Comments on: Going Helmetless? Get Your Head Examined! http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/ The View From Connecticut's Northwest Corner Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:32:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: gsingjane http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-38 gsingjane Thu, 22 Jun 2006 10:30:27 +0000 http://tcextra.com/blogs/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-38 One night last summer driving south on I-91 from Hartford to New Haven, we had a bunch of motorcyclists who flew past us, popping wheelies, all helmetless. I was going around the speed limit (65-70 mph, anyway) and they went past like we were standing still... had to have been at least 100 mph. I almost had to get off the road and breathe into a paper bag, I was so blown away by this. People certainly do have different mindsets. I won't even back my car out of the driveway without my seatbelt on, but obviously many people are totally comfortable never wearing one at all, even though they know the odds of surviving a crash go way down without one. Jane in Guilford One night last summer driving south on I-91 from Hartford to New Haven, we had a bunch of motorcyclists who flew past us, popping wheelies, all helmetless. I was going around the speed limit (65-70 mph, anyway) and they went past like we were standing still… had to have been at least 100 mph. I almost had to get off the road and breathe into a paper bag, I was so blown away by this.

People certainly do have different mindsets. I won’t even back my car out of the driveway without my seatbelt on, but obviously many people are totally comfortable never wearing one at all, even though they know the odds of surviving a crash go way down without one.

Jane in Guilford

]]> By: Yankee http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-32 Yankee Mon, 19 Jun 2006 12:40:24 +0000 http://tcextra.com/blogs/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-32 Don't feel strongly about helmet laws, but I do know that the number of middle-aged guys playing Hells Angels on weekends who wipe out on their bikes is a disproportionately large percent of such mishaps. Anyone my age with a family who's riding a bike without a helmet should know that he is way more likely to have a mishap than the average biker. Hey, what about a blog on drivers over age 80? Certainly a local issue!! Don’t feel strongly about helmet laws, but I do know that the number of middle-aged guys playing Hells Angels on weekends who wipe out on their bikes is a disproportionately large percent of such mishaps. Anyone my age with a family who’s riding a bike without a helmet should know that he is way more likely to have a mishap than the average biker.

Hey, what about a blog on drivers over age 80? Certainly a local issue!!

]]> By: Jake http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-29 Jake Fri, 16 Jun 2006 04:53:34 +0000 http://tcextra.com/blogs/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-29 I seem to remember a kid riding a scooter around Southboro, Mass, long flowing locks waving in the wind. Wonder who that was? I seem to remember a kid riding a scooter around Southboro, Mass, long flowing locks waving in the wind. Wonder who that was?

]]> By: Tom Schuman http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-26 Tom Schuman Thu, 15 Jun 2006 22:29:52 +0000 http://tcextra.com/blogs/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-26 Hmmmm....while you're at it, write a law requiring bicyclists to wear helmets, and/or another one making it harder to get a driver's license. Here in Germany the drivers are generally so good and conscious of bikers, that helmets don't feel as necessary - not to mention the generous bike lanes here. Whereas Cadillac-drivers on Route 44 would sooner run you into the bushes than give you your portion of the lane, if I remember correctly. If people are afraid of losing their freedoms, they are free to break the law, safe in the knowledge that it's not really worth it for cops to enforce such laws. Probably costs just as much to the state to enforce them as it would to pay for the occasional unlucky motorcyclist to regain consciousness. In short, I feel strongly both ways :) Cheers. Hmmmm….while you’re at it, write a law requiring bicyclists to wear helmets, and/or another one making it harder to get a driver’s license. Here in Germany the drivers are generally so good and conscious of bikers, that helmets don’t feel as necessary - not to mention the generous bike lanes here. Whereas Cadillac-drivers on Route 44 would sooner run you into the bushes than give you your portion of the lane, if I remember correctly.
If people are afraid of losing their freedoms, they are free to break the law, safe in the knowledge that it’s not really worth it for cops to enforce such laws. Probably costs just as much to the state to enforce them as it would to pay for the occasional unlucky motorcyclist to regain consciousness.
In short, I feel strongly both ways :)
Cheers.

]]> By: peter halle http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-25 peter halle Thu, 15 Jun 2006 21:44:44 +0000 http://tcextra.com/blogs/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-25 I agree with you that it's foolish not to wear a helmet if you are travelling at any serious speed on a motorcycle. But when we decide to legislate that risky behavior, should we also go for bicyclists, or skiers, or sledders, or high divers, or jart players. Yeah, some of those are ridiculous, right? But the point is where do we draw the line. I'm pretty sure your health insurance argument is specious. Your insurance isn't paying for my head injury; mine is. And I believe it is actuarially low (that is not one of the 100 questions they ask in the insurance application). I think the valid argument is for mufflers; ie a decibel limit. Thanks for the blog, Terry. I agree with you that it’s foolish not to wear a helmet if you are travelling at any serious speed on a motorcycle. But when we decide to legislate that risky behavior, should we also go for bicyclists, or skiers, or sledders, or high divers, or jart players. Yeah, some of those are ridiculous, right? But the point is where do we draw the line. I’m pretty sure your health insurance argument is specious. Your insurance isn’t paying for my head injury; mine is. And I believe it is actuarially low (that is not one of the 100 questions they ask in the insurance application). I think the valid argument is for mufflers; ie a decibel limit. Thanks for the blog, Terry.

]]> By: fred http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-24 fred Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:15:10 +0000 http://tcextra.com/blogs/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-24 there are already a slew of "paternalistic" laws on the books, one more could not hurt. or it could be the nail in the coffin of our freedom. it just depends on how you look at it. there are already a slew of “paternalistic” laws on the books, one more could not hurt. or it could be the nail in the coffin of our freedom. it just depends on how you look at it.

]]> By: Sandy Fiebelkorn http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-22 Sandy Fiebelkorn Thu, 15 Jun 2006 02:14:15 +0000 http://tcextra.com/blogs/terrycowgill/2006/06/14/go-helmetless-get-your-head-examined/#comment-22 I couldn't agree w/you more. When I lived in Boston, I bought a used 'motorcycle' (50 cc Yamaha) from an opera singer who felt it was affecting her throat. I put 3,000 miles on that bike around Boston and off to the north shore. Definitely glad to wear my helmet. On Mem Drive on way to work one day, a car crossed behind me expecting that I could just give my bike the gun to get away. But I was already at full tilt on flat road (40mph) and the car skimmed my tail-light! I was petrified. That Nov. my bike was stolen from the Mass Eye & Ear parking lot where I had it chained to some post. Probably a good thing. I did enjoy wind thru my hair on my regular 2-wheeler though. I couldn’t agree w/you more. When I lived in Boston, I bought a used ‘motorcycle’ (50 cc Yamaha) from an opera singer who felt it was affecting her throat. I put 3,000 miles on that bike around Boston and off to the north shore. Definitely glad to wear my helmet. On Mem Drive on way to work one day, a car crossed behind me expecting that I could just give my bike the gun to get away. But I was already at full tilt on flat road (40mph) and the car skimmed my tail-light! I was petrified. That Nov. my bike was stolen from the Mass Eye & Ear parking lot where I had it chained to some post. Probably a good thing. I did enjoy wind thru my hair on my regular 2-wheeler though.

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