Helmet Excuses
I continue to be amazed at the excuses some people will use to not wear a helmet. Please understand, I am not a helmet law advocate. I would like to see as few legal intrusions into my life as possible. So while I am not a helmet law advocate, I do advocate the use of helmets.
The simple truth is that not one person has presented a compelling argument against wearing a helmet that does not rely on anecdotal or erroneous information. Here are a couple that I came across recently:
"Recently a truck with a flatbed trailer hauling those round rolls of hay lost his breaks [sic] and ran right through the stop signed intersection, smack dab in front of a motorcyclist WITH a helmut [sic]... the biker died anyway....so what's the point?"
Indeed, what's the point. No piece of safety gear nor any amount of training will make you invulnerable. It's just not possible. Motorcycle safety is all about reduction of risk. Putting airbags in cars did not stop people from dying in collisions. But there are people walking this earth today who would not be if not for an airbag. There are motorcyclists alive and riding today who would not be if not for their helmet.
Here's another (I did not correct the author's original language)...
"How many crashes is there they have a straight on impact on the head? And how would survive them without breaking the neck? Helmet does save your face from getting scratch up when you dump a bike. They are also good for holding face shields tinted or clear. What is a pain is having the helmet strap choke you as you ride. The only wreck I seen the guy was wearing a helmet but still bleeding from mouth. He treid to beat a car making a left turn in front of it. Driving like a bat out of hell. Me and 1 or 2 buddies where riding our small bikes and he flew by like we where standing still. Less the na mile up the road he was laid out."
Where to begin...
Again, a helmet will not protect you in every circumstance. However it will protect you in many more circumstances than not wearing a helmet. If you are wearing a helmet with a chin strap that chokes you, you are wearing a helmet that does not fit or is not properly on your head. As for the tragic accident witnessed by the writer, a helmet definitely will not protect a rider from his or her own recklessness.
Then there are the old warhorses: "A helmet reduces my ability to hear," or "Helmets limit my peripheral vision."
I wear earplugs when I ride. So do many of the riders I know. At any speed above 45 mph the wind noise without a helmet will damage your hearing. Not to mention the fact that many who push this argument are members of the "Loud Pipes Save Lives" crowd. What do they expect to hear over the din of those drag pipes anyway? Have you ever noticed that a hearing test is not required to get a driver's license? Yep, deaf people can drive.
As to the vision argument, a properly fitted helmet does not impede lateral peripheral vision. It can reduce your upward and downward vision, but not many bikers are struck by meteors or falling satellite debris.
So, until someone can show me some credible evidence proving that wearing a helmet will cause more injury than it prevents in the majority of crash situations, I will remain a helmet advocate.
John Davis is a rider and writer. His current ride is Victoria, a candy red Honda VTX1800 Retro. John writes for several web sites and blogs in addition to his own site, NorthwestCycleReport.
