It's a Question of Freedom

Norwich CT -- I have been riding motorcycles for nearly 40 years, accumulating more than one million miles on two wheels with only one, very minor accident. I always wear full protective gear when I ride, including a full-face helmet, and yet I am adamantly opposed to mandatory helmet laws. I don't believe the government has the right to force me to wear a helmet, even if it might make me safer. I reserve the right, as a free American, to risk my neck at will.

I won't argue, like some, there is no proof helmets reduce injuries in accidents. To me, whether true or not, it is a moot point. What I can tell you, that I know is true, is the number of deaths and disabilities from head injuries sustained in automobile accidents is at least 20 times greater than those suffered by motorcyclists. And yet, I don't hear anyone calling for mandatory helmets for car drivers.

Question of freedom

To put it another way, when people tell me thousands of lives would be saved if we just forced riders to wear helmets, I respond even more lives could be saved if we simply mandated everyone who gets into a swimming pool or hot tub must wear a life jacket. It is absolutely true, but do we really want to live that way?

It is also true the overwhelming majority of motorcycle accidents are not the fault of the rider. In most cases, they are the result of a car or truck driver running a stop sign, failing to yield, or simply turning directly into the path of the motorcycle without signal or other warning. Motorcycles can accelerate quicker, stop shorter, turn tighter and perform almost any other maneuver much better than a four-wheeler. Because of this, a well-trained and experienced rider can avoid accident-causing situations much better than a car driver. Unfortunately, we pay the price when a car driver can't stop quick enough or turn fast enough and runs us down.

I am also sick of hearing politicians use of the "financial burden" theory to legislate against motorcycling. In truth, if you check the statistics, motorcyclists are more likely to be insured and almost always have better insurance coverage, than the majority of automobile drivers. In fact, the medical costs for uninsured motorcyclists involved in accidents is less than one-tenth of one percent of the national total. And, if it isn't the politicians telling you how dangerous bikes are, it is the doctors, describing trauma room scenes, and pontificating about the sanctity of life. Yet, their own American Medical Association has recently admitted mistakes by doctors kill about 30 percent of patients who die in hospitals. Clean your own house before you tell me that mine is dirty.

As I said, I have ridden more than 1 million miles in nearly 40 years without an injury. I believe the explanation for that record is quite simple. It is called "education."

Refresher training

I have attended every kind of motorcycle training and safety course available and take a refresher course at least once a year concerning things such as "street skills" and "accident avoidance." Most motorcyclists take some kind of safety training, at their own expense, about every two years. Can you find me a single car driver that could say the same?

Training and vigilance keep me alive and unscathed, and it has been proved time and time again it will work for almost anyone. Instead of mandating helmet use, or trying to legislate motorcycles out of existence, we should be spending our tax dollars on educating both riders and drivers.

Sadly, the United States has the worst drivers, with the worst accident statistics, in the world. The motorcycle riders they run down on a regular basis are not the problem. When we learn to face that reality, maybe we can really bring the appalling death rate on our highways under control.