out and seen friends get knocked out on dirt with hardly any impact. I know Id be dead if I wasn't wearing one and concrete sure is harder than dirt.
Although I never ride on or off the street without a helmet I am one of those who won't push for a helmet law. I think it's one of those "slippery slope" issues. You know, they don't know enough to take care of themselves so the government must step in and do it for them. But what's to stop them from taking the next step from banning motorcycles (on or off road) entirely? They are dangerous and you obviously have less of a chance of getting hurt by not riding one. So we'll just outlaw them. Life is already short, do whatever makes you happy, even at the slight risk of making it a little shorter.
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Ashleymx 7/5/2011 7:10am
7/5/2011 7:10am
Ashleymx wrote:
It's sad some people need to be forced but they do for the sake of themselves and their family's! I couldn't believe my eyes when I...
It's sad some people need to be forced but they do for the sake of themselves and their family's! I couldn't believe my eyes when I spent a few months in Rochester Minnesota. I was visiting one of the best hospitals in the world, seeing grieving familys on a daily basis in waiting rooms due to head injury's and motorcycles then Id walk out side and see helmet less riders? (Coming from Australia were it always has been law across the whole country it looked insane to me) I've knocked my self out and seen friends get knocked out on dirt with hardly any impact. I know Id be dead if I wasn't wearing one and concrete sure is harder than dirt.
Void Main wrote:
Although I never ride on or off the street without a helmet I am one of those who won't push for a helmet law. I think...
Although I never ride on or off the street without a helmet I am one of those who won't push for a helmet law. I think it's one of those "slippery slope" issues. You know, they don't know enough to take care of themselves so the government must step in and do it for them. But what's to stop them from taking the next step from banning motorcycles (on or off road) entirely? They are dangerous and you obviously have less of a chance of getting hurt by not riding one. So we'll just outlaw them. Life is already short, do whatever makes you happy, even at the slight risk of making it a little shorter.
That could work the opposite way. For example if they abolished the law nationwide the death toll would then double, triple or worse. Now they have even more leverage to outlaw bikes because the death toll is so high. Not that it will ever actually happen.
UpTiTe 7/5/2011 7:23am
7/5/2011 7:23am
Jamie_Munro wrote:
This is tragic news, any death on motorbikes is horrible BUT those that can be avoided should be. If it was going to happen @ anytime...
This is tragic news, any death on motorbikes is horrible BUT those that can be avoided should be.

If it was going to happen @ anytime, sods law would have it happen then and on that type of rally.

And while my heart goes out to the family etc I don't see why America is so far behind on this (or any other country that allows it), why would it not be mandatory to wear a helmet? It's insanity at it's most simple.

Come on Governement and get with the program is all I can say.
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food you eat. What happened to personal responseabilty? I guess that goes out the window when the government tells you everything you can and can't do.
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mattmatt300 7/5/2011 7:26am
7/5/2011 7:26am
i remember reading an article from some anti helmet guy and he argued that the weight of helmets causes neck injuries in crashes. it was the most ridiculous thing ive ever read. helmets should be mandatory on the street everywhere
CamP
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CamP 7/5/2011 7:28am
7/5/2011 7:28am
UpTiTe wrote:
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food...
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food you eat. What happened to personal responseabilty? I guess that goes out the window when the government tells you everything you can and can't do.
Driving/riding on public roads isn't a right, it's a privilege.
UpTiTe 7/5/2011 7:33am
7/5/2011 7:33am
mattmatt300 wrote:
i remember reading an article from some anti helmet guy and he argued that the weight of helmets causes neck injuries in crashes. it was the...
i remember reading an article from some anti helmet guy and he argued that the weight of helmets causes neck injuries in crashes. it was the most ridiculous thing ive ever read. helmets should be mandatory on the street everywhere
Yep, and why they are at it salt, transfats and alcohol are all bad for you too. SUVs kill people in smaller cars, lets do away with them too.
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grover738 7/5/2011 7:33am
7/5/2011 7:33am
mattmatt300 wrote:
i remember reading an article from some anti helmet guy and he argued that the weight of helmets causes neck injuries in crashes. it was the...
i remember reading an article from some anti helmet guy and he argued that the weight of helmets causes neck injuries in crashes. it was the most ridiculous thing ive ever read. helmets should be mandatory on the street everywhere
I've also heard the argument that they're unsafe because they block your peripheral vision. I've ridden over 50,000 miles on the road, and I'd never ever ride without a helmet.

Sad story about the guy. Hopefully it will open some people's eyes and save some lives in the long run.
UpTiTe 7/5/2011 7:39am
7/5/2011 7:39am
UpTiTe wrote:
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food...
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food you eat. What happened to personal responseabilty? I guess that goes out the window when the government tells you everything you can and can't do.
CamP wrote:
Driving/riding on public roads isn't a right, it's a privilege.
Now if I'm driving down a private road I would tend to agree, but when my tax dollars pay for those roads I would say its my rights to use them responsibly.

Now its my right to drive down publicly funded roads responsibly on my motorcycle without a helmet.
rocrac
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rocrac 7/5/2011 7:40am
7/5/2011 7:40am
not wearing a helmet is stupid it's common sense but do we need a fucking law for every stupid thing people do or not do? I don't think so I'm sick of our over inflated Gov't wasting resources trying to protect ourselves from ourselves.
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kongols 7/5/2011 7:43am
7/5/2011 7:43am
Jamie_Munro wrote:
This is tragic news, any death on motorbikes is horrible BUT those that can be avoided should be. If it was going to happen @ anytime...
This is tragic news, any death on motorbikes is horrible BUT those that can be avoided should be.

If it was going to happen @ anytime, sods law would have it happen then and on that type of rally.

And while my heart goes out to the family etc I don't see why America is so far behind on this (or any other country that allows it), why would it not be mandatory to wear a helmet? It's insanity at it's most simple.

Come on Governement and get with the program is all I can say.
UpTiTe wrote:
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food...
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food you eat. What happened to personal responseabilty? I guess that goes out the window when the government tells you everything you can and can't do.
Don`t tell you truly believe government should just leave it up to people to decide what`s wrong and what`s right?
Shenzi
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Shenzi 7/5/2011 7:43am
7/5/2011 7:43am
UpTiTe wrote:
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food...
Yeah I guess having your personal rights continuesly raped by the government isn't so bad is it? Next is the car you drive and the food you eat. What happened to personal responseabilty? I guess that goes out the window when the government tells you everything you can and can't do.
CamP wrote:
Driving/riding on public roads isn't a right, it's a privilege.
absolutely! and the helmet-less riders is not riding alone on those public roads, he has others with whom he can impact. The old argument of freedom of choice is such a lame one in the helmet law cases.
There's nothing about freedom of choice and 'not being assisted/controlled by the government" when we share places, roads, towns, rights, with others. This is not about the individual, it is about the community. This is not the 1800s anymore.

what about the anti-smoking bans, what about age limit for alcohol consumption... Why the helmet laws in racing then, what is the difference?

The irony in these unfortunate death (same happened a couple years ago to a contributor of Ultimate Motorcycles who passed away after a 20 mph crash when his head hit the ground.

Even in states (I am surrounded by those and live in one) where the helmet law is non-existent, they could at least try to do proper safety education campaigns. Scare the shit out of them, show them reality. Make them think about their families, their kids, the people in the car they're going to hit who are going to live with the death of a motorcyclist on their conscious for the rest of their lives.... This is not about freedom of choice anymore, those guys ride in public areas, not on their own private land.

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UpTiTe 7/5/2011 7:50am
7/5/2011 7:50am
Shenzi please, please explain to me how a helmetless rider is a problem on the road to anyone but himself.
GuyB
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GuyB 7/5/2011 7:51am
7/5/2011 7:51am
Our country was founded on certain freedoms. The right to free speech, right to bear arms, etc. Some people want the right to ride without helmets.

I have an uncle who's waiting on a kidney transplant. He's counting on one of the helmetless riders to come through for him. That's his right.
pitbike502
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pitbike502 7/5/2011 7:58am
7/5/2011 7:58am
I heard this happened while at the track this weekend. We always have a large group of riders come into the shop stoked on this event, just kills me. We have already had several fatalities this year, and people justdont see the big picture. Everyone please just remember, you have families, its a lot of work to clean your dead body up, and you're not really setting an example or making a statement. In fact, you're just upsetting people.
UpTiTe 7/5/2011 8:00am
7/5/2011 8:00am
GuyB wrote:
Our country was founded on certain freedoms. The right to free speech, right to bear arms, etc. Some people want the right to ride without helmets...
Our country was founded on certain freedoms. The right to free speech, right to bear arms, etc. Some people want the right to ride without helmets.

I have an uncle who's waiting on a kidney transplant. He's counting on one of the helmetless riders to come through for him. That's his right.
And it's the rider's right to take that chance. You can't legislate stupidity, and when they do its inevitable that they impose on the right's of people who know better.

Good luck to your uncle, as a Guy with a kidney disease I sympathise with him.
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HondaFan33 7/5/2011 8:07am
7/5/2011 8:07am
Thats the problem with our government today they are trying to protect us from ourselves way too much. if someone is stupid enough to not wear a helmet then why not let them risk their own life. There is this little thing called natural selection and our government is messing it all up.
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motoplook 7/5/2011 8:08am
7/5/2011 8:08am
UpTiTe wrote:
Shenzi please, please explain to me how a helmetless rider is a problem on the road to anyone but himself.
don't know about Shenzi but:

At slower speeds, let's say 35mph average, you hit, or are hit by a driver that didn't see you when you're slaloming in between cars, you crash and die of head injury (majority of fatalities in motorcycle crashes are results of head injury).
The poor mother and her 6 year-old kid in that car are going to live with the guilt of killing someone, or mental distress and stress, nervous break-down from having witness the death of a motorcyclist who hit their car.

This is not a personal choice or freedom of choice from the moment you ride on public roads with other people. Do whatever u want on your own private land. Do you go crap by your neighbor's mailbox? what if you want to? Freedom of choice, no? Why don't you smoke in a non-smoking restaurants, among patrons?
kongols
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kongols 7/5/2011 8:13am
7/5/2011 8:13am
HondaFan33 wrote:
Thats the problem with our government today they are trying to protect us from ourselves way too much. if someone is stupid enough to not wear...
Thats the problem with our government today they are trying to protect us from ourselves way too much. if someone is stupid enough to not wear a helmet then why not let them risk their own life. There is this little thing called natural selection and our government is messing it all up.
Why don`t you just start throwing your sick infants from a cliff? They won`t make it on their own in a capitalism anyway.
MX45
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MX45 7/5/2011 8:17am
7/5/2011 8:17am
Same thing happened to a lady in FL when the helmet law was dropped. She was an advocate for it, and she later died in a low impact mc accident. Be careful what you ask for, I guess.

I don't understand why anyone would go out without a helmet. But non of us here do. We've seen too many bad things happen to people with a helmet on.
The laws and advocates are hypocritical though. I have to wear a seatbelt or I get a ticket. I don't understand why not the same for helmetless riders?
And as a very motorcycle-conscious driver on the road, when I see a helmetless rider it makes ME nervous. That ain't right.
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Shenzi 7/5/2011 8:23am
7/5/2011 8:23am
I'm copy/pasting, but although repeated so many times, these are some of the little facts that support the idea that at times, it is the job of the government to educate and impose some rules on its people. This is not the wild west anymore, we are about $300 Millions sharing this land as a community, many not speaking the common language, we need some rules to maintain civility and some responsibility.

Those who support helmet laws argue that, first and foremost, helmets save lives. They cite statistics that helmet use increases dramatically when states enact helmet laws. For example, when California passed its helmet law in 1992, helmet use jumped from 50% to 99%. During this same period of time, motorcycle accident fatalities in California decreased 37%.

Studies also support the notion that motorcycle helmets save lives. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that helmets reduce the likelihood of an accident fatality by 29%. The Hurt Study corroborates this statistic, finding that riders wearing helmets showed significantly lower risk for all types of neck and head injury.

Advocates for stricter helmet laws maintain that the laws benefit the public in other ways as well. They reason that many motorcycle thieves will fail to bring a helmet with them when they steal a motorcycle. If a helmet law is in effect, the thief’s lack of helmet will draw police attention and possibly lead to an arrest. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, motorcycle thefts in nineteen Texas cities decreased 44% in the two years after Texas legislature enacted a mandatory helmet law.

Some people also argue that the greater number of motorcycle injuries in states without helmet laws burden taxpayers. When an uninsured or under-insured motorcyclist is injured in an accident, public funds often pay for the rider’s emergency care. A 2002 NHTSA study revealed that only slightly more than half of all injured motorcyclists carry private health insurance coverage. Some studies have found that public funds paid as much as 82% of medical bills for orthopedic injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents.

Finally, helmet law proponents argue that aside from the United States, most developed countries have mandatory motorcycle helmet laws in place. This supports the argument that if most other countries deem it necessary to have helmet laws to protect their citizens, the United States should follow suit.


In Oregon there was a 33 percent reduction in motorcycle fatalities the year after its helmet law was re enacted. Nebraska experienced a 32 percent (4 riders out of over 20,000 motorcycles registered) reduction in the first year of its law. Texas experienced a 23 percent reduction. Washington experienced a 15 percent reduction. California experienced a 37 percent reduction and Maryland experienced a 20 percent reduction.


Like GuyB underlined, the majority of organ donors are helmet-less motorcyclists who died from head injuries. The states without helmet laws have the best organ for transplant availability, States who passed a helmet law saw the organs availability drop after a year or so.

Going back to UpTite's question, the mental distress to those involved in a fatal accident with a biker, the cost on the community, etc...
CamP
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CamP 7/5/2011 8:37am
7/5/2011 8:37am
UpTiTe wrote:
Now if I'm driving down a private road I would tend to agree, but when my tax dollars pay for those roads I would say its...
Now if I'm driving down a private road I would tend to agree, but when my tax dollars pay for those roads I would say its my rights to use them responsibly.

Now its my right to drive down publicly funded roads responsibly on my motorcycle without a helmet.
There are no rights to drive/ride on public roads.
7I3N
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7I3N 7/5/2011 8:42am
7/5/2011 8:42am
Once you agree to let the government regulate your safety, you’re at their mercy. If they decide that it is too dangerous to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, what’s to stop them from deciding, at some point, that motorcycles are too dangerous for people to use at all? Especially if health care is government provided, and there is a financial incentive to regulate “dangerous” activities. I never ride without one, but I am always against any law that's designed to protect me from myself.
UpTiTe 7/5/2011 8:45am
7/5/2011 8:45am
UpTiTe wrote:
Now if I'm driving down a private road I would tend to agree, but when my tax dollars pay for those roads I would say its...
Now if I'm driving down a private road I would tend to agree, but when my tax dollars pay for those roads I would say its my rights to use them responsibly.

Now its my right to drive down publicly funded roads responsibly on my motorcycle without a helmet.
CamP wrote:
There are no rights to drive/ride on public roads.
Then they shouldn't use my tax dollars to pay for them.

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