Nation wide helmet laws by state

[Marthy]

Dam! Look like I miss some good action here today. I didn't even care about looking at the thread because at the end of the day I will still wear all my gears, especially my helmet. I've been use to it growing up in Canada. No option there, helmet is mandatory!

We all have a different level of risk that we are ready to deal with. Some ride with flip flop, wife beater shirt while talking on there phone. Other wear full leather suite like they're going to hit the track. Anywhere in between is a personal choice. We all know what's at risk... from there it's all depend how much risk you're ready to take.

Let's all hugs now and be happy.

 

[BoneJj]

very useful thread!

Thanks for the link

 

[24KMACH]

Speaking as one that has been riding longer than most of you folks are old I rode with out a helmet in Washington State before the law was passed. I enjoyed the freedom. Nothing like it. I was a squid before the name was used.
My first accident ripped my right ear from my head and I had a brand new Bell Magnum helmet sitting at home. After that for some odd reason I always ride with full gear. Oh, they saved my ear. I was in a hospital for two weeks.

 

[Sage]

If I want brain damage I would stop wearing a helmet, just like I'll stop wearing a condom when I want to have kids.

 

[BoneJj]

Speaking as one that has been riding longer than most of you folks are old I rode with out a helmet in Washington State before the law was passed. I enjoyed the freedom. Nothing like it. I was a squid before the name was used.
My first accident ripped my right ear from my head and I had a brand new Bell Magnum helmet sitting at home. After that for some odd reason I always ride with full gear. Oh, they saved my ear. I was in a hospital for two weeks.

I've seen ears blown off but never ripped off... that's a winner of a reason to wear a helmet right there....

 

[buzzbomb]

I always rode with whatever. Young, immortal, stuff always happened to the to the other guy. Loved the freedom of no gear. You know the drill.

My wife (at the time) and I were riding in the Georgia mountains. Night was nearing and it was getting cold. We pulled over to put on our leather jackets which were in the trunk.

20 minutes later I was blinded by the high beams of a mini van on a hairpin turn. I missed the turn and we went down in the gravel on the roadside. My wife bounced off of me as we slid and landed on her face. In the gravel. She wore a full face helmet. There were huge gouges taken out of her helmet on the forehead and chin area. Her face shield was so scratched she couldn't see out of it.

The CB750C actually started after a while. Handle bars were bent to hell. Frame all warped. Headlight pointed up into the trees and we rode it home. Hurting, but living. If she hadn't had a full face helmet on, she wouldn't have had a face. I've been building my gear ever since.

My mother was an ER nurse before she retired. You want stories? She's got them. No helmet equals no brains. Whether those brains were lacking to begin with, or are simply splattered on the road is up to debate.

Sometimes it takes a lucky shot to learn an obvious truth. Not everyone is so lucky. I was. I learned. Be wise enough to learn from the experience of others, because you may not be as lucky.

 

[leprecaun jon]

the helmet law is enforced in my state, fatalities on the roads here in va would sky rocket with out them.... ill do my share.... ill reduce the chances of me dying in a crash by 75%-80% by wearing my helmet.... the single most protective piece of gear a rider can wear. my helmet is also white.... which is statistically shown to increase the chances of me being seen by 20%..... in the end ill ride ATGATT every day all day and ride the safest i can and reduce the amount of risks i take as a motorcyclist to break the "crash chain" as MSF teaches...no matter what state i am in.

 

[vengeance44]

I wear my helmet everywhere to the bar bathroom shower in class at work everywhere lol na jk where a helmet dude it
might save ur life one day I don't want to see another R.I.P

 

[BoneJj]

I have a good friend that refuses to wear a full face helmet but me and the rest of our friends recently got him to at least wear a half helmet now. I'd personally like to see him in a 3/4 at minimum but I'm still working on him. He's a slow rider and likes to hang back from the group which is fine but I still worry for his safety.

I'm also working on replacing all of or side markers with super bright amber's so we are all more visible but I'm still working that part out. Once I get my new soldering iron I'll be able to a lot better work. Can't wait, I should have it in a week or 2. Then it's on to order lots of SMD LEDs and others and make some PC board for them.... damn I got side tracked again. I do that a lot......

But yeah. Slowly we are working on all our friend that ride with little gear. We are already pulling our money for a leather perferated jacket that looks good with a cruiser for his birthday.

It's hard to get proper gear on someone that has gone so long without it...

The biggest concern is his son, I keep telling him he needs to be around for him and the proper gear will keep him around in better condition....

 

[Alex6]

Somewhere in the www was a posted grid with the % of injury/impact to the head. If I remember correctly ~ 30%+ accounted to the facial area. A 1/2 or 3/4 helmet will not help in these cases. Sliding under the fence and not get stuck - what chances for that to happen?
But getting your nose pushed inside your skull? Grinding your lower jaw against the pavement? Not much fun in that.
On a regular note, I get peppered by the debris from the road, bugs and stuff from the trees. I'm glad I don't get smacked in the face.

 

[UselessPickles]

I HAVE STRONG OPINIONS!

The conclusions from the "Hurt Study" are very helpful: Hurt Report Conclusions

And also the results of a study on what parts of motorcycle helmets most often receive damage:

Source: Dietmar Otte, Hannover Medical University, Department of Traffic Accident Research, Germany


Those two sources of info are enough to make me choose to always wear a full face helmet, armored jacket, armored pants and gloves. I'd rather base my decisions on the trends of large sample sizes rather than a couple rare counter-examples.

I'd also like to point out that there's more than simply "prevented death" and "didn't prevent death". There's an awful lot of "wouldn't have died without it, but it prevented serious/painful/disfiguring injuries." Even when you hear that someone "walked away without serious injuries," they could still be in a lot of pain and going to physical therapy for months to fully heal.

Pain and physical therapy sucks. I know from experience. I don't even want to know how bad it would have been without full riding gear. So I like to do anything reasonably non-inconvenient (i.e., wear a helmet) that can greatly reduce the chance of pain and need for rehabilitation.

 

[arkkornkid]

my $.02

I think the point of this whole debate has been lost. You ask anyone, biker or not, and they'll all agree that wearing a helmet is absolutely the smart and safe thing to do. Kinda like wearing seatbelts in cars or carrying a handgun. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

I fortunately live in a state that allows me to make up my own mind on my personal safety and forego it if I so choose. You make think I'm crazy, I call it freedom. With so many other freedoms slowly being taken away all the time, this is one I will still take advantage of on occasion.... not all the time, but sometimes. And I can tell you this.... it's a glorious thing.

That is what has always been at the heart of the debate: The freedom to choose for yourself. Motorcycle riding (for the most part) is a solitary activity and in the event of an accident: the wearing of a helmet will only affect one person- the rider. So why the hell does anyone else have any business telling that rider what to wear. Sure they can recommend anything they want but they shouldn't be able to dictate anything. And I know you're going to say something about the riders family will be affected, and I can't/won't argue that.. but it's really like bungee jumping and rock climbing or anything else dubbed "extreme": you can die at any moment. Hell you can die in the shower.

Personally, I wear my seatbelt everytime I drive. Wearing one has saved my mother from serious injury once and myself twice. I will always wear it and not just because it's the law... because I weighed the risks for myself and started and it became habit... and luckily it has worked out for me. I know plenty of people that don't wear them and I think they're nuts, but I sure as hell don't condescend them for making that choice.

It's called respect, give it and it will be returned. Disrespect will and should be met with a swift kick in the teeth.
Of course, sitting at a keyboard gives everyone the courage to do/say things they wouldn't do in the real world. I guess that really is what forums are all about.

 

[TXYamahawk]

Somewhere in the www was a posted grid with the % of injury/impact to the head. If I remember correctly ~ 30%+ accounted to the facial area. A 1/2 or 3/4 helmet will not help in these cases. Sliding under the fence and not get stuck - what chances for that to happen?
But getting your nose pushed inside your skull? Grinding your lower jaw against the pavement? Not much fun in that.
On a regular note, I get peppered by the debris from the road, bugs and stuff from the trees. I'm glad I don't get smacked in the face.

I had the visor flipped up for about 30 seconds yesterday after a complete stop at a light. Well, I'm cruising along enjoying the fresh air and I get smacked in the forehead, the little half inch that was exposed, by a rock from a car that had to be 100+ yards in front of me. Needless to say, I've got a nice little gash and learned that if there's a car in front of me, regardless of distance, I'm going to pull my visor down...Just glad it wasn't my eye, even though I had sunglasses on.

 

[Mr Citrus]

I had the visor flipped up for about 30 seconds yesterday after a complete stop at a light. Well, I'm cruising along enjoying the fresh air and I get smacked in the forehead, the little half inch that was exposed, by a rock from a car that had to be 100+ yards in front of me. Needless to say, I've got a nice little gash and learned that if there's a car in front of me, regardless of distance, I'm going to pull my visor down...Just glad it wasn't my eye, even though I had sunglasses on.

Beats the lady that tossed her cigarette ashes out the window while I was behind and next to her yesterday.
Visor stays down forever

 

[Tmak73]

I hope Minnesota passes the law for the helmets. This is kind of like the whole seat belt law in my opinion. They are looking out for what is best for you in this situation. Smashing your head on the pavement is going to be a lot less painful with a helmet on unless you plan on dying, in which case it doesn't matter. Some people don't like having the government telling them what to do which may play into it.

In this situation the law is helping what seems to me a pretty smart thing to do. If you don't want to wear a helmet that is fine but you should pay more for all the cleaning we have to when your brains are poured on the roadways.

 

[Alex6]

...
I fortunately live in a state that allows me to make up my own mind on my personal safety and forego it if I so choose. You make think I'm crazy, I call it freedom. With so many other freedoms slowly being taken away all the time, this is one I will still take advantage of on occasion.... While I agree on the general premise that our government gets involved more and more in our lives, I don't need any laws to decide what is best for me.
... Motorcycle riding (for the most part) is a solitary activity and in the event of an accident: the wearing of a helmet will only affect one person- the rider.... I do not agree with you on this - it could affect someone's family, friends and if one doesn't have sufficient insurance coverage and becomes a vegetable - the medical cost would be astronomical and somebody will have to pick up the tab - in most cases it is the taxpayers...

------------

 

[Fizzer6R]

for me it goes back to what i grew up with - older brother always wore a helmet so I followed. dad never wore a seat belt, now I still don't.

can anyone give good reason you can get a ticket for no seat belt in a truck while you have people in the back of pickup bed

 

[BoneJj]

Somewhere in the www was a posted grid with the % of injury/impact to the head. If I remember correctly ~ 30%+ accounted to the facial area. A 1/2 or 3/4 helmet will not help in these cases. Sliding under the fence and not get stuck - what chances for that to happen?
But getting your nose pushed inside your skull? Grinding your lower jaw against the pavement? Not much fun in that.
On a regular note, I get peppered by the debris from the road, bugs and stuff from the trees. I'm glad I don't get smacked in the face.

the one we are trying to get him to wear at least has a full face visor. I forget what the type is called, it just doesn't have a chin bar. I would like to see him in a full face but it's all about the baby steps for him... lol.

 

[BoneJj]

That is what has always been at the heart of the debate: The freedom to choose for yourself. Motorcycle riding (for the most part) is a solitary activity and in the event of an accident: the wearing of a helmet will only affect one person- the rider. So why the hell does anyone else have any business telling that rider what to wear. Sure they can recommend anything they want but they shouldn't be able to dictate anything. And I know you're going to say something about the riders family will be affected, and I can't/won't argue that.. but it's really like bungee jumping and rock climbing or anything else dubbed "extreme": you can die at any moment. Hell you can die in the shower.

Personally, I wear my seatbelt everytime I drive. Wearing one has saved my mother from serious injury once and myself twice. I will always wear it and not just because it's the law... because I weighed the risks for myself and started and it became habit... and luckily it has worked out for me. I know plenty of people that don't wear them and I think they're nuts, but I sure as hell don't condescend them for making that choice.

I'm sorry but that's about the most ignorant statement of all. What about your family, friends, wife or husband (whatever you choose). If you die for such a simple and lousy decision as to not wear a helmet on a day when crap hits the fan. Then all those people have to deal with the loss of you... All because you didn't care enough to think about them when getting on your bike and not putting your helmet on...

I don't know how much more blunt I can leave that statement... maybe that will actually make you think a little more.

 

[MiltonDorkenhoff]

I'm sorry but that's about the most ignorant statement of all. What about your family, friends, wife or husband (whatever you choose). If you die for such a simple and lousy decision as to not wear a helmet on a day when crap hits the fan. Then all those people have to deal with the loss of you... All because you didn't care enough to think about them when getting on your bike and not putting your helmet on...

I don't know how much more blunt I can leave that statement... maybe that will actually make you think a little more.

I agree. But i'm ok if someone dies choosing to express their personal freedom (not wearing a helmet). But what about when they end up a vegetable and a burden on society? Why should I pay your medical bills?

Yeah, harsh, I know.

On the original "I don't want to be decapitated" argument, if I remember right, helmets are designed to come off under stress to prevent exactly this. There were a bunch of stories about this when Marco Simoncelli died.