The American Spectator

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(Page 2 of 13)

p> Mr. "Unsigned" seems not to want anyone to suggest a "specific set of religious beliefs" should "influence government policy." Too late for that....the Founding Fathers framed their documents and based our laws on a specific set of religious beliefs. He seems to have overlooked that minor detail. br> -- Sue Gray br> Roswell, Georgia /p> p> HELMET COOL br> Re: Reid Collins's Decider Rider : /p>

The helmet law debate is typically one of personal freedom vs. public expense. But this debate rarely considers the motorcycle helmet's meager percentage of effectiveness. Nor does it consider precisely why motorcycle helmet laws save lives, which they indeed do. Underneath it all, however, there seems to be a double standard when it comes to public perception and motorcycle safety.

The primary reason that helmet laws save lives is because they discourage riding, far more than by any other factor. This is backed up by DMV data from states that switched from one side to the other on helmet laws. While new motorcycle registrations will stall or even drop under the shadow of a helmet law, the percentage of motorcycle accident victims killed remains essentially unchanged. And there is no direct measurement that indicates an actual reduction of risk to the rider.

If there were a mandatory helmet law for convertibles, you'd see the same effect. As with motorcycles, gross fatality totals could "prove" that helmet laws save convertible drivers' lives as well as the public's dollars. But the real lifesavers would be garaged convertibles -- gathering dust and rust. Yet stubborn convertible drivers would face exactly the same degree of risk out on the road, with or without a helmet law. And convertible helmet law advocates would be just as wrong as the current bucket brigade.

When mandatory helmet laws come into force, there is less incentive to buy or ride a motorcycle. Conversely, encumbered riders flock to bordering states that let them choose. And many touring riders conspicuously avoid spending time and money in states with mandatory helmet laws. With fewer bikes, there are fewer fatalities. It's that simple, and the data is indisputable.

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