As a nurse who worked for over two years in a hospital emergency room I can
tell you that during the summer months in NY State (Which currently has a
helmet law) the is an epidemic of head injury cases due to motorcycles. For
the most part these are young men who will probably live a fairly long life
as long as they don't succumb to pneumonia. Who do you think pays for this
long term care? generally it's the tax payers. I'm not necessarily against
non helmet laws so long as the individuals who chooses not to wear a helmet,
also need to carry enough insurance in order to support themselves for the
rest of their lives, should they have a life changing head injury.
Tom
----- Original Message -----
From: <MVTrucker@aol.com>
To: Military Vehicles List <mil-veh@skylee.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2000 5:48 AM
Subject: Re: [MV] Right vs. Choice
> Listers,
> Well, I shied away from the safety issues of mc helmet use because
> my main point is having the choice to wear it or not. The people that
> want, for some strange reason, to alter my lifestyle and control my
> freedoms need an education. Having nothing to stand on in their quest
> to offer a sane reason for a mandatory helmet law, they grasp at the
> only reason they can think of: Safety. Well, take a look at the facts:
> http://home.tampabay.rr.com/ourplace/Biker/contents.htm
> Click on Helmet Facts as a beginning when you go to this site. Helmet
> laws were enacted by the states due to federal black mailing; the
> threat of loss of highway funding if belt and helmet laws were not
> mandatory. Thirty states have repealed the law so far and ABATE of NJ
> is constantly working with our state government in an attempt to repeal
> our mandatory helmet law.
> The fact that death brings a horrible tragedy to a family is true, oh so
> true. In 1959, my sixteen year old brother died when his head got crushed
> in a farm tractor accident. The effect on my family was permanent. Now,
> did we beat the tractor into submission or demand tough tractor operation
> laws? No, we eventually bought two more tractors and we ride them sans
> helmets.
> As to the false sense of security one has when riding with a helmet. Ever
> notice that the dude puttin' along on his big bike, without a helmet,
rides
> very much differently than the kid on a "rice rocket" wearing a helmet and
> full leather racing gear? You know the ones. In and out of traffic at zero
> to sixty mph in less than three seconds. They think they're safe. Ha!
> In memory of:
> Frenchy
> Big Dave
> ZZ
> Alan
> Miss Red Head (when the driver of the bike couldn't hear what she was
> saying due to the helmet restricting his hearing, he turned his head
> in an attempt to hear her. They looked like rag dolls bouncing from tree
> to tree)
> Dirt Biker
> Snuffles
> Couchy (alive, but severely handicapped due to the helmet's chin strap
> wreaking havoc on his neck due to an oncoming car left turning in
> front of him)
> Bikers, except Big Dave, that died on their scoots while wearing a helmet.
> None of my associates died as a result of not wearing a helmet. Big Dave
> died because an oncoming car left turned in front of him, destroying his
> left leg. Even though he had a giant cast on his leg, he trailed the pack
> in case of a breakdown when our club, the club my wife, "Better Late
> Than Never" Johnson and me, Fall Down, started The POW-MIA Awareness
> Motorcycle Club when we ventured to NYC for a POW-MIA "run." When
> Big Dave got back home he had a struggle getting out of his pickup due
> to his leg cast. Halfway out, the truck rolled forward pinning and killing
one
> of the finest persons I've ever known. He survived serious combat in 'Nam,
> only to be taken out by a tree and truck door because of a cast brought
> on by a car driver's carelessness.
> My wife, mostly paralyzed as a result of a car wreck involving a kid
ignoring
> a red light. Yes, she had the seat belt on for what good that did. It
saved
> her life, a life now filled with constant pain that even prescribed
narcotics
> can't touch.
> I know tragedy...
> Joe "Fall Down" Young
> Past Pres. POW-MIA MC
> Member of Abate (type ABATE into your browser, learn more)
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Sep 02 2000 - 09:32:27 PDT