Saturday, March 22, 2008

Helmet Laws

Everyone knows I wear a helmet and will not ride without one. Well, I guess I do if I am the passenger...depending on who is the 'driver'. I know that makes no sense but then I have been told on more than one occasion, "You're not right."
When reading this I thought to myself....WHAT? Why in the world would you want to divert money away from teaching motorcycle safety to people who want to learn to ride and hold that money as a hostage until we are all mandated to wear a helmet? It is again another way of BIG government getting into our 'business'. I can see it being law for children and minors, but not adults. I also always wear a seat belt. Partly because it is the law, but mainly now because I can't even back out of the garage without it on. I feel safer. Again, I do not feel we should be forced to wear one.

Not wearing a helmet probably does not decrease the number of motorcycle accidents. Yes, it might decrease the number of brain injuries or maybe it just keeps the brain matter in one spot instead of splattered all over the highway. My question is if the number of deaths being increased is because of not wearing the helmet or because of an increase in riders? Would it make more sense to make it mandatory to pass a motorcycle safety test in all states before being allowed to have a license? If you do not pass the test you do not get the license and a data base could be set up that could be accessed by each state before giving out a license.

Again BIG government wants to regulate us instead of paying attention to the real matters at hand. Motorcycle awareness and safety for ALL drivers, whether in a car, truck or on a bike would probably be more effective in reducing the number of accidents that bring about the deaths. It is RESPONSIBILITY on both ends that is important. Drive responsible, as if your life depended on it, because it does!

If you are in a state that does NOT have a mandatory helmet law, you might want to consider letting your Congress people know how you feel. If you do not, don't P&M later when you find a helmet on your head, whether you want it there or not.


U.S. Transportation Secretary pushes helmet-use laws.
March 19, 2008US - U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters recently reaffirmed her desire to lobby states for mandatory helmet-use laws in testimony before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Transportation Subcommittee, according to a statement March 12 from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).
Peters’ testimony follows letters she sent in February to U.S. House and Senate leaders urging Congress to allow states to divert federal money away from motorcycle safety training and awareness programs and instead push for mandated helmet use.
Under federal law, the U.S. Transportation Department is barred from lobbying for or against specific state laws.
“I support giving the information to states so that they can act on those laws,” Peters testified. “And I certainly have made myself available to a number of states, and, in fact, have called governors when I see substantial increases in the number of motorcycle deaths in a state, especially a state that has repealed a helmet law.”
The AMA opposes Peters’ push to divert the funds from motorcycle safety training.
Reprinted with permission from Powersports Business.


A people that values it's privileges above it's principles, loses both. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.

Connie

1 comment:

luxomni said...

There is a problem with mandated "automatic safety" laws that is lost to those who would require them. That is, when people have something to usurp their attention to safety, it will do just that. Instead of, in this case, a rider being very, very careful, he has a helmet that will do that job for him.
Among my tasks, I service fire alarms. I had a school where a teacher put popcorn in a microwave and set it to 400 and walked away. Not 4:00 ... 400. The popcorn and bag caught fire. Then the Principal wanted a smoke detector put over the microwave to prevent another fire. It does not prevent another fire. It lets you know that there is another fire. If she wanted to truly prevent one, the answer is to forbid making popcorn or at the very least, forbid making it when you are not present to watch it. AND THEN ENFORCE IT WITH PENALTIES.
A helmet may aid in mitigating injury, but it will not prevent injury.