Long Distance Biker
Long Distance Motorcycling Advice

Motorcycle helmets??

i have to do an essay on why or why not it should be necessary to wear a motorcycle helmet. but first i have to have pro and cons on why it should be necessary to wear helmets, CAN YOU PLEASE HELP?

-thanks

Public Comments

1. um...what?....washington D.C.?

2. well i have a helmet but no motorcycle - hoho

3. my uncle refuses to wear a helmet motorcycling because of it breaking your neck or something? i dont know i guess more ppl die with them than without he is a total nut about it, even rode acrss the country to protest the law to wear helmets!!

4. That's interesting. You know - here in Louisiana, the governor allowed people to ride motorcycles without helmets for a few years and then the law was changed to require helmets again. I think this can help with your research a bit. Check out this site too for more info on what I'm saying:

http://www.aemj.org/cgi/content/abstract/9/5/418-b

This would help with the cons side. As for pros, well.. there are also arguments for that I'm sure. I'd try wikipedia for that also: http://www.wikipedia.org

5. The first thing that hits the pavement in an accident is the head and like Humpty Dumpty, it can't always be put back together again. There are laws in some states where it is mandatory to wear one to save a person's life. SMART PEOPLE WEAR MOTORCYCLE HELMETS !

6. Pro protects your head in an accident. Hitting your head on the road at 25mph will kill you. Also protects your hearing 80mph wind is uncomfortable, and being hit by flies isn't fun and it keep your head warm.

Cons. hot in hot weather, you have to carry them around.

7. Do you mean "donorcycles?" That is what we in the medical community call motorcycles. Young men come in brain dead with all of those healthy organs. We harvest them and give them to people who need transplants. That is why they are called donorcycles. Read today's Doonsbury comic strip, it actually has statistics in it about the death rate for cyclists.

I must tell you two stories I recall:
Once, I saw a teen boy who had been on a motorcycle. Half of his skull was gone, and I could see his pink brain tissue. The trauma team was working on him, but all I could think was OMG, his poor mother, please do not let her come near this room. I doubt he lived, but if he did, I can only say it probably would be more merciful if he hadn't.

Another time, I took care of a motorcycle cop. Almost every bone in his body was broken. But the police force had just purchased new and better helmets like, the week before. He rammed into a semi tractor trailer. He lived, and he was talking and joking with me. I was kind of teary seeing cards from his kids and thinking OMG if not for that helmet, their dad would be dead right now. Yes, he would need rehab, but he was still the same person, his brain was normal.

These are two medical experiences I recall. Hope that helps. By the way, I am in favor of mandatory helmet laws, but if I was really needing a kidney transplant, I would say no helmets, please! The dollar cost of caring for nearly dead and brain damaged ppl is paid by the tax payer, you and me by the way. If they come out a vegetable, they will cost the taxpayer millions, and that is not fair.