Crashed my first motorcycle in 1976 and landed on my head. I was saved by a Bell helmet. I won't even ride down the block without a helmet.....

 

Problem with this type of discussion, is you can't measure the number of accidents that DON'T happen because riders aren't wearing helmets. The statistical data collected from states with Mandatory Helmet Laws versus Volunteer Helmet Law states proves that there is no statistical difference in Fatalities, or injuries. There is a slightly lower rate of accidents in states that have Voluntary Helmet use laws. This is normally attributed to the reduced fatigue factor when not wearing a helmet.

 

Let's have a contest where we both smack our heads as hard as we can against a brick wall, me wearing a helmet, and you not...

 

I don't think the purpose of the thread was to talk statistics. I think the purpose was just for people to tell about their accidents that they had had where they think a helmet helped save them from head injury.

 

Absolutely correct! Not only reduced fatigue, but without a helmet, the hearing and vision are improved, and both of those factors can reduce the chances of getting into an accident. In most (if not all) states, it is illegal to wear a helmet while driving an automobile because helmets restrict vision and hearing! Well duh - how about applying that logic to motorcycles? I will not argue that IF YOU CRASH you may be better off with a helmet. You probably will be. BUT - I prefer to avoid crashing in the first place and I think my chances are better of avoiding a crash if I am lidless! Besides, I like riding with no helmet and am willing to take the risk. My head, my choice!

 

That's probably because many of the "helmets" people are wearing when they're killed or seriously injured are those glorified tupperware bowls. You know, the fakes that people cover with those cute stickers to "stick it to the man"... I'm sure those things skew the statistics.

Anyway, to the original subject - Back in '67, I t-boned a VW that turned left in front of me. I flew over the hood and landed on my head in the street. I was wearing a Buco 1/2 helmet, and was still knocked out for a few minutes. That fiberglass helmet had deep gouges and a crack in the top. If that had been my head, I probably wouldn't be telling this story 42 years later.

 

No choice in the UK you have to wear it !
Why would you want to ride helmet-less anyway ? it bloody hurts when you get hit in the face by a bug if your wearing an open face !!

 

A helmet may not save your life but if you are lucky, you won't get into accident, wanna bet?

 

In my opinion when it is your time it is your time. Back in 75 a buddy and I were racing around out in the country and we both lost it in a tight right hand curve. I was in front and slid out of the curve past the front bumper of an on coming car, I had a lot of road rash and a pretty trashed bike. He died and there wasn't a mark on his helmet. Some times I wear one most of the time I don't.

 

Maybe because in a car your not going to sailing thru the air like a javlin.


Helmet laws translate into lives saved. Helmet laws increase helmet usage which in turn saves lives and reduces head trauma. This has been proven numerous times through state fatality data (including Illinois,14 California,15 Washington,16 and Louisiana17) that allowed comparison of deaths and injuries before and after helmet laws were enacted. The most accurate reflection of a state�s helmet use law is through the comparison of that state�s motorcycle crash-related fatalities before and after enactment or repeal a helmet law for all riders.


Each state�s data showed approximately the same trend:

• When universal helmet laws are enacted, helmet use increases, and fatalities and serious injuries decrease.
• When these laws are repealed, helmet use decreases, and injuries and associated costs increase, far exceeding the number of new motorcycles registered.
• Motorcyclist fatalities increase when a helmet law is repealed.

These results are consistent in every state where studies on the effectiveness of motorcycle helmet laws have been conducted. Additionally, data show that age-specific laws do not protect that group of riders that are historically victims in a fatal crash: those over the age of 21 years.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/inju.../reducing.html


A study completed at the University California - Los Angeles (UCLA) determined that statewide motorcycle fatalities declined 40.3 percent from 1991, before the California motorcycle helmet law for all riders was in effect, to 1993, the second full year that California�s law was in effect. 239 lives were saved over the same period as a result of the helmet law.21
In the same UCLA study, the number of injured riders decreased over 30 percent in 1992 and 1993, the first two years of the California law, when compared to 1991 (pre-law). The number of riders admitted to the hospital decreased about 35 percent both in 1992 and 1993, which is proportionally more than riders treated in the emergency department and released. The number of riders brought to emergency departments decreased about 25 percent for both 1992 and 1993.22
A study revealed that 24 out of 26 states that repealed their universal helmet laws experienced an average 25 percent increase in motorcycle fatalities.23
The death rate for motorcyclists rose 61 percent the year following Kansas� repeal of its universal helmet law.24 A privately-conducted study reported a 40 percent increase in fatally injured motorcyclists in states repealing their universal helmet laws.25