Wearing no helmets...

[JodieWodie]

As a follow on to the 'why we wear leathers post'...
that reminded me of the kids round here....
on the nearby estate....
doing 40/50..shorts, t-shirts...NO HELMETS !

Obviously illegal.....but, do they care ?

I remarked to my Fiance this evening...I knew a woman....she lived a few streets away..her daughter was in my year in secondary school...(I was 13 at the time).

This girls older sister had a boyfriend...he had a powerful bike...older sister came to Mums house for a visit..."Hey Mum...take a spin on the back....just up the road and back"...

Helmet too small....so...no helmet...

Boyfriend went too fast round one corner...skidded...smashed into lampost.....Mum's hair got caught in wheel...
partial decapitation

That was the end of those girls' Mother.

The police should visit estates more to crack down on this kind of stuff...
believe me...I see it DAILY.
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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"

[stinkwheel]

See my post on the 'why we wear leathers' thread.

Also interesting to note that the ACU (who licence racers) do not allow children below a certain age to race in full-face helmets due to the high risk of spinal injury from head decceleration (exascerbated by the weight of the helmet) if they have a crash.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ProXimaCore]

Why does partial decapitation sound worse than decapitation?
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Honda NSR125R -> Suzuki GSXR400R GK76a -> Kawasaki ZX636 B1H -> Honda CBR400RR NC29 -> Nothing

[mr.z]

If you see kids rideing motorbikes/scooters sans helmet then its stolen, no question about it whatsoever, it is stolen, anyone rideing arround wthout one would be in serious poo with the police as soon as they get seen...
Its bizzare anyone would even consider it
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[McJamweasel]

Natural selection waiting to happen...
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BCF: Be yourself, just don't be an arse.

[JodieWodie]

[JodieWodie]

I saw a lad today...on one of those mini bikes....going along a busy road!!!!

No helmet...nothing....just whizzing along!


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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"

[mrchips]

A cruiser passed me the other day, and upon a second glance I noticed he was wearing a bandana. Again, I was working in Dublin and saw someone riding a scooter in a cap.

[Bendy]

You can fall off a pushbike at 40mph and you don't have to wear a helmet on one of those.

Personal choice again. If I wanted to ride my bike down to Tesco, which is all 30 and 40 limits, I should be allowed to.

[Odie]

I ride a trike and don't have to wear a helmet.
I can wear one if i wish, i just choose not to.
I have more visibility and am able to hear a lot more of whats going on around me
I feel that it should be down to personal preference wether you wear a lid or not.
Are you aware though that crash helmets are not designed to with-stand a head on impact of over 20 to 30 mph!
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You are so ugly when you were born the doctor said "I?m gonna drop it, if it falls is a rat, if it flies is a bat."

[Hex]

To be honest I would like to ride without a helmet. Obviously on some roads/rides I would wear one, if only for the reason over 30mph I cant see as the water starts to stream out of my eyes.

I'm with bendy, if I want to wear no helmet I shouldn't have to. Same as leathers, I'm well aware of all the risks etc and it should be my decision. If I come off I have to live with my choice.
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The BCF's very own Party boy! Though he's getting old and feeling it!
Monkey hanger, Born and bred
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[Kickstart]

[iCraig]

I agree with some of the replies here that it should be up to the riders preference, but I do agree with the Helmet law as it has saved lives since it was made compulsory.

I also am infavour of pedal cyclists having to wear helmets by law too, as it would cut down on fatalities and injuries.

After all laws are there to protect us, if it weren't for the laws murder would be allowed and other things too .

[Hex]

[Minky_monkey]

Fair enough, it should be personal preference. But, a far greater number of people have survived with a lid than without.

There`s an awful lot of people that are still here that wouldn`t otherwise be.

We`re a strange breed, as bikers the majority of us know someone whose had a half decent crash, yet you still get people that are of the opinion that it won`t happen to them!

I spend alot of time picking up the results of RTA`s where that clearly wasn`t the case!

[stinkwheel]

[Kickstart]

[mchaggis]

Let them not wear helmets, but should we be sympathetic to them when they come off and fracture their skulls? Give them NHS treatment for being idiots? I suppose people pay their taxes and will get NHS treatment for being an idiot however they do it though. Protecting people from themselves isn't as important as protecting other people from them. Making it more obvious when thieves are riding bikes is a good thing though.

The thing I don't get is why people are so willing to risk serious head injury just to exercise their 'freedom'. Most people aren't only going to affect themselves though, they've families to leave behind as well.

[Liono]

McHaggis, some people might argue that the same reasoning applies to riding motorbikes in general if they percieve it to be dangerous. E.G. Why should people be allowed to go out, crash their bike and get free treatment on the NHS?

[mchaggis]

[WildGoose]

i reckon it should be a free choice, just on principle that people should be allowed to do what they like

i'd wear one all the time tho i reckon, same as i always wear one on my pushbike now, since i started riding a motorbike you are somewhat more aware of the risks
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[rsooty]

The only people who shouldn't wear helmets are those who cannot due to religion (don't think that happens), those who are registered insane and nudists... As there is no point in wearing a helmet if your not going to wear anything else.

Sooty

[stinkwheel]

[Kickstart]

[synaptyx]