The “motorcycle helmet vs. no motorcycle helmet” debate has been raging for years. Some want to wear them. Some don’t. It’s as easy as that. Unfortunately, in most cases no one will be able to convince the non-helmet advocate to wear on.
As lawyers. As fans of motorcycle riders up and down the great state of California. As people who have seen out fair share of tragic motorcycle accidents, we would be remiss if we didn’t try our hardest to convince all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet.
There are tons of really compelling arguments on both sides. In fact, motorcyclists
who choose not to wear helmets for the sake of fashion or freedom may have a valid argument. And in some states they don’t have to wear one if they don’t want to.
YOU COULD DIE!
That seems to be the best argument for always wearing a helmet. Sure, we could quote a bunch of statistics, like last year more than 5,000 motorcycle riders lost their lives on America’s roads. Did they want to die? Probably not. Were they all wearing a helmet? Some were, some weren’t. Would a helmet have saved all of them had they been wearing one? Probably not.
NO HELMET, YOU COULD DIE
That still hasn’t changed. More than 96,000 2-wheel riders were injured last year. That number would have been less had all of those riders been wearing a helmet. However, that trend is not moving in the best direction. Since some states have started repealing helmet laws, fewer riders have been wearing helmets.
People that wear motorcycle helmets don’t die as often as non-helmet wearers and helmets can prevent serious brain injuries when they are involved in an accident.
Some people think that not wearing a helmet is a fashionable way to say how cool they are, how brash and in charge they are on the road. Some people think those people look like idiots without helmets on. The current state of motorcycle helmet design is as intense as leather jackets and custom riding gloves. There are helmets for every shape, size, mood and personality. What there aren’t helmets for are people who think that they are the exception to the rule, for the people that think they can get away without wearing a helmet because they won’t be the one that will get hit or go down ion their bike.
