Florida Helmet Law?

[Skunkape]

Saw this on the news tonight. Although I wear a helmet 99.9% of the time I still don't think the government should tell me I have to. JMHO

From the article.

"Last year was one of the safest on record since then with 373 motorcycle-related deaths. In those, 46 percent of the victims were not wearing a helmet."

Sounds like it is safer to not wear a helmet. Gotta love statistics.

http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/november/174338/Feds-say-all-motorcycle-riders-should-wear-helmets

 

[RaYzerman]

If all statistics were truthful/accurate and presented with no bias, we could be better informed. What's missing here is how many of the 46 percent might have been prevented. How many were injured and/or requiring long term care to recover? How many were half helmets?

If you pay taxes, and any part of your tax dollars are spent in public services to take care of the dead or injured or policing, or insurance premiums, and might be made less if everybody wore a helmet, wouldn't it make sense to make it mandatory?

 

[redst05]

Minnesota is looking into this again. Looks like the Feds are looking to make this a national thing. MN has a strong lobbing group that will prevent this but look at all the stuff they are controling. Need to wear seat belts. Cant smoke in public places, Even at the local park if kids are present. some places are banning toys in happy meals.
Will there be a time we wont have a choice to even ride a motorcycle. Because it is unsafe.
Maybe we should make helmets mandatory for autos because it would be safer and make it harder to talk on the phone. (win win)
Also remember that there are people waiting for organs for transplant. this is a good source. Thats why some call them donor-cycles.

 

[John Anthony]

Should the feds decide to pursue this, I suspect states will have a choice to have mandatory helmet laws or not. Those that don't play probably would suffer when it's time to get federal matching funds for highway projects.

John

 

[Chance]

I can see mandatory helmets on public roads. I don't have to like it..but it IS a road paid for by ALL of us, not just me. I'm not just endangering ME if I ride without.. it could cost ALOT of people alot of money.

That said, I can see/respect not wanting to..but I can't say it should be your right, unless it's on your own land.

Keep in mind, according to my wife, I'm usually wrong!

 

[ST1100bob]

My first step into the minefield! I am a member of ABATE and I think I am the only member that wears a helmet 100% of the time (also only one of two that does not ride a HD in my region). Things down the road to also look at is progressive licensing (how many of you would be able to own or ride your ST), airbags (currently only on a GW), Yes seat belts, limiting engine size (think 600 or 750cc), non stock exhaust, Federally mandated ATGATT with high vis colors, and possibly a ban on motorcycles, (if Europe gets it passed where there are people trying). These are all things that are being looked at politically.
The Govt is at this time trying to give money to states through NHTSA to have motorcycle only checkpoints (checking various things and giving you a lecture on safe riding). I side on choice for helmets for who am I to tell someone what to do. I am an ATGATT rider.
At this time I will put the soapbox back into my pocket.

 

[OhioScott]

I wear a helmet 99% of the time, the exception being if I am going to run back through the closed development I live in for a warm up spin or to see if my packing is adjusted correctly. I also use my development streets to listen for odd noises, rubbing, ect. if I got a ticket for that I would be pissed.

I don't agree with helmet laws, seat belt laws, other personal choice laws after your learners permit, Certainly after 18 years of age. That said I think if it were a public vote and majority rules than we have it. I feel it is underhanded politics to make groups happy while getting what they want (insert conspiracy theory here as well as politician hand shaking side deals and kickbacks from special interest groups) You can put it up there in my opinion with uninsured motorist insurance and the ticket my buddy got for not having his lights on at the same time his wipers were on(cage) during a light rain in the middle of the day where the sun was shining thru the clouds.

I would rather see cops enforce speed in residential areas, where our kids can get hurt.

noise violations in cars and bikes, public nuisance.
exhaust in cars and bikes as well as stereo cars and bikes (at an intersection with a HD the other day where his stereo was drowning out the little fast and furious car next to him

I feel cell phone use (city traffic) and these in dash multi purpose entertainment centers with XM, DVD, MP3, SATNAV, ET, WKRP, and whatever else you can cram in there to pull the eyes off the road have to be a bigger concern than some guy on a bike without a helmet. Don't get me wrong I have a GPS but not a home entertainment center in my dash that I multitask with while driving/riding. I rarely enter info while driving and never do it on the bike.

There are bigger more important issues to deal with 1st that are larger concerns for the general public than some guy without a helmet.

OH and even if the FED and every state made it a law that all motorist bike, car, truck whatever had to wear full body armor and helmet while operating any motorized vehicle on public roads tomorrow and it was 90% complied with by the general public. You will never see a decrease in your insurance or taxes. It will just never happen once the insurance company and the tax man get your money you will not see it come back so the argument for lowering insurance rates and taxes is lost, unfounded, not valid in my opinion.

sorry to rant

 

[Flookyk]

It's interesting what you lot think about the helmet laws over there.

As only coming into biking 3 years ago (I wish I had done it years ago) I have only known riding with a helmet (and protective clothing) so don't know what it is like riding without and , to be honest, I would not be comfortable in myself riding without.

When in Florida a couple of years ago (got married on Cocoa Beach) we were thinking of hiring a bike for a day or two, just to say we had done it.
Called into a HD dealer and found they only supplied a helmet no other stuff (jacket, boots, etc) so we did not go ahead, especially as I had only passed my test around 6 months before as well.

 

[Skunkape]

I do imagine there will be a very large push to keep it from happening. We have more pirates in Florida than the Caribbean ever had.

 

[Gene]

We need motorcycle only roads built just for us and our safsty , like they do for bike folks !

 

[pixguy]

You will never see a decrease in your insurance or taxes. It will just never happen once the insurance company and the tax man get your money you will not see it come back so the argument for lowering insurance rates and taxes is lost, unfounded, not valid in my opinion.

I've never read a claim by the feds, state, or insurance company that rates would be lowered, but proponents of doing away with helmet laws always make this statement or something like it. The argument for helmets has been to reduce injury, deaths and medical claims, all of which go up without helmet laws; every study clearly demonstrates that fact. Some claim that helmet laws interfere with their "rights", conveniently forgetting that society has a "right" not to be burdened with the consequences of their actions and society as a whole has a "right" to decide what it is willing to pay for in the form of taxes and passes laws accordingly to protect itself. The claim is made, "It's my business whether or not to wear a helmet because I'm the only one affected", but that isn't even close to being true. Everything from lost work time to medical costs that have to be picked up by an insurance company or the state are the result. There is no free lunch. If we had a national referendum on whether or not to have helmet laws, how do you think the majority would vote? In a nation that puts helmets on its three year olds riding tricycles in the driveway?

 

[SilverSTreak]

{snippage}

If you pay taxes, and any part of your tax dollars are spent in public services to take care of the dead or injured or policing, or insurance premiums, and might be made less if everybody wore a helmet, wouldn't it make sense to make it mandatory?

Wouldn't it make MORE sense NOT to spend tax dollars on "insurance premiums"? As for public services to take care of the dead or injured or policing - whether any of us wears a helmet or not, does NOT significantly impact those costs - they are there because we chose to put them there to take care of cleaning up after accidents - and there are/always will be accidents. Helmets may reduce severity of injuries but I doubt they reduce the actual number of incidents...

This is coming back because the "Feds" are responding to "recommendations" by the Insurance Companies (NHTSA - is an insurance company funded organization) to do so. The Insurance companies are interested in one thing only - improving their profits.

 

[bikeopath]

Saw this on the news tonight. Although I wear a helmet 99.9% of the time I still don't think the government should tell me I have to. JMHO

From the article.

"Last year was one of the safest on record since then with 373 motorcycle-related deaths. In those, 46 percent of the victims were not wearing a helmet."

Sounds like it is safer to not wear a helmet. Gotta love statistics.

http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/november/174338/Feds-say-all-motorcycle-riders-should-wear-helmets

Surprised no one brought up these points:

1. How many of the accidents resulting in death or serious injury were alcohol related?

2. What's the correlation between alcohol related accidents and helmet non-useage? (I'll bet very high)

3. What's been the trend in passenger miles over the years? Fewer miles ridden would, intuitively result in lower deaths and injuries. There are less opportunities to die in an absolute sense.

Just sayin'

 

[wcleland]

Riding without a helmet would be fine if said riders would except not getting any medical aid after an accident. I resent having to pay for their decisions. I noticed in Florida (I'm a snobird) that the majority of cruisers don't use a helmet, while the majority of sport bikes seem to. Being cool seems more important than being safe.

 

[coreyasl]

I like choice. I personally wear a helmet 99% of the time.

sigh, let's see what hzppens

 

[st1300r]

Riding without a helmet would be fine if said riders would except not getting any medical aid after an accident. I resent having to pay for their decisions. I noticed in Florida (I'm a snobird) that the majority of cruisers don't use a helmet, while the majority of sport bikes seem to. Being cool seems more important than being safe.

At one level I wanna agree you but could change that and a lot of ordinary folks would not see any difference.

"Riding would be fine if said riders would except not getting any medical aid after an accident. I resent having to pay for their decisions."