No...car/truck drivers need to become aware of their surroundings...stop driving and texting etc....Motorcycle riders need to slow it down/be aware of their surroundings...and both need to stop drinking and driving/riding...But we don't need the government making another law for "our benefit" when most have never been on a motorcycle...and don't know the restrictions wearing a helmet causes...

Laws should only be passed to protect us from acts of others. It should be unconstitutional to pass any law to protect us from our own foolishness. Helmets are a wise choice but you should not be labeled a criminal for making an unwise choice for which only you will suffer the consequences. Education is the key not sanctions.

I velieve all riders ahould wear helmets, evwn for human powered bikes. Helmwts protect the brain and skull from more severe traumatic injury.

Cyclists who suffer traumatic brain injuries for lack of wearing helmets drive up health insurance costs for all of us.

I would have said yes a few years ago but I've changed my mind. I don't ride a motorbike but I do ride a non-powered bike (without a helmet) and I don't think I would like to be told that I had to wear one. Car drivers need to be held more accountable for their bad driving. All too often the word 'accident' is used when really an incident was a result of bad driving, i.e. so not really an accident at all!

To be honest I can't stand motorcyclists w/ their obnoxious pipes and choosing to obey the law when it fits them. But I think they have the right to not wear a helmet. It's about personal choices. I think the same way about seat belt laws. First and foremost it should not be an offense that allows a cop to pull you over. Secondly if I want to eat windshield in an accident, that is my choice.

Sure they should. And don't give me the storyline about "freedom". I have to wear a seat belt when in a car. End of story.

No, it is not within the government's right to force citizens to protect themselves. As for the insurance argument, that is a non issue since most major motorcycle accidents result in the death of the rider; additionally, that is an issue that can and should be handled by the insurance industry, they are smart enough to figure out the risk and costs and rate it accordingly which they already do. For reference, I am a motorcycle rider and I always wear a helmet.

As a friend of several orthopaedic physicians, they have told me about horror
stories of motor cyclists who have suffered injuries due to the fact that they
were not wearing helmuts. One of the doctors even called motorcycles the
term of 'murdercycles'. I am totally in favor of the law of motor bike drivers to
wear hemuts.

As for the seatbelt argument...true enough that motorists are required to wear seat belts. But doesn't the "I have to wear seat belts, so motorcyclists should have to wear helmets" raise all kinds of slippery-slope questions? What about smoking? Still legal. What about fatty foods? Advertised on TV.

Most people don't understand motorcycle accidents and what happens to the human body In head on collisions at highway speeds. Helmets would make NO difference in highway accidents.

Sorry to hear about your son, Vickie. To you and the others, I'm not a rider, so I'm interested in your perspective on this: A commenter on an earlier motorcycle story suggested motorists stay at least two car-lengths behind a stopped motorcycle, like at a red light, in case the car is rear-ended. But in accidents like this -- where a car too close to a motorcycle is rear-ended, wouldn't a helmet help?

Of course not every death can be prevented by safety items. But if they were such bad ideas or so nonsensical as some would like us to believe, then why do professional drivers and riders always buckle up and wear helmets? Seat belts save the lives and / or livelihoods of thousands and thousands of people every year. Helmets do the same (on a lesser scale) for many motorized and non-motorized cyclists a year. The only people that think they are a "bad" idea are those that have never needed to be saved by either. Ask the dead driver / cyclist that wasn't wearing a seat belt / helmet if they are happy about their decision. Unfortunately our laws have to save the stupid from themselves.

It's probably a good idea to put a cushion of space between you and other motorists. So, that's a good law: leave some space! Pull someone over for tailgating. I could get behind that. Otherwise, you can't legislate common sense. I hate to see motorcyclists without helmets. But, it's not within our moral reach to force it. As for health insurance costs, we'll need to outlaw obesity before we make a helmet law on that platform. Probably should figure out a way to pull licenses from people who text and drive, too. I mean, I antagonize them like hell, but I'm not sure it has the same effect as a $500 ticket would.

Here's a thought ; since more people are killed and head injured in car accidents than on motorcycles let's require all drivers and passengers in cars to wear helmets. Then we can go to riding mowers or anything that moves and require helmets. Please, this should be a personal choice.

I don't know Dennis. I'm all for personal freedom, but I think it's more thorny issue than that. Would you make the same choice if by agreeing that it's your choice not to take reasonable safety precautions, you also signed away your rights to any government insurance (Medicaid) that would cover your care if you were incapacitated in an accident?

There are so many arguments for and against helmet use. I know riders who represent both sides of the coin, If he had worn a helmet....If he hadn't had a helmet on....I believe it IS personal choice. I wear one, sometimes. The point is, should it be a LAW? Haven't we already had too many of our personal freedoms removed by legislation? Wear one, don't wear one, but don't let the government LEGISLATE the use.

I do not believe it should be a law to wear helmets. In many states I have ridden in what happens is people go buy a cheap helmet to satisfy the law but it won't actually protect them in an accident. Education is the key. If you're going to wear a helmet to keep you safe go spend over 500.00 and get a Snell approved helmet. It is a personal choice. I have health insurance so if I get into an accident my health insurance covers me and it won't cost anyone else anything.

I lost my son 6 yrs. ago in a motorcycle accident. It's possible a helmet may have saved him. I'll never know that. He chose not to wear one. That's freedom of choice. I don't wear one either, but I treat every intersection as a possible accident, and every cager as Dr. Death.

Helmets would keep you safer in a crash, no doubt about that. The problem is IMHO that the helmet also limits peripheral vision, and covers your ears limiting hearing, both factors in accidents. I won't wear one for the simple reason i can't see and hear everything around me with one on.

Never considered that, Jim. Any helmet-wearers out there who have found one without the periphery problems?

For those of you that like statistics: When the state of Florida repealed their helmet law, motorcycle deaths actually went down. Don't believe it? Check it out for yourself.
Also, how many of the "experts" that are saying we need a helmet law ever talk or text on your cell phone while driving, put makeup on, read some type of written material?
Have you ever made a "rolling stop" at a stop sign or not stop at all? Failed to yield the right of way to another vehicle?
Think of the effects those actions have on causing accidents, regardless of what type of vehicle is involved. A large majority of accidents involving motorcycles are caused by the car driver not paying attention. There are no helmets made that will prevent accidents.

Personally I won't swing a leg over a snowmobile or dirt bike without a helmet, but I don't wear one on the street.
Helmets isolate you from your surroundings. I don't want that isolation on the street when I'm surrounded by cars and trucks.
I'm the worst hazard I face off road. I've crashed many times off road because I pushed the envelope too much, and I want the protection of a helmet in that environment.
That's my position, others have their own ideas. The question isn't whether or not you think helmets are a good idea, it's whether or not the government should regulate the use of them. I don't think they have the right to regulate helmets or any other form of personal safety. You should be able to choose the risks you take... not the government.

I personally think that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle should be a PERSONAL CHOICE and NOT a government mandate. California has a law that requires wearing a helmet while driving, OR riding on a motorcycle, and alot of the cyclist that I know, think that law sucks. It's probably a good idea to wear one, but I don't think that just because some moron in government says that you HAVE TO...There is WAY TOO MUCH 'government in our lives as it is!

Are passeneger minors required to wear a helmet? If not, I truly believe there should be a law that requires it. It bothers me when I see young children on motorcycles, in the front or on the back, without helmets. Do not fool yourself in saying that your death, because of not wearing a helmet, does not impact anyone. It will impact your family and those that care about you forever. It will impact that first repsonder that has to go knock on your door to tell your family that you are dead. Never take life for granted, and if you can do something that may give your friends and family another day with you in it, do it. Find a helmet that allows you to see and hear appropriately, it will be worth it.

Some states do have helmet laws for minors. If you see a child in front of the rider, they are breaking the law. Passengers must be behind the rider and able to reach the foot pegs ( at least in Illinois) Finding a helmet that allows you to see and hear "appropriately" is easier said than done, as they cover your ears and they do affect your peripheral vision. Statistics show that 14% of all traffic fatalities are motorcyclists....that means that 86% are in ?cars? trucks? pedestrians? Life has it's risks no matter what your mode of transportation. Do we really want our legislators making those kind of "safety" decisions for us?

As Lynn mentioned above....an improperly fitted helmet can actually cause more harm than good. In helmet law states, many riders buy "novelty" helmets to meet the law rather than for any type of "protection" factor. There are others who buy the minimum required by law without any concern for the fit or impact rating. If a rider wears a helmet because they WANT to be safer, not because they were legislated to do so, they will buy a helmet that fits properly and has a "Snell" endorsement.

Obese people should get a ticket and fine for endagering themselves. Its unsafe. They could endanger others around them also.

people in accidents who are wearing helmets are the ones with longer hospital stays and live longer = cost more money. I think helmets are on the slippery slope to "training wheels" then no motorcycles...should all cars with no airbags be retired? personal choices are made all the time about personal safety. Public safety is another matter.....slow down.....keep your eyes open for other people on the road......and remember small things can go as fast or faster than big things.....I don't drive truck but I look out and accommodate them on the road all the time.....I am SO sorry for the loss of life for any accident.....summer is a fun season lets be careful out there.

Some laws protect us from our bad decisions, like driving under the influence of alcohol. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is a bad decision. I have been granted an additional 39 years of life because on August 4, 1973 I was wearing a helmet. I would guess that most motorcycle accidents happen with in the city at speeds of less than 35 mph where a helmet can save your life. Being aware of your surroundings is important but many of the accidents I am aware of involve cars not seeing a motorcycle and turning in front of or pulling out in front of a motorcycle and the crash is unavoidable. Endure the slight convenience, save your brain and be around for your children.

Alternatively we need a law that says if you are brain injured while riding without a helmet, you have personally accepted the responsibility for any result. Then the rest of us won't be burdened by your choice. We used to call this common sense but today no one is responsible for there own actions. This same concept could be applied to many other things.

Statistics from the Brain Injury Assoc. of Iowa showing 700,000 brain injuries don't say how many of those came from motorcycle accidents. Of those that may have been motorcycle accidents, how many riders actually were wearing helmets? Just because you are wearing a helmet you are not guaranteed to be excluded from brain injuries. Show us some statistics associated with the topic at hand....motorcycle helmets.

Nancy: I'm not advocating for a helmet law. I can honestly see both sides of the argument, and I'm really not sure what the answer is. (Other than with minors, who I think should be required to wear helmets.) That said, doesn't it seem that helmets add to safety?