Mich. Riders, Inzane/Helmet ?

[gregk]

Is there any chance of you people becomming a helmet free state before Inzane ?

[fudgie]

LOL be nice but I doubt it. Talk to some from MI and you may find a way around it.  Were buying those beanie/novelty type so we can ride into MI more often.

[BradValk48237]

Mich here, and I am glad I learned to like the helmet. Got rear ended and only ended up with some road rash and a very sore back......... The insurance only had to pay for a new helmet (which had a nice crack in it from hitting the trunk AND teh pavement)... not years in the hospital, a wheelchair or worse. I agree it is a choice, but I do not want my insurance to go up and I feel if you chose to not wear one, then you should have to choose to pay more for your insurance and expenses. Once again.. your choice, but I choose not to support it with my dollars. Don't want to start a fight, but here in Michigan , it would double my rates and most likely my health insurance.

As my Dad used to say when he taught me to ride..."what's your head worth?"

Just my 2 cents.... worth exactly that on paper....

Brad

[fudgie]

Mich here, and I am glad I learned to like the helmet. Got rear ended and only ended up with some road rash and a very sore back......... The insurance only had to pay for a new helmet (which had a nice crack in it from hitting the trunk AND teh pavement)... not years in the hospital, a wheelchair or worse. I agree it is a choice, but I do not want my insurance to go up and I feel if you chose to not wear one, then you should have to choose to pay more for your insurance and expenses. Once again.. your choice, but I choose not to support it with my dollars. Don't want to start a fight, but here in Michigan , it would double my rates and most likely my health insurance.

As my Dad used to say when he taught me to ride..."what's your head worth?"

Just my 2 cents.... worth exactly that on paper....

Brad

Tecnically your taxes pays for those that don't have any. No way around that. In Indiana, at least for State Farm, I was never asked if we wear one or not. Same for my health insurance and life insurance. I'm high risk anyway in my line of work. I guess if you were brought up or legally had to wear one its not a problem. Having someone that dosent wear one and get them to like it I can see how it would not be comfortable.
Having higher rates then helmet wearers is kinda silly. IMHO. That like having higher rates cause you drive a car instead of a truck, imho trucks are safer. I'll never own a car.

[solo1]

You're right Fudgie.  A requirement of having to pay more for insurance because you don't ride with a helmet on is a slippery slope.  That's admitting that riding is dangerous and the bureaucrats really like that.

Having said that you know where I stand on helmets. Wearing one is the way to go even though it isn't "cool" or whatever the term is now.    Also, driving a truck probably is safer until you meet a bigger truck.  

  

[RTaz]

Sorry to say...it looks like Michigan will continue to require a helmet...our legislators keep sending bills up to the Governor but she continues to veto...although I go believe that another one may be coming up...but don't count on it....I would suggest if you don't care for a helmet, that you buy one of those novelty ones...I know one of our members wore a bicycle helmet for years with no problems....  

by the way...glad your coming to InZane ...we will be waiting to welcome you to Michigan... 

[JimL]

As a person that believes in limited influence of government, it should come as no surprise that I am very much opposed to laws requiring the use of helmets.  I don't like laws that require ADULTS to wear seat belts (I think it should be law for children, then they can make their own decision after they become adults).  Anything that the government proposes that limits my personal freedom (as long as it doesn't infringe on someones else) in my opinion is a bad thing.

Having said that; I always wear a seat belt when I am in my car and I will never ride a motorcycle without a helmet.  I feel that I was beyond lucky that I did not seriously injure myself during my teenage years when I did not wear a helmet.  I am constantly reminded (when I observe the carelessness of my stepson fiddling with his cellphone or ipod while driving) how vulnerable we are to complete idiots on the road....you can do everything right and still die at any moment from someone elses carelessness.

Once again I think that the decision to wear a helmet should be a personal choice.  The decision to have unprotected sex is also a personal choice.....my personal belief is that it is foolish in either case to go unprotected.

Just my humble opinion......

[solo1]

Last word.  When Indiana had a helmet law, my brand new (expensive) helmet got stolen.  They cut the strap to get it as it was locked on. It was useless after that but that didn't make a difference.

I'm totally against mandatory helmet usage for two reasons.  The government should keep their nose out of it and two, there's riders out there that won't buy a helmet but will use a five fingered discount to get mine.   

[Jeff K]

Last word.  When Indiana had a helmet law, my brand new (expensive) helmet got stolen.  They cut the strap to get it as it was locked on. It was useless after that but that didn't make a difference.

I'm totally against mandatory helmet usage for two reasons.  The government should keep their nose out of it and two, there's riders out there that won't buy a helmet but will use a five fingered discount to get mine.   

I have to keep my eye on my helmet while snowmobiling, I can't tell you how many times I've had people "accidentally" grab my Symax instead of their beat up old black helmet. 

[JerryB]

Take a watermelon and drop it and see it splatter......Too bad they have to make laws for people to protect themselves.I can only imagine what the MCC fees would be that we now pay if we had to pay claims to keep veggies alive.I doubt the states without helmet laws pay for catastrophic claims......That's all I got to say about that.

[fudgie]

Take a watermelon and drop it and see it splatter......Too bad they have to make laws for people to protect themselves.I can only imagine what the MCC fees would be that we now pay if we had to pay claims to keep veggies alive.I doubt the states without helmet laws pay for catastrophic claims......That's all I got to say about that.

We do pay. Medicare and Medicaid. The 'veggies' are alive. I bet only a low percent are MC accidents. The rest are strokes and other medical problems. I really doubt helmets would help them. 

[Jay]

Once again I think that the decision to wear a helmet should be a personal choice.  The decision to have unprotected sex is also a personal choice.....my personal belief is that it is foolish in either case to go unprotected.

Should I wear my helmet when having sex?

[John Schmidt]

A helmet is a lot less restricting than a wheelchair. I've been riding well over 50 years and have never ridden without one. Even the goofy looking ones waaaay back when were better than nothing.

A gal in our local GWRRA chapter was saved by one, and it was the first time she had ever wore a helmet...strictly coincidence.  She was turning into a hotel parking lot which was raised above the road bed, therefore the driveway was built with a rather steep slope. On either side of the drive engtrance was a stone retention wall. As she entered, an old woman was leaving and driving right down the middle of the the lanes, causing our GWRRA member to swerve. In doing so, the bike for some reason stalled and she hit the brakes. In doing so, the bike tipped over and she hit her head on the stone wall...cracking the helmet. Where the stones hit her helmet would have most likely caused either brain damage or near instant death according to the EMT's....was right near the temple.

 

[JimL]

Once again I think that the decision to wear a helmet should be a personal choice.  The decision to have unprotected sex is also a personal choice.....my personal belief is that it is foolish in either case to go unprotected.

Should I wear my helmet when having sex?

LOL...That's the beauty of it.....it should be about personal choice!  I would sure hate for some bureaucrat tell me that I had to!!

[RoadKill]

I have the freedom of choosing to wear one or not. If stupid people are free to reproduce , then I should be free to chose my gear. Not one penny of tax dollars has been paid toward my medical bills and I dont thinkthat would have been ANY different if I had been wearing a helmet.  So YES I am FREE and I have paid for that freedom so I think I'll keep it!  

[fudgie]

Should I wear my helmet when having sex?

Well, this one time I..... 

[Mountainman]

In October my ' wing ' and I had a run-in with a deer. $5'00.oo damage to the bike it slid for 450 feet, the important part is the helmut took all the abust, not my thick head ( for being stoopid ) I'm glad it was on and there ia no helmut law in Pennsylvania.

[RoadKill]

Should I wear my helmet when having sex?

Well, this one time I..... 

Dang it Fudgie! What happens at band camp,stays at.....    OOPS!   

[gregk]

Boy I'm glad to be able to ride in a helmet free state. I do have a brain bucket & I do wear it weather demanding. It seems to me that If a person wears one they may look for ways to prove a helmet saved there butt like I seen one person do. When we had Inzane out in Colo. the 1st yr. we went around nebraska, I' wasn"t giving them one red cent. We may come to Inzane this year because of the anniv. & being close only, If not for the anniv. & being close you would not get me to come. We done part of a state wid poker run 2 years ago & it was supossed to rain 400 of the 450 mile loop so we took the helmets along and put them on the last 75m. because it started to rain to hard, we had 2 stops along the Mich boarder where it would of been short to wear the bucket however we went 16m out of the way instead. Man I love freedom of choice!

[Daniel Meyer]

It's against the law to wear my helmet in my car in Texas.

The mass transit train too...got hassled by the DART cops, but by golly, sitting there in my helmet and making darth vader noises...I had the friggen seat to myself!

[RoadKill]

It's against the law to wear my helmet in my car in Texas.

The mass transit train too...got hassled by the DART cops, but by golly, sitting there in my helmet and making darth vader noises...I had the friggen seat to myself!

Usually I just have a burrito and some chili cheese fries and I get a couple seats with no one around!    no helmet required !

[KW]

FYI - We already pay MORE for vehicle insurance in Michigan than most States. . . . The extra TAX is called the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (You see it on your bill as 'MCCA') It's real noticable when you pay your motorcycle insurance. In my case, it nearly DOUBLES the amount. I shutter to think what our State caregivers would charge - using fake data to justify the increase -  if we didn't have a helmet law. Having said that; I'm ALWAYS for personal freedom and responsiblities - as every American, who has actually read the Constitution, should be. I use a helmet, and would continue to without any law forcing me, but have popped off the lid in both Indiana and Florida when the temp was over 100. It made for a great ride. . . .  

So, to each their own. . . . to a point. You can get naked and howl at the moon in the middle of the street, but you can't do the same thing in my Living Room (with my apploigies to the movie Hoosier for butchering the line   )

OK. . .  this is as close to a polictic post as I want to make.

[Momz]

I am an ABATE of MI member and I believe in freedom of choice.
I'm the guy that RTaz wrote about in his post about the rider that wore a bicycle helmet for years.
I was also ticketed several times for refusing to wear a helmet, and all my tickets were thrown out of court because I was able to prove that our states so called helmet law was unenforcable due to non-compliance by the MI State Police.
 
Yes,.....the State Police were to compile a list of "approved" helmets. They could not or would not do this as only those helmets would then be legal. That would be an enforcement nightmare! And it would then cause liability issues if someone were to become disabled or die as a result of an accident while wearing an "approved" helmet.

I cannot wear most helmets due to a spinal chord surgery that has left my cervical area quite weak and it would cause severe pain after just a short period of time.

I (like Dan Meyer) was also ticketed for wearing a full face helmet while driving my truck a few years back. The cop said that it restricted my vision while driving a motor vehicle. I used that ticket while fighting my tickets for not wearing a helmet on my motorcycle.

Sometimes ya gotta be a bit smarter or more informed than the guy giving out the tickets.

[Gary]

A helmet that keeps you from being a vegetable and will keep you out of a wheelchair? That's got to be quite a helmet.

I'll go along with: a helmet "may" reduce the risk of head trauma thing, but it will not eliminate, not keep you from laying right there next to the non-helmet wearer.

I still don't get how wearing the helmet keeps you outa the wheelchair though?

[fudgie]

A helmet that keeps you from being a vegetable and will keep you out of a wheelchair? That's got to be quite a helmet.

I'll go along with: a helmet "may" reduce the risk of head trauma thing, but it will not eliminate, not keep you from laying right there next to the non-helmet wearer.

I still don't get how wearing the helmet keeps you outa the wheelchair though?

damnifiknow 

[RoadKill]

A helmet that keeps you from being a vegetable and will keep you out of a wheelchair? That's got to be quite a helmet.

I'll go along with: a helmet "may" reduce the risk of head trauma thing, but it will not eliminate, not keep you from laying right there next to the non-helmet wearer.

I still don't get how wearing the helmet keeps you outa the wheelchair though?

damnifiknow 

Bruising yer squash does affect motor skills,trust me. Knockin yer noggen messes up the whole walking/talking thing.  I think we should all wear helmets for safety but this hypocrite also believes in choice and taking your own chances. 

[BradValk48237]

Best example for wearing a helmet........

Gary Busey.........

Need I say more?

[RoadKill]

I really doubt Gary Busey was a drain on the healthcare industry. He is probably one of FEW that paid for his own treatment.
Some has to pay,they cant all ride for free! 

[doubletee]

....they cant all ride for free! 

Ass, grass, or gas? 

[~ Timbrwolf]

....they cant all ride for free! 

Ass, grass, or gas? 

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