Motorcycle Helmets Can Come Off Today In PA

“Lots of folks have been pushing for this for years and finally it happened...you don't have to wear a protective helmet anymore while riding a motorcycle in PA.

Anyone remember Gary Bucci (?sp?)??? He was an actor against motorcycle helmet laws UNTIL he was in that terrible accident which left him slightly slower because of the head injury?

Our Gov (Rendell) REALLY knows how to kiss some major @ss.”

“Good - it'll weed morons out of the gene pool.”

“People waiting for organ donors will rejoice!”

“Tennessee has a helmet law. Arkansas does not. Every time I see a rider over there I cringe.

I have to wonder about legislative wisdom when you have a mandatory seat belt law and an optional helmet law.

Go figure.”

“It will cost Pennsylvania taxpayers an extra $32 million a year in medical costs to cover injured cyclists because insurance policies will not cover bodily injury for cyclists.”

“A quote from the above linked article...
National statistics indicate that motorcyclists who do not wear helmets are less likely to survive a crash and more likely to die from a head injury. The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians this week reiterated its disappointment that the helmet law is about to be repealed.

"Study after study has demonstrated - and we can personally testify - that helmets do indeed save lives and reduce the likelihood of debilitating injury," the doctors' group said.


ABATE has a list of organizations that they are against simply because they advocate helmet laws.
AAA*
ADVOCATES FOR HIGHWAY & AUTO SAFETY
ALLIANCE OF AMERICAN INSURERS
ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY
AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION OF PENNSYLVANIA
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGEONS
AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (AAA)
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, Keystone Chapter
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN PARALYSIS ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN RED CROSS *
AETNA LIFE & CASUALTY *
ASSOCIATION OF EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS
BICYCLE SAFETY INSTITUTE
BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF PA
CENTER FOR INJURY RESEARCH AND CONTROL, Univ of Pgh.
CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL
CHRYSLER *
CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA *
EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA
EMERGENCY NURSES ASSOCIATION OF PA - State President
FORD *
GENERAL MOTORS *
GEICO INSURANCE *
GENERAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS *
INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS OF AMERICA *
INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE
INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY
INSURANCE RESEARCH COUNCIL
INTERNATIONAL TRAUMA ANESTHESIA AND CRITICAL CARE SOCIETY
KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANIES *
LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY *
MANAGED CARE ASSOCIATION OF PENNSYLVANIA
MARCH OF DIMES
MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING (MADD) *
MOTOR VOTERS *
MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS *
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL *
NATIONWIDE INSURANCE ENTERPRISE * (operated phone bank in PA to lobby Senators)
PA Academy of Dermatology
PA Academy of Family Physicians
PA Academy of Ophthalmology
PA Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
PA Allergy and Asthma Association
PA Association of Healthcare Auxiliaries
PA Association of Rehabilitation Facilities
PA Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
PA Chapter, American College of Cardiology
PA Chapter, American College of Emergency Physicians
PA Division, American Trauma Society
PA Fire and Emergency Services Institute
PA Medical Directors Association
PA Medical Society Alliance
PA Neurosurgical Society
PA Orthopedic Society
PA Psychiatric Society
PA Public Health Association
PA Section of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
PA Trauma Systems Foundation
PA EMERGENCY HEALTH SERVICES COUNCIL
PA MEDICAL SOCIETY
PA NURSES ASSOCIATION
POLICE FOUNDATION *
PUBLIC CITIZEN *
STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANIES *
The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of PA
THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
THE PITTSBURGH CHANNEL
The Robert H. Ivy Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
THE TRAUMA FOUNDATION *
THE TRAVELERS *
THINK FIRST FOUNDATION *
WPVI-TV 6 - Philadelphia
I wonder why most of them are health-related organizations?”

“When I was driving in the Rockies earlier this Summer, I swerved at the helmetless wannabe tough guys coming at me in the opposite lane on their p.o.s. Harley's. Had my Mossberg on the back seat, just in case.”

“Mutt, just a general observation,,,,


I wouldn't tell that story in a Lower Alabama roadhouse.”

“I've been knocked to the ground from my bike before. I'm glad I had a helmet on and would never ride without one.
I'd rather have helmet hair and live to hike another day !
ps. I are feelin much gooder now. lol”

“f*ck em.”

“Long ago and far away…when I broke my foot riding my motocross bike, the emergency room physician really pissed me off. He had treated a kid with head trauma earlier that week that ran into a tree without a helmet. He said something about outlawing motorcycles for minors because our reactions weren’t good enough. I always rode with a helmet and am sure that my reactions were far better at 16 than they are now.

What is my point? I haven’t the foggiest!”

“I trow my pack on back of my Moto
Guzzi in warm weather to save on
mileage for my pick up. I like to
take my helmet off on the more open
roads. When I get near a lot of cities it goes back on. I think comprehensive casualty insurance
should be built into the price of
a bike if you don't have it.”

“I've always enjoyed the lovely red tint of brain-stained hyways.

Are they freakin' nuts????”

“I love riding through PA. I haven't
been out that way in two years.”

“Florida did away with its helmet law a few years ago. It's extremely rare to see anyone where one now. Probably 95% of riders down here go helmetless now. Probably 95% of them also think the Elvis is still alive.”

“I think personal choice/freedom is good. If someone don't want to wear a helmet on a motorbike, why make them.
Secretly I feel the same way about seat belts (don't tell). I always wear mine, but could care less if everyone does. Its a personal choice kind of thing.”

“Hey, if there is no smoking in nyc bars - then screw freedom of choice in poo-dunk PA and FL.

I don't want a body flying through a windshield and landing in my lap.

Besides, rocks are hard enough to get out of the lugs on my hiking boots...who wants to have to scrap eyeballs and teeth out too?”

“Florida huh, I learned how to ride
in S.C. and Georgia. now that was some great riding!”

“I used to visit friends in NYC. Sunday on a 3 day weekend we would
ride all over town. Yeehoo!”

“Sorry you'all I got carried away.
I only got one scar on my elbow
because it wouldn't heal on a moving part.”

“They said if they dared put through this legislation that heads will roll! :)”

“Us heads are allready rollin,on two
wheels!”

“As someone who raced dirtbikes for 25yrs, let me tell you that I wouldn't be caught dead (LOL) riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

Then again, who wants to show up at a wild and rowdy roadhouse with a case of "helmet head". ;)”

“It ain't freedom when the rest of us have to pick up the tab for some poor slob whose head gets smeared.

Maybe the Hardly Worthitson company lobbied for this.

And another thing, why are noise laws NOT enforced for Harleys with straight pipes?

Is it patriotic to make all that racket?

Seeing all those lard-ass middle-age "outlaws" on HD's with all that black leather cracks me up!

They look like they are dressed for a gay dance club.....not that there is anything wrong with it!”

“My health insurance premiums are high enough without having to subsidize those yutz's who won't wear helmets. We're all paying for their "freedom".”

“actually i don't mind the new law, and i don't even ride a motorbike. if people want to be stupid, let them, they have to deal with the consequences. the gov't can't be a big brother and protect everyone from everything.

riders under 18 still have to wear helmets, i believe.”

“Yes I think under 18 you need to wear a helmet and over 18 you have to have 2 years of riding experience or have taken a rider safety course.”

“My take is if they don't want to wear a helmet, fine, but then they have to pay into an emergency medical care fund so the rest of us don't have to pay the bill when they scramble their tiny brains. Head trauma bills can run up there.”

“Or at least force them to sign their organ donor card...”

“All of the major advocates of removing the helmet law in Florida died of head trauma in the first year after it was removed.

Poodunk PA and FL?
Screw you.”

“I'm friggin' from Fl - screw you too buddy :)”

“ps: HPM, that's supposed to be funny and lighthearted. Please don't break my kneecaps.”

“I rode for 20 years without a hat before Kalifornia enacted their helmet law. The only thing a helmet's gonna do for you if you dump you sled at 70 or 80 mph is keep your head (assuming it can be found) intact for the funeral. 'Bama has a helmet law, too. I hate 'em. I'm sick of the govt. trying to protect us from ourselves.”

“Gotcha. My bad.

Screw me?!?!?
I'm morally outraged.
I'm a married Mule, ya know!

BTW- Isn't busting kneecaps a New York/New Jersey thing?”

“Ya I think it will weed them out!Its just like the seatbelt.

8)”

“I always wear my helmet when I ride my bike or motorcycle. Helmets saved me from serious injury or death from a few crashes on the bike and motorcycle. It doesn't mattter to me what other riders choose to do, but I hate to take a bad fall without one.”

“I think it's a personal choice but man, I'd NEVER ride without one. I'm so damned conditioned when it comes to my seatbelt I put the thing on to pull the Jeep around front for a washing.

Anyone seen Gary Busi in "I'm With Busi" on Comedy Central? What a frickin' hoot! He ain't really slow per say but he flippin' nutts!”

“He's the poster boy for why you should wear a helmet!”

“The only thing a helmet's gonna do for you if you dump you sled at 70 or 80 mph is keep your head (assuming it can be found) intact for the funeral.

While this statement is true as stated, it is very misleading.

How many bike wrecks are you personally familiar with where the rider crashed at 70-80mph? In my experience, ZERO.

I know lots of folks who have crashed -- and in every single case they either slowed down a lot before impact or they were travelling at a much lower speed to begin with.

I know a lot of folks who have crashed in one way or another over the years. Out of those folks, I personally know four who would have died if they'd not been wearing a helmet when they wrecked.

So that makes the decision pretty easy for me. Anytime I think about helmets, I just remember those friend's helmets looked like AFTER their crashes.

As for "personal freedom" and "personal choice", the trouble is where's do the rider's family and friends fit into the scheme of things?

When the rider snuffs himself thanks to riding helmetless, who ends up paying to raise his or her children?

There's a LOT more to the issue than is often brought up.

And before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I'm personally divided on the issue -- as much as I think folks ought to have the freedom to be stupid, I think that those same folks have a responsibility to those around them to not be stupid.”

“Most riders who are experienced enough to ride at 70-8- MPH are experienced enough to have riding leaters on. Otherwise the state patrol will be picking them up with a sponge.”

“Our hospitals here are full of young men with head injuries and NO INSURANCE! Who do you think pays for these moron's health care? That's why when I go in for something, a tongue depressor costs $9.00!”

“Most riders who are experienced enough to ride at 70-8- MPH are experienced enough to have riding leaters on.

I see you haven't been around Atlanta much.

Standard attire for the average crotch-rocketeer: flip-flops or sneakers, no socks, shorts, sometimes a t-shirt or tank-top, $500 race-replica helmet.

At least up in the N. Ga mountains you see a bit more reasonable attire on the sportbike riders... but that I think is more due to attrition of the stupid than anything else.

As they say, Stupid Hurts.”

“The winding roads of North Georgia are Uncle Chuck's proving ground...”

“Maryland did away the helmet law in the '70s for a few years.

I thought it was cool, but then again I was in my '20s.
I used to take a ride through the neighborhood to dry my looooong hair.

When I was a motorcycle messenger in D.C. about '80 I saw a helmetless guy ride up to where I was WAY into the District on Connecticut Ave near Florida Ave.
He parked next to me and I asked him where his helmet was.
They dude said he was from Maryland and didn't need one.
When I reminded him that he was several miles into the city, he didn't seem to care.
He tried the same arguement on the cop who showed up to no avail.”

“My brother had a head on m/c accident with a car on the Ventura Hwy. No helmet, shorts, 60+ mph, and lay in the ditch for 6 hrs before anyone found him. He lost a leg but survived.
My neighbor had a fender bender IN A HOSPITAL PARKING LOT in full leather and w/ a full face helmet. She died at the scene.

My opinon is it's a personal choice. I don't buy the argument that it costs the rest of us more. Why don't you apply that logic to everything else? Cigarettes and alcohol cost us many, many times more.

Mutt, I'm suprised, I thought you were the poster boy for tolerance.”

“Great le Subtil, I'm happy your brother is alive. But we had several motorcycle accidents here in town this summer and the ones without helmets are now dead, dead, dead and dead. The others are on life support. Some of it could have been prevented. Why not increase your odds of survival by just putting on a helmet?”

“Why don't you apply that logic to everything else? Cigarettes and alcohol cost us many, many times more.


Great idea I'm writing my congressman and Senators right now.”

“What, you mean put helmets on people who smoke and drink? Hmmmmmm, not a bad idea....”

“My brother-in-law is an ER MD.
They are a regional trauma center near the D.C. beltway.
The ER staff calls 'em "murdercycles".”

“That’s why I sold mine when my first daughter was born.”