Motorcycle Helmets - Should you or shouldn’t you?
Whose choice is it whether or not to wear motorcycle helmets? Is it your choice or the law makers? Well I guess it is your choice in the end because you could choose to disobey the law. It is a controversy that is still not settled. Let us explore the history of motorcycle helmets and the laws and the effects of those laws.
Back when motorcycles were invented, reportedly in 1885 by Gottlieb Daimler no one thought of motorcycle helmets because speed was never a factor. Between 1931 and 1953 the American race to find the fastest motorcycles. It took place between two competitors, Harley Davidson and Indian Motorcycles. The number of accidents increased as the speed of the bikes did. It was then that the University of Southern California Professor C.F. Lombard developed motorcycle helmets to absorb the shock of the impact. This helmet had padding on the inside it had an outer layer of padding that absorbed and spread out the energy created by the impact. Professor Lombard applied for a patent for his helmet which started the development of the modern day motorcycle helmets. Since this development government agencies have now recognized the need for protection for the riders. The safety agencies lobbied for helmet laws.
In 1958 the California Highway Patrol required all their officers to wear motorcycle helmets to ride. They thought this would set an example and it wasn’t limited to just the U.S., Australia adapted the first mandatory helmet law.
In 1966 safety agencies got into the act and the American National Safety Standard for motorcycle helmets was introduced. The following year it was mandatory for states to pass requirements for motorcycle helmets to be worn if the state wanted to receive federal funds for highway maintenance and road construction. By 1975 47 states had complied.
Congress withdrew the requirement in 1975 and within 3 years half of the 47 states had repealed their laws. And of course the number of accidents and fatalities increased. They seem to have forgotten that motorcyclists are injured or killed in over 80% of accidents, wearing motorcycle helmets reduces this risk by 29%.Helmet manufacturers did what they could to provide better protection to the riders. Motorcycle helmets were then developed to provide more comfort and protection. Some motorcycle helmets were invented with full face protection.
There have been many studies done to measure the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets and their effectiveness during a crash. The results proved that for those riders who did not wear a helmet did not consider many factors. Motorcyclists with head and neck injuries didn’t carry health insurance and for the same reason probably didn’t wear motorcycle helmets. So guess who paid the hospitalization for these people, the taxpayers.
The big question is should you or shouldn’t you wear a helmet? I would lean toward saying yes just because I don’t think it is a big deal to put a helmet on your head. I mean there is nothing attractive about having a brain injury that could have been prevented. For more information on helmet laws check out the internet.