Just posted this press release at http://www.brainbucketmagazine.com/N...e/sid=831.html

[quote]ABATE of Florida, Inc. (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education) has lobbied for the rights of motorcycle riders in the state of Florida for over twenty-five years. The battle lines were drawn between ABATE and Florida legislators in the 1980’s over motorcycle helmet usage laws. ABATE has always contended it was the crash and not the helmet which determined the outcome. The latest statistics released by The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in the yearly Traffic Crash Report, strongly support that contention.

Of the 477 riders and their passengers who were killed while riding motorcycles during 2005, 57 percent (272) were wearing safety helmets. In every category of the Traffic Crash Report, riders wearing helmets incurred more injuries, and a higher percentage of fatalities than their non-helmeted counterparts. This disparity could be explained by a number of factors encountered by riders. In the Florida heat and humidity, fatigue is minimized for the rider without a helmet allowing them to ride more alertly. The infringement on the senses, caused by most helmets, could also be less for the non-helmeted rider. It is also possible the helmeted rider perceives their helmet as a cloak of protection, consequently causing the rider to drop their defensive riding alertness.

It has been easy for legislators and the non-riding public to blame lack of helmet use for all motorcycle deaths. Every publicized report of a motorcycle crash in the past few years has centered on the helmet use of the rider, even when a car or truck driver caused the crash. One only needs to look at the Ben Roethlisberger crash. Every media source played up the helmet issue or the lack there of, instead of the failure of the car driver that hit the motorcycle riding football player, to yield the right-of-way. The use of a helmet is clearly not the true issue.

Distracted drivers, inexperienced motorcycle riders, lack of attention to safe vehicle operation and increased traffic congestion are problems that continue to grow in every community. Public motorcycle awareness and personal responsibility by bikers, in the operation of their motorcycles, is the key to reducing the number of crashes that occur. Fewer crashes would correlate to a decrease in the number of riders who are injured and killed each year. Motorcycle crash prevention needs to be taken seriously by riders, drivers, educators and legislators, in order to reduce the number of motorcycle deaths.

Over the past five years, ABATE has offered a free motorcycle awareness program to the community. Many area high schools receive the class in association with driver education. Billboards have been posted on Florida highways to bring motorcycle rider awareness to the driving public. Safety education information has been dispersed to the motorcycle community and The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has been successfully encouraged to increase the amount of money spent on motorcycle safety. It is impossible to judge the number of riders whose lives have been saved by this campaign. We can only keep track of those who were not.

In this election year, ABATE of Florida, Inc. encouraged bikers, across the state, to make motorcycle issues a concern for their candidates. With a constituency of over 800,000 riders, plus their friends and families, taking the Florida biker and issues of concern to riders, seriously, could make or break a candidate at the poles and in their professional endeavors. ABATE helps bikers in Florida keep a close eye on issues affecting their life style, on the voting records of legislators, including who support personal responsibility and accountability and those who vote against personal freedoms.

Every rider has a voice and a choice. It is clearly up to the individual how they choose to interact with their

 

I think a helmet would do a better job of reducing a fatality of a slow moving crash like if you were just riding around at 25 mph......but say your doing 60 mph and a car pulls out in front of you theres really not much that a helmet can do...a helmet will not stop your neck from breaking....or you getting thrown into a telephone pole crushing every organ in your chest.....it's scary to think about but its true....its something I am always aware of but try not to worry about it too much because no matter I am going to keep riding helmet or not

 

You're exactly right. The average crash involving a helmeted law abiding motorcyclist is when someone pulls out in front of them whil emaking aleft hand turn. The motorcyclist is traveling at 35 mph and by the time the car hits the motorcycle, it is traveling at an effective 10 mph (inluding angle of travel). That's a collision at 45 mph. DOT on requires that the helmet withstand an impact of 25 mph. Harldy effective in the average accident.

I don't wear a helmet when I'm not required to. Since I ride in Florida quite a bit, then I rarely wear one. When I do, it's a non DOT beanie. I just don't like wearing them., I'm not against people wearing them, just telling me to.

 

Could it be that most of the accidents were squids and they seem to wear their helmets as a fasion statement? Like a hlemet that matches their leather and bike to make them look like a racer. I'd like to see the staticstics on the type of bike and rider experience for the crashes involved in the study.

Certainly avoiding a crash is the best outcome.

 

A novelty helmet can be more dangerous than no helmet. In an impact many of the cheap non-DOT novelty helmets can break into pieces which could impale your head or face.

 

Interesting that 57% of fatalities were riders wearing helmets. But that really has to be compared to how many bikers overall are wearing helmets for it to mean anything. If 90% of bikers are wearing helmets (unlikely in a non-required state), then it's not surprising or unexpected. But if 50% or less are wearing helmets, then that's a whole different thing. At that point it might indicate that either the helmet or the attitude of the biker wearing a helmet has something to do with it.

It's an interesting read, but like most studies, it can be skewed to the agenda of whoever interprets it.

And for the record, Indiana is a non-requiring state and I haven't had a helmet on in about 5 years.

 

I don't BUT I believe it should be Riders Choice

 

Wow" That just reinforces what I've thought of ABATE since
they first started up.

They are complete DUMB AZZ's that have no clue what they
are talking about when it comes to motorcyce safety at all.

I wear a helmet 99% of the time in my 40+ years of riding, but
back when this fight over helmet laws first started I went to
rallies at parliament grounds when they were meeting on helmet
laws to fight against them. I went to them wearing my helmet!

WHY???

Because if you let them tell you,you have to wear a helmet they
will start telling you, you have to wear seat belts and before long
they will tell you everything you can and can not do in your life..
All of what we were fighting against is coming to be true now
because we let them get away with it..

That is the only reason to fight helmet laws, not because some
total DUMB AZZ says it is safer to not wear them. IMO anyone
who thinks it is safer to ride a motorcycle without a helmet
needs to never be allowed to breed because we have way to
many stupid people in this world already and we sure don't
need anymore then there are now!

Sorry for the rant, but stupidity just makes my blood boil!!

OK" I'm done now! (I think?)

 

I agree, skewed and incomplete and the problem with incomplete pictures such as this study is that people use it to draw conclusions without considering the whole picture.

 

I'd like to see helmet laws changed to:
1) No helmet required for those 18 and over.
2) No public funds for those suffering head injuries from accidents when they were not wearing a DOT-approved helmet.

I believe that we should have the right to shoose - but those that choose poorly should not become burdens to society as a direct result of their choice. I feel the same about seatbelts, tobacco, fast food, and alcohol.