ALT-21 Motorcyclists should always Wear Helmets – Agree
The idea of cyclists wearing helmets is a discussion that has gone on for decades. The pro and con sides both believe they are right and there seems to be no middle ground.Helmets do make some sense. As we all know, helmets can help reduce or prevent injury to the brain. Those who ride, however, talk of freedom and individual rights.
The activist group, bikersrights dot com, tells us we should be careful about assuming that helmets are a panacea for all bikers and their head injuries. There is some evidence, they claim, helmets can cause neck injuries. There are even doubts, as reflected by bikersrights dot com that a helmet can not protect at highway speeds. In fact, helmet manufacturers said in letters to bikersrights dot com that they would not suggest that their helmets could not withstand an impact greater than 23 m.p.h.
Of course there are those who would certainly advocate helmet use and they can show a dizzying array of statistics that show helmets serve a great function in protecting a biker's brain. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will tell you motorcycles are an extremely dangerous mode of transportation, especially when compared with a car. The IIHS says that helmets do decrease the severity of injury and the likelihood of death and the overall cost of medical care.
So what is an average person or lawmaker supposed to think? Where are we going to get the information needed to make an informed decision?
We do know that the public favors laws requiring the wearing of helmets, of that there is no question. So should politicians simply do the popular thing, as they are prone to do? Or should they let those who ride decide?
The answer is certainly not clear cut and it is fraught with political risk. One must, however, go with what is conceived to be in the best interest of the public at large. Therefore making helmets mandatory would be in the public interest.
The public interest is served because even if helmets only protect at slower speeds then those riders have a better chance of survival or of not getting brain damage. Health insurance and overall hospital costs will not have to be raised and those are 2 things that are good for everyone.
If just one life is saved by mandatory helmet usage then it is a good thing. If that rider has a family then his children might think mandatory helmet usage a good thing too, especially if they can have their parent for a few more years.
