Real Cost of Helmet Laws – Disagree

From 3arf

Freedom is an important concept. Each time lawmakers pass a law, you lose freedom. Freedom was kind of the basis for that whole "Magna Carta, Revolutionary War" thing. That is the basis for my argument here. It is the origin of helmet laws and similar laws that are the most troubling. It is the capitalism v. freedom debate. Helmet laws are the perfect conduit.

Transportation safety improvements are ever evolving. They took a big step forward in the 60's with seat belts, collapsable steering wheels and softer dashboards for cars and light trucks. Using a seat belt was your choice. Soon we had shoulder harnesses. Front and side impact airbags came along with anti-lock brakes. It wasn't until the 90's that most seat belt laws were passed. Why the 30 year hiatus? Why weren't seat belt laws in place back in the sixties and seventies? Motorcycles were largely ignored throughout that time period for a couple of reasons. Safety enhancements simply weren't available. Motorcycling had a relatively small following and did not account for that many miles in terms of overall travel. Motorcycling simply wasn't mainstream. Little by little, in the 70's and 80's, helmet laws began to pass in a few states. Some states didn't even require mandatory motorcycle liability insurance back then. That would all change. But what caused that change?

Now I know that some of you want to believe that lawmakers and government officials have your best interests at heart, that they are truly worried about your health and safety. A few are. But generally speaking that is simply not true. The real evolution of helmet laws is all about money. Insurance companies were suffering losses. Medical costs were escalating. The costs of defending lawsuits in court was steadily increasing. Law schools in the United States were churning out lawyers in record numbers. Lawsuits began to proliferate. Awards grew larger. The insurance companies knew something. They knew that over two thirds of all their insured auto clients were at fault when striking a motorcyclist. The insurance companies began to lobby heavily for the passage of helmet laws. Helmet laws would help minimize the losses they were suffering when their client struck and left a motorcyclist injured, in ICU or killed him/her. The safe way to package and sell this was to pass helmet laws as a life saving measure. Trust me, if there was any chance that the insurance lobby could have motorcycles deemed illegal, they would try.

So they dressed helmet laws up and used "safety" as the sales pitch. Politicians bought into that rhetoric and passed it along to you. Most folks bought in. That's the sneaky part. Instill fear everywhere, it's a great marketing tool. How can anyone argue against helmets? It's the perfect sales pitch, an opaque veil to get the sheep to buy in.

Why don't we require all auto drivers to wear helmets? Wouldn't that save thousands of lives annually? Why aren't politicians arguing for that? Because the simple truth is- is that politicians don't want to wear helmets when they drive, perhaps to dinner and cocktails with an insurance lobbyist. They don't want to get voted out of office by angry and helmet wearing constituents. It's a lot easier to pass laws for a minority than suffer the will of the majority. Helmet laws are the brain child of insurance companies and lobbyists to reduce costs and reduce exposure to losses. Perhaps with airbags, you can make a case against the need for helmets in cars.

We don't have a helmet law in my state. The streets aren't filled with motorcycle carnage. Or bicyclist carnage for that matter. But there is always someone willing to step up and tell you some story about a friend or relative who would have survived or was saved, by a helmet. Interestingly enough, off road and dirt riders habitually wear helmets. Some die anyway. But absent a law, it appears that education has replaced the need for laws in places not governed by the law. Interesting concept, that education thing.

Every time lawmakers pass a law, we lose a piece of freedom. Think about that. How much is enough? One day, perhaps lawmakers and insurance companies will require that all people must stay home. Or wear an orange vest and a helmet anytime they go for a walk. One day we may get so preoccupied with fear and survival- that we will realize we have quit living in the process. I hope I never see that day.

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