UN Pushing Global Helmet Mandate
Proof that wearing a helmet doesn't necessarily keep your head safe.
Bureaucrats really should mind their own business. This is no joke: the United Nations General Assembly voted to urge all its members to enact mandatory helmet laws.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m all for helmets, and always wear one myself, but I do not believe government has any justification for requiring everyone riding a motorcycle to wear one. Yeah, I know this is beating a dead horse; either you agree or you don’t and nobody is going to change anyone else’s mind.
Of course, you know it doesn’t stop at motorcyclists. We were up in Breckenridge last weekend and I saw a lot of skiers wearing helmets. How long will it be before either the government decides to mandate helmets for skiers or, perhaps even more likely, the ski operators start telling people they can’t ski their mountain without a helmet?
And then there are equestrians. Many people who ride horses now wear helmets, and helmets are showing up at rodeos now. How long before those are mandatory?
And then the bicyclists. Of course many of them wear helmets now but those excuses for helmets are only effective if you go down and hit a particular way. Good luck on that. My sister-in-law was wearing one when she got hit by a truck and she suffered permanent brain damage. So do we mandate that all bicyclists must wear real helmets, helmets like those we motorcyclists wear, that actually offer protection? They’ll be happy to have that extra weight won’t they?
And to all those who say, “yes, but if it saves even one life it’s worth it,” I say, then let’s require people in cars to wear helmets. How many thousands of lives a year would that save? That has to be really worth it!
Or we could all just agree life is inherently dangerous and we’re all going to die sometime, so in the meantime, let’s just all enjoy life in the manner we see fit, providing of course that we don’t do harm to others. Shouldn’t the UN be doing something constructive, like keeping Russia out of Ukraine, rather than worrying about my head? No one cares more about my head than I do. I’ll take responsibility for it. You go do your job in Eastern Europe.
Biker Quote for Today
Ride safe, ride often.
Tags: Helmet Laws
July 29th, 2017 at 10:08 pm
With the increase of riders on the road, the number of factors influencing an accident and severity of the injury, wearing a helmet can improve a second chance at life. In 2010, it was estimated there was $3 billion in economic cost savings from helmet usage. This savings is an average $725 per registered rider. States with a Partial Helmet law can see a savings up to $198 per registered rider. $1.4 billion more could have been saved if every rider had on a helmet. Helmet laws reduce the death rate between 22-33 percent. Hospital productivity to care for a non-helmeted rider wearing can be as high as $1.3 million dollars Often times the consumers are stuck with increased insurance coverage and increased taxes over $12 billion. A helmet can significantly reduce the mortality rate, decrease medical costs, and reduce the economic responsibility among everyday citizens.