| Author | Message | ||
     Johnnylunchbox |
Motorbike deaths rise as helmet laws ease By Ken Valenti The Journal News • March 27, 2008 When a car came around a bend too close for him to avoid a head-on collision, Larry Moskowitz flew over the handlebars of his motorcycle and hit the ground head first. Make that helmet first. And to the Mohegan Lake resident, that made all the difference. He was knocked out for a few seconds in the accident by Bear Mountain a decade ago, but when he saw his helmet he knew how much worse it could have been. "It had chunks taken out of it, and scratches, and if I hadn't had my helmet, it would have been my head," said Moskowitz, now 65. In New York, the law requires all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, as was the case in 47 states two decades ago. Now only 19 other states require helmets for all riders, while an additional 27 require them for younger riders. And as states have repealed or rolled back their laws, the rate of motorcycle deaths nationally has climbed, a review of records by Gannett News Service shows. In 2006, federal transportation figures show, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed. That was a rate of 7.3 deaths for every 10,000 registered motorcycles. A decade earlier, 5.6 riders were killed per 10,000 motorbikes registered. With enthusiasts preparing to mount their motorbikes as the weather warms, some riders said they like wearing the helmet, with or without the law. Several members of the Westchester Beemers Motorcycle Club, including Moskowitz, said they all see the benefit. They said they prefer the full helmet with chin guard. "I like the protection, and I don't like to eat the bugs," said club president Kurt Abisch, 58, of Pound Ridge. Opponents of helmet laws say an adult rider should be able to decide for himself whether to wear the protective headgear. Even with the helmet law, the number of motorcycle deaths in New York has climbed in recent years, according to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2006, the state recorded 192 motorcycle deaths. That was up 36.2 percent from 2002, when 141 motorcycle riders and passengers died in accidents. But that may be in part because more people ride motorcycles. Motorbike registrations rose to 289,096 in 2006, up 26 percent from four years earlier, Department of Motor Vehicles figures show. Fifty-two people died in motorcycle accidents in the Lower Hudson Valley between 2002 and 2006, with 37 of the fatalities occurring in Westchester, nine in Rockland and six in Putnam. Six were not wearing helmets when they crashed. An additional 14 people from the area died in motorcycle accidents elsewhere. For years, the group ABATE of New York has fought to roll back the state's law. Assemblyman William Parment, D-Chautauqua County, carries a bill each year that would remove the helmet requirement for riders older than 21. He said he wants it to see a fair hearing, but each year it dies in the Transportation Committee. Pamela Wright, state legislative coordinator with ABATE of New York, said that though helmets prevent injuries, the headgear also can cause or worsen an injury in some cases, as when a chin guard strikes a rider's trachea. The group is one chapter of a national organization whose letters stand for American Bikers Aimed Toward Education. George Boutin of Ringwood, N.J., near Rockland, said he almost always wears his helmet on his 1987 Harley-Davidson, but he thinks the choice should be up to him. Sometimes, in states like Connecticut, where he's not required to wear the headgear, he removes it when riding through open country with no cars around. "You can hear everything a lot better," the 43-year-old Web designer said. "On a nice day it just feels good on my head. It's a lot more free." Those who advocate riding with helmets say the deaths tell only part of the story. Accident survivors can end up injured far more seriously without a helmet than with, they said. "Some of the injuries are really, really nasty, and to see a young person scarred and broken up like they are these days, it's really disheartening," said Robert Sinclair Jr., spokesman for AAA New York. He said AAA favors helmet laws nationwide. The U.S. Supreme Court considered the cost of caring for injured riders in 1972 when it upheld Massachusetts' helmet law. The court argued that from the moment the rider is hurt, "society picks the person up off the highway; delivers him to a municipal hospital," provides unemployment compensation if the person can't work and "may assume responsibility for his and his family's subsistence" if the patient suffers a permanent disability. But Boutin asked why such reasoning does not also apply to people who smoke or who have poor eating habits and don't exercise. Wright argued further that "nowadays, most people have good insurance." Don Gomo, who teaches motorcycle safety in a Motorcycle Association of New York State course, said he used to be one of those who rode without a helmet. "I thought it was the coolest thing, that nonsense with the sense of freedom," he said during a break in helping teach the course in a Rockland Community College parking lot Saturday. He learned the importance of safety gear and safe riding after seeing friends severely hurt and killed in motorcycle crashes, he said. For him, as for many, the helmet is just the beginning. Safety clothing also includes proper jacket, pants, boots and gloves. Greenburgh resident Christina Simcic, who took the MANYS course before she began riding about three years ago, owns four sets of full safety wear. One suitable for the summer is made of sturdy, perforated material with her elbows, knees and spine protected by Kevlar. The 44-year-old artist sees riding her BMW 650 CS as a sport as much as an entertainment, and treats the safety gear - including the helmet - as the necessary equipment. "A helmet doesn't take away from your freedom," she said. "A helmet might prolong it, actually." Reach Ken Valenti at klvalent@lohud.com or 914-696-8255. | ||
| Gschuette |
I wear a helmet and I think everyone should. That does not mean that I feel the government has the right to force people to wear them. Get big government off our backs! Vote Libertarian! | ||
| Bad_karma |
Ditto Gschuette. Why should we have to pay for the individual and his family? We make our choices we pay the price or reap the benefits. Now that the secretary of transportation has taken an interest in motorcycling(which is not a sport unless it is on the track)rest assured draconian, restrictive, expensive laws are to be levied by those that do not experience motorcycling. Joe | ||
| Saintly |
"society picks the person up off the highway; delivers him to a municipal hospital," provides unemployment compensation if the person can't work and "may assume responsibility for his and his family's subsistence" if the patient suffers a permanent disability So if a rider crashes without a helmet, we should leave him there on the tarmac, like a woodchuck or a squirrel? That's the most absurd reasoning for implementing a helmet law that I've ever heard of! Do we not pick the persons up off the highway who crash in their cars? Don't we deliver auto & truck accident victims to a municipal hospital & provide unemployment compensation if the person can't work? Do we not "assume responsibility for his and his family's subsistence" if an auto accident patient suffers a permanent disability? Here's a good idea, Let's find out how many of these 7.3 motorcycle deaths per 10,000 were caused by some f*ckface who was driving their car while talking on a cellphone! I say, that if we find a cellphones in the cars at accident scenes, that we leave those drivers for dead, rather than picking the person up off the highway and delivering them to a municipal hospital etc. Let's start strictly enforcing anti-cell while driving laws and see what happens to the # of motorcycle accidents! | ||
| Dynasport |
I don't know about other states, but here in Florida we have a seatbelt law that requires you and all your passengers to wear a seatbelt in your car. Yet we have a law that says it is legal to not wear a helmet operating a motorcycle if you are over 21 and have a valid motorcycle license. There is something about those two laws that is just plain inconsistent. I am not a fan of big government, but I do understand that we have many laws on the books, both state and federal, that are focused on public safety. For example, car manufacturers have to comply with volumes of regulations when it comes to the design and manufacture of automobiles. The consumer has no choice in this. Even if it makes the car more expensive to produce, we have to pay the greater cost for airbags, safety glass, bumpers, and so on. All in the name of reducing injuries and saving lives. Then of course there are regulations relating to other aspects of the automobile experience such as fuel consumption regulations (CAFE) and pollution control devices. We are regulated every where we turn. Like it or not, it is a part of our life in these United States. Still, we have fewer regulations than many countries. Whoa, I'm rambling now. Bottom line for me, not wearing a helmet is dumb. Legal or not. This from a guy who just recently went to a full face from wearing a skid lid for years. I must be getting old. | ||
| Ducxl |
Don Gomo, who teaches motorcycle safety in a Motorcycle Association of New York State course, said he used to be one of those who rode without a helmet. "I thought it was the coolest thing, that nonsense with the sense of freedom," | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Back in the day during my first stint as a rider I was hit by a Monte Carlo doing sixty in a 30 zone, hit by a 5 ton rental truck truck driven by an inexperienced driver, and was down a few times due to my own stupidity. Law or no law, I would not even pull out of my own driveway without a helmet. Without one, I probably would not be around now to enjoy my second go round as a rider. Just my two cents. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'll admit to going lidless when I ride around Key West on my bagger....but that's about it. Anything out of "neighborhood" environment, on goes the lid. I figure a couple ounces of insulation against the cellphone morons if nothing else, lol. | ||
| Crusty |
Screw the helmet law crap. What we really need is enforcement of anti-noise laws. Start hitting the jamokes with loud exhausts with big enough fines, and they'll think twice before putting straight pipes on their chrome festooned man jewelry toys. If you ride without a helmet, you are only endangering yourself; when you ride with a loud exhaust, you annoy everyone around you. | ||
| Zac4mac |
OUCH EFF Helmet laws and the cage driving basterds that gave us those laws. One of two reasons I moved to Colorado when I got out of the Navy - no helmet law. Loud pipes save lives, but my loud pipes ARE getting quieter as I get older. I wear my Nolan most of the time on my Buell. The only helmet I wear on my Shovelhead is a leather fliers cap when it's cold. MY CHOICE Zack | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
I was told by a trauma doctor that sometimes people that would normally die from head trauma survive and are left severely impaired because they were wearing a helmet. I'm sure this is rare and many more lives are saved from wearing a helmet but it goes to show the law of unintended consequences. I always wear my helmet even when not required. I'd rather take my chances with it on. However, I dont think it should be mandated by the government. They don't make us wear condoms and sex can certainly kill  | ||
| Garyz28 |
Why aren't people in cars also required to wear helmets too. I bet that would also save lives. | ||
| Socoken |
Why aren't people in cars also required to wear helmets too. I bet that would also save lives Thats my line!!!!!! More people die from head trauma in car accidents than motorcycle accidents, why stop at bikes? Better yet, suggest to a cager that they should drive around, not hearing or seeing shit because they have a helmet on. I do, however, wear a lid MOST of the time. I feel I have the right to "be stupid" any damn time I want. Wanna save lives? Ban cell phones while driving, everywhere!!!!! While youre at it, ban smoking and drinking too, cause they are certainly stupid and lead to millions of deaths!!! Then ban fast food, caffeine, salt, and violence on tv, those are sure killers!!!!! Fascists! | ||
| Igneroid |
They don't make us wear condoms and sex can certainly kill Id love to be screwed to death.....but my wife says.."It aint gonna happen Percy".....!@#$%^&*(} | ||
| Spike |
Yet another helmet law thread.  Personal responsibility. Less Governmental interference. Less Governmental assistance. Dumb decisions by you do not necessitate care by me for you. Everyone should have the protected right to make dumb decisions. You (collective) are not MY nanny. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
I didn't mean to start a helmet law debate. I just wanted to point out that our very own beloved Gomo is quoted in the article. | ||
| Ducxl |
 At least I posted his quote | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
I noticed that Mr. Greg. Thanks for getting it. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
They passed the lid law around here years ago. Along with it was a similar law for equestrians. Guess which one gets enforced and which one gets ignored. | ||
| Spike |
Just an FYI- I didn't post this. | ||
| Rainman |
My helmet is prettier than yours ...  |
