ALT-19 Motorcyclists should always Wear Helmets – Agree
The idea of the freedom of your hair blowing in the wind as you glide down the road on your Harley is a feeling of total joy and exhilaration.
But it's not much fun when you are in the hospital with a concussion and possible permanent brain damage. It's not much fun when you live in a vegetative state due to a motorcycle accident because you were not wearing a helmet and the hospital bills are destroying your family's financial future.
The safest way to ride a motorcycle these days is to buy a good helmet and save your money for a better bike instead of paying the hospital bills when you get injured. The biggest problem with riders is they just do not see riding that way and that it's a personal freedom to not wear a helmet or their abilities are far superior to ever consider the possibility of having an accident.
It seems today you can get into an accident on the road fairly easier since there are far more drivers on roads and with far less skills or training. Recently four women traveling to work on the highway in the morning were injured when a transport truck hit the back of their vehicle because he was asleep at the wheel. One of my co-workers is now deceased and if were a motorcycle there would not be much left to identify the victim.
Safety of a Motorcycle:
Riding a motorcycle is far more dangerous than driving a car and a lot more physically damaging to the rider or passenger. There is no protection in an accident when you are riding a motorcycle and you far more likely to be air born in an instant. A car at least has some protection, may have airbags to lessen the impact, and may also be more stable in an attempt to avoid a collision. A motorcycle if turned improperly or at a wider angle could tumble over and cause further bodily damage to the rider.
Advantages of a Helmet:
The benefit of wearing a helmet is decreased severity of a head injury which is the most delicate and vulnerable part of the body. The likelihood of a head injury is higher because of the airborne factor of a violent impact. Motorcycles are easier to flip over in an accident with higher death rates and extensive injuries. The greatest advantage is the increased chance that it can save a life so the rider can live to ride again.
It is well documented that the mandatory laws requiring the use of helmets on motorcycles has increased their usage by a great percentage. In states that reduced their helmet law requirements fatalities involving motorcycle accidents increased steadily as fewer people wore helmets. In the same way that in states that made helmets mandatory experienced a decrease in fatalities and head injuries with stronger laws to protect motorcycle riders and passengers. In any sport from skiing to bicycles to skateboarding some countries make helmets mandatory in attempting to make these fun activities safer. Why are motorcycles except from safety standards to protect lives.
My experience as a teenager riding on the back of my brother's new motorcycle when we hit slippery railroad tracks could have been fatal. We both fortunately had our helmets on and as I flew over him when the bike fell over, I slide down the road on my back for several hundred yards. I would not be alive today if it were not for wearing a helmet that was not required by law.
