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mandatory helmet law?
we are required to wear a seat belt...we are required to place our children in safety seats...driving a car , or riding a motorcycle is a privilege, not a right.
so why do helmet laws offend so many people?
some riders say they do not like big brother enforcing their safety, or taking their freedom to have the wind blow through their hair away from them, i've been told by my motorcycle riding buddies that wearing a helmet is uncomfortable... that their hair gets messed up by wearing a helmet...because they sweat.
weighing the alternative of being in an accident without a helmet, and being in an accident with one, i have to wonder, do these people who oppose helmets, really have a brain to protect in the first place?
no offense to those of you who oppose what i am saying, but from first hand experience, i have to say...helmets save lives...broken bones heal, but broken brains, do not.
what gets me, is most of these people have families, children, grandchildren...yet they think they should be able do what they want, damn the consequences...they say, "it's my life" how selfish is that, really?
because, when an accident happens, and they are either dead, or severely injured, they are not the ones left to question, why didn't i wear that helmet? their families are the ones who are left to care for them, or bury them...
more than a few states have enforced helmet laws, yet, some have not.
In New Mexico, there is a helmet law, anyone under the age of twelve must wear a helmet...but there is no adult helmet law. wearing glasses to protect your eyes is the only requirement.
in 1996, my husband was hit by a drunk driver while he was on his motorcycle, the guy hit him head on, my husband flew 26 feet from the point of impact, rolling head over heel where he landed.
he was wearing a helmet... there is a three inch long scratch half an inch deep in the top of his helmet.
imagine, if he had not been wearing a helmet.....unbelievably, his brain was uninjured, best 150 dollars we ever spent...and though his other injuries were severe, and after ten years , he still is recovering from the broken bones in his body... his brain is still intact.
in September, my brother and sister in law were in a motorcycle accident, slid on a patch of gravel, doing 55 miles an hour down the freeway, neither one was wearing a helmet...thank god they did not have any head injuries, but my sister in law was tore up, she slid on her face, received 30 or more stitches, and lost three teeth...a helmet could've saved her from a lifetime of reconstructive surgeries...
now, both vow to wear their helmets whenever they ride again.
of course helmets should be mandatory...anyone who says they should not be, is either in denial that they may be involved in an accident, or doesn't care what happens to them or the loved ones they leave behind, because of their stubbornness to allow government to mandate a good law.
this isn't about big brother, this is about doing the right thing.
my husbands accident cost us over a hundred thousand dollars in medical bills, lost wages...and years of recuperation....bones heal...but really, having a brain seems to be a very important thing, doesn't it?
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Motorcycle helmets: Mandatory or optional
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