Helmetless motorcycle riders = organ donors?

[Comet]

Didnt want to start a debate, I just thought it was a good read. Maybe I can get one to think about it a little.


Helmetless motorcycle riders = organ donors?

by Marijke Durning, RN on June 13th, 2008
Motorcycles = freedom on the road.

Motorcycles = fun.

Motorcycles = speed.

Motorcycles = danger.

But what do riders who don’t wear helmet equal to? I’ll tell you. Either they become organ donors (if we were lucky enough that they signed their donor cards) or they live life with severe injuries that will either incapacitate them or see them living with chronic pain.

Do you think I’m kidding? I’m not. The state of Pennsylvania repealed its motorcycle helmet law in 2003. Now, you only have to wear a helmet if you ride a motorcycle and you’re under 21 or have not taken a safety course - you have to wear one for 2 years.

The results? According to a press release issued by The University of Pittsburgh Schools of Health Sciences: “Study authors analyzed data from Pennsylvania’s departments of Health and Transportation during the years 2001-2002 and 2004-2005. They found helmet use by motorcyclists involved in reported crashes decreased from 82 percent to 58 percent in the two years after repeal. The authors also looked at data from head injury and non-head injury deaths to determine specifically how many deaths were caused by not wearing helmets. They found the registration-adjusted head injury death rate increased by 32 percent, whereas the non-head injury death rate did not change.”

There was also a, “42 percent increase in head injury-related hospitalizations, raising concerns about motorcyclists’ safety and the impact of this trend on health care costs.”

If you sense I feel very personal about this - I do. I have no problem with motorcycles. I think they’re great. I also think that car drivers often make it very dangerous for motorcyclists, causing them to really risk their lives to be able to ride, sometimes.

When I worked in an ICU, I had a patient who was knocked off his motorcycle. I saw his helmet. He wouldn’t have been himself any more if had not been wearing his helmet. He might not have been dead, but chances are, he wouldn’t be as he used to be before the accident either.

You want to feel the wind in your hair while you ride? Is that really more important than staying alive if you have an accident?

[grumpy1luvs2eat]

All you need is a poster child for no helmet laws, like Gary Busey maybe....? There's an ad for increased helmet usage! GRUMPY

[lytehouse]

I'm sure most (if not all) of us agree with wearing gear is #1!!! I lost a friend in a parking lot duing under 10 mph...he was just taking her for a spin to see if what he'd fixed was ok, hit a curb & that was that. He was only 22.

[Comet]

Originally Posted by lytehouse

I'm sure most (if not all) of us agree with wearing gear is #1!!! I lost a friend in a parking lot duing under 10 mph...he was just taking her for a spin to see if what he'd fixed was ok, hit a curb & that was that. He was only 22.

Wow!!!! That is sad!!!

I agree with helmet use however, the largest increase in injuries is in a state with a helmet law and the greatest decrease is in a state with no helmet law. Now I'm still trying to figure that out....

[adumb]

let the people do what they want... as long as people are still picking up smoking as a hobby then i think helmet law is way down on the list as far as what would save more people.

[lonesoldier84]

Originally Posted by Comet

You want to feel the wind in your hair while you ride? Is that really more important than staying alive if you have an accident?

want wind in your hair? buy a vented helmet. only morons ride without a helmet. a bicycle i can understand. but on a motorbike ur going quick quick quick relative to a bicycle. you will fall EVENTUALLY in 30 years of riding. if you go down your head WILL snap back and slam and the ground or curb. moronic not to ride with a helmet. utterly appalling imo. repealed the laws? wow, way to move backwards, congrats!

[Comet]

Originally Posted by adumb

let the people do what they want... as long as people are still picking up smoking as a hobby then i think helmet law is way down on the list as far as what would save more people.

I agree!! For someone to start smoking now after knowing what all it does to you, they are showing very poor judgement. I dont want a doctor or a pilot on my flight to be a smoker.

[mdr]

Originally Posted by lonesoldier84

want wind in your hair? buy a vented helmet. only morons ride without a helmet. a bicycle i can understand. but on a motorbike ur going quick quick quick relative to a bicycle. you will fall EVENTUALLY in 30 years of riding. if you go down your head WILL snap back and slam and the ground or curb. moronic not to ride with a helmet. utterly appalling imo. repealed the laws? wow, way to move backwards, congrats!

Ummm not to be too picky - but you're underestimating how much damage you can do falling from a bicycle. While riding my bicycle to work a few years back (46 mile round trip) I slipped on some wet railroad tracks going about 5 mph. Before I could react I was down and my head bounced off the steel rail. Because I always wear a bicycle helmet I ended up with a bruised ego and a crack in my helmet instead of in my skull.

On the other hand, I think adults (not children) should be able to make the choice to not wear proper gear without the law getting involved. I'd prefer to not have any more of my biker friends killed or injured in avoidable accidents but it's a slippery slope. If forcing us to wear helmets doesn't cut the death rate enough might we not see horsepower limitations next? Surely cutting the maximum horsepower down to say - 20 Hp will reduce the death and injury rate in MC accidents... and that's a good thing ... right

[lonesoldier84]

Originally Posted by mdr

Ummm not to be too picky - but you're underestimating how much damage you can do falling from a bicycle. While riding my bicycle to work a few years back (46 mile round trip) I slipped on some wet railroad tracks going about 5 mph. Before I could react I was down and my head bounced off the steel rail. Because I always wear a bicycle helmet I ended up with a bruised ego and a crack in my helmet instead of in my skull.

On the other hand, I think adults (not children) should be able to make the choice to not wear proper gear without the law getting involved. I'd prefer to not have any more of my biker friends killed or injured in avoidable accidents but it's a slippery slope. If forcing us to wear helmets doesn't cut the death rate enough might we not see horsepower limitations next? Surely cutting the maximum horsepower down to say - 20 Hp will reduce the death and injury rate in MC accidents... and that's a good thing ... right

i ride my bicycle with a helmet. i am not underestimating it. i am saying when i see others riding bicycles without helmets i can understand why. i didnt wear one as a kid and now i felt some stigma about wearing one as an adult. but motorcycles is a different ballgame entirely. thats what i meant. i agree with all of your points and the spirit of your post relating to bicycle helmets. as for the rest of it about laws. it has to do with your view on the role of government. either you feel it is there to protect citizens that are unable to protect themselves. or you feel it needs to stay out. i am of the former (to an extent but that extent is beyond helmets. they should be mandatory)