Safe Speed Forums

Story from the States.

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/PIT/9508177

I can't understand for the life of me why they'd let people ride without helmets. I'm not a biker myself so I'm not sure how riders in the UK feel about this.


Jack Tatum

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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." - Plato

I think you have just answered you own question, you do not ride.

I was riding in PA last week. Went from Gettysburg down through Maryland into Washington DC. PA is one of about 26 helmet free states in the US.

I ride helmet free when ever I can. The fact that you can't understand why just shows how narrow minded people are thes days.

To me riding with a helmet is like having sex wearing a condom. It may be safer but it is just not the same

I had someone trying to lecture me on helmet wearing the other day. He was puffing on a cigarette at the time. Who is taking the greater risk, me or him?

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Speed camera policy Kills

Can a helmet actually protect to any beneficial degree? i heard those who wear helmets are more likely to suffer neck injury than those who don't. If you come off at 70mph you're gonna get shreded - helmet or not!

helmets can restrict vision and limit head movement to a considerable degree. This can significantly increase the potential for an accident in the first place. There are many statistics that show an INCREASE in serious injuries after helmet law was introduced in the UK. In the US helmet law is being scrapped state by state. Florida dropped it a couple of years ago.

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Speed camera policy Kills

I find this to be ridiculous. If you come off, do you really want to whack your head on solid ground at 20/30/40/50 mph? I'd much rather a helmet took the blow!

Having done a 90mph face-plant around 15 years ago while testing a race-bike that turned out to have somewhat poor front suspension settings I personally wouldn't ride without a full-face helmet. Apart from anything else, I really don't like wasps in my face or having to squint through streams of wind induced tears.

I wouldn't evangelise or criticise anyone who chooses not to use one though.

Then again, some might think I'm insane to ride in a t-shirt and shorts when I'm in the south of France, but while it still concentrates the mind, the prospect of scars on my arms, legs and body scare me a lot less than having to have my face rebuilt.

Whatever. Each to their own.

When I did the USA coast to coast ride in May the first two days were spent riding from LA to the Grand Canyon (about 660 miles). Temperatures reached over 47 degrees C in the desert. I would like to see someone do that with leathers and a full-faced helmet.

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Speed camera policy Kills

I can imagine.

The year of the big heat-wave in France that killed lots of pensioners (2003 or 4 - not sure now) was pretty scary even in the high 30s / low 40s. The human brain isn't very good at dealing with overheating. A good full-face helmet is pretty good these days at getting air in and out, but it only works when you're moving at a decent clip. In traffic with the heat of your engine and the heat coming off the tarmac can make you overheat very quickly. I've had to stop and sit down at the side of the road on more than one occasion.

I suppose, being honest, on occasions like that I would be tempted.

We used gell filled neck bands that you soak in water. With evaporative cooling they help carry heat away from the head. Also a tricky little device that consists of a container of water with a pump on top that sprays a very fine mist of water into you face. Just top them up at every fuel stop.

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Speed camera policy Kills

I think the issue was that a helmet could actually increase risk of injury due to a bouncing effect likely to occur when a plastic object (ie a head within a helmet) hits a hard surface.

If you come off at speed the bouncy nature of a helmet could easily damage the neck the cervical spine. a fracture here could kill you. The nerve that controls the diaphragm (muscle that lets you breath) is supplied by the phrenic nerve leaves the spine at the neck (C3,4,5) so spinal damage in the neck is best avoided. Think of christopher reeves for example.

I come to this forum partly to be educated about other people's views, but a bit of decorum in your tone wouldn't go amiss.

I understand that drivers do not fully understand the views of riders and for that I would ask your indulgence and patience.

I started this thread to harvest views, not abuse.


Jack Tatum

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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." - Plato

Was that Marlborough lites, or Capstan Full Strength?

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

There's also the issue of the considerable increase in mass attached to your neck. My Arai says that it's 1.380kg which, while very much on the expensive and light end of the scale of full-face lids still represents a ~30% increase over the mass of the average human head.

How many GP stars have suffered these spinal injuries then? Barry Sheen came off enough times, and broke loads of bones, but I dont recall him racing without a helmet?
I think this speaks volumes...

That's more like it!! Male bravado!

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Yeah, and hitting your head on solid ground at speed is even more likely to result in death or severe injury, I would factor at a probability of almost 1.

I think I'd rather take my chances wearing a helmet than not, but if people want to ride without one then that's their own choice. I would suggest possibly that the USA de-restrictions come with insurance clauses, and the fact that if you haven't got medical insurance, you're buggered. I can't see the NHS / insurance companies in this country being pleased at paying out millions of pounds to support someone who ends up a vegetable in a wheelchair for 50 years because they didn't wear a helmet!

I personally would not ride without a full face helmet ever.

As to what other people do - its up to them to take the risk if they want to. Why should the nanny state legislate on everything?

More lives would be saved by banning smoking (and I am a smoker)

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

More bollocks. Do you need extra insurance to smoke, drink or eat saturated fat.

Do you have facts to support what you have said or just spouting off through ignorance and prejudice.

BTW here is the helmet law by state...

http://www.easyriders.com/documents/lawchart2.pdf

You will notice only two states require specific insurance cover. Also you do not need medical insurance to recieve emergency cover in the US. Shame you can't be bothered to check the facts before post. Just stick to making dumb assumption eh!

Sorry guys but this realy winds me up. And its the reason we have so many BAD laws. Whats wrong with just saying it should be down to personal choice.

Here is story of Fred Hill. One of the few real heros of motorcycle freedom in my book. He died in prison standing up for what he believed in.

http://home.btconnect.com/landsearch/mag/fred_hill.htm

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Speed camera policy Kills

Fair point!

Let's all take note of this post please folks!

Jack, Obviously this is a subject that arouses strong feelings and strong feeling tends to be expressed strongly. I can't really see any 'abuse' although I can certainly see what you mean.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

To be fair, if you smoke, or eat saturated fat, you generally get enough warning to be offered the choice of giving up.
If you come off your bike, and cant keep your head off the ground at 40 mph, it's a little late to change your mind.
When I came off my bike, the helmet was irrelevant - I suffered a fractured pelvis, and collar bone.
However my brother was thrown over a car which pulled out in front of him, and the scrape on the top of the helmet showed where his head hit the ground.
My own view was "why not wear one" and I had no problem with people who would rather not - you make you own choice. It's usually the family who have to live with the consequences of not wearing one when something goes seriously wrong.

I couldn't imagine what my brother and I put our parents through, having had three call outs to go to hospital - until my youngest son was born 4 months early, and when my mother was struck by lightning 2 years ago.

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!