Who the hell wants to lift the mandatory helmet rule?

[ptero]

What is heinous to me is that the insurance companies themselves are pushing, actively lobbying, for repealing the helmet laws across the nation.

With their help, it's been repealed in a number of states in the last 10 years. With the proviso that to ride helmetless one must buy additional insurance. Repeal the law - sell more product[[insurance). That's all they care about.

[Gannon]

I don't believe in mandatory insurance for any reason.

Let me be free to bike and ride a motorcycle without a helmet...and I'll put a prominent tag on the vehicle somewhere that says DNR. Do Not Resuscitate, and don't worry about any catastrophic care expenses...bury me with the bike.


I should have that choice. Everyone should.


Sincerely,
John

[EL Jimbo]

You're right. And since a huge part of my/your health costs are due to people who develop heart disease from overeating, we should also enact laws that ensure people will only eat healthy food. Or at least, we can penalize those who simply refuse to stay in shape by charging them higher insurance rates.

Same thing for all those idiots who enjoy dangerous hobbies like rock climbing, kayaking, etc., which result in thousands of injuries each year. Had those morons stayed home and watched "American Idol," they'd have never been injured -- and, thus, our health care would probably be cheaper. So let's make those activities illegal as well; or, again, let's at least penalize those who engage in such risky behavior.

Or, do you only like government intervention SOME of the time? You say it's perfectly okay for the government to prevent someone from riding a motorcycle without a helmet; where do you stand on whether the government should prevent someone from, say, getting an abortion?

Hey, I'm all for it. Either do it that way or do it the other way around where the insurance company is allowed to charge you a higher premium based on your lifestyle choices. And I'm not saying this from the perspective of someone with amazing genes and is in outstanding physical shape. I enjoy eating and the occasional adult beverage and I'm certainly carrying more around the middle than I should. Heck yeah I should be paying a higher premium on my health insurance than my coworker who's ran multiple marathons and just finished an Ironman Triathalon.

I've made the choice to be like I am and I should pay the penalty...just like any moron who decides they want to ride without a helmet or seatbelt. Either way, there should be consequences to the individual as the negative results of their risky behavior represent a taking from everyone else through their premiums in order to subsidize their choices. Whether that is through an increasing the restrictions of those activities through the legal system or through reducing legal restrictions on activities but allowing the insurance industry to increase fees doesn't really matter to me that much. Although I'd prefer to let the insurance companies handle it.

What ever happened to personal responsibility? That's the funny thing with a lot of people. They go on and on about personal liberties and rugged individualism and blah blah blah...until someone hands them the bill. Then they freak out about how they shouldn't be required to foot the bill for their actions. Freedom isn't free and everyone has to be accountable for what they do.

[EL Jimbo]

I don't believe in mandatory insurance for any reason.

Let me be free to bike and ride a motorcycle without a helmet...and I'll put a prominent tag on the vehicle somewhere that says DNR. Do Not Resuscitate, and don't worry about any catastrophic care expenses...bury me with the bike.


I should have that choice. Everyone should.


Sincerely,
John

And what happens when your estate can't cover all your remaining bills from the accident because you lacked insurance?

[Whitehouse]

Go ahead and ride without a helment.....I don't care.....but no road side memorial for you.....oh yea and maybe we can make the world population drop below 7 Billion again. One more thing.....as for Sympathy.....its in the dictionary between syphilis and s_it. Go for it!!!!

You need quite a lot of motor cycles for that plan to succeed. Also, I think there should also be severe penalties to those not wearing a helmet when they cannot prove the have the necessary insurance.

[HistoryNotHisStory]

Here's an idea. Have an insurance pool that all motorcycle riders are required to contribute to that covers the medical costs for motorcycle riders who have accidents. Keep it separate from those for drivers. When the medical costs go up, all motorcycle riders are assessed the increased cost.

Agreed.

We should not have to pay for their stupidity.

[Gannon]

And what happens when your estate can't cover all your remaining bills from the accident because you lacked insurance?

What did you not understand about having some ID tag that says 'leave me alone, I'm doing this at my own risk'? That was my intent of the DNR comment.

We should be free to be as stupid as we want to be, as long as it doesn't take anyone else along with us. In every way possible, and some we haven't imagined yet.

You are too stuck in the current liability meme...of the whole litigious idiocy. I despise any and all forms of insurance. Period. It takes one away from personal responsibility and accepting chance, fate, or 'destiny'...and allows a few to profit off of other's fears magnified by ignorance. Worse when it is legislated as mandatory.

The people who buy the MOST insurance are the ones who stay home...and their most risky behavior is picking up the TV remote...I think THEY are the dross, when most would try to defend that behavior...since the actuaries so love those who make their numbers look good and profit their companies. The moment anyone attempts to apologize for this, they are supporting the current meme, which I believe is seriously skewed making US screwed.

This country wasn't built on people who waited for the next least-common-denominator entertainment...nor will it be sustained through a service and banking/insurance foundation.


Cheers!
John

[Ray1936]

Had a thought while driving down the road today.

While there is an adamant group of motorcyclists that are totally anti-helmet, I noticed that bike riders, wherever they may be, nearly ALWAYS have one of those tear-shaped helmets on their noggins. And that's voluntary, there's no law requiring them to have helmets.

What makes bicycle riders so much smarter than motorcycle riders? Curious.

[Gannon]

I'd say it is peer pressure, either way.


You'd be surprised at the extraordinary coercion heaped upon anyone who shows up for any group- or school-sponsored bike ride. Most have a simple rule, no helmet no riding with the group. I bought my bike helmet exactly for that reason and wore it...once.


I KNOW that every motorcycle rider I've ever known has had to dump their bike at least once. Most bicycle riders have had some difficulty as well.


Both of them largely have issues with regular car drivers not seeing them...so why would two-wheelers of any sort have to be punished in any way for lackadaisical unaware driving by those with more wheels and sheet metal around them?!


Cheers!

[Jimaz]

A real Burma Shave slogan:

Don't lose your head
To save a minute.
You need your head.
Your brains are in it!
BURMA SHAVE

[Roq]

You need your head.
Your brains are in it!

Well for some people, this may not apply.

[Ravine]

Well, hold on, hold on, let's talk about this.
Taking that thought a step further, would that not mean that some folks would be better off without their heads?

[EL Jimbo]

What did you not understand about having some ID tag that says 'leave me alone, I'm doing this at my own risk'? That was my intent of the DNR comment.

We should be free to be as stupid as we want to be, as long as it doesn't take anyone else along with us. In every way possible, and some we haven't imagined yet.

You are too stuck in the current liability meme...of the whole litigious idiocy. I despise any and all forms of insurance. Period. It takes one away from personal responsibility and accepting chance, fate, or 'destiny'...and allows a few to profit off of other's fears magnified by ignorance. Worse when it is legislated as mandatory.

The people who buy the MOST insurance are the ones who stay home...and their most risky behavior is picking up the TV remote...I think THEY are the dross, when most would try to defend that behavior...since the actuaries so love those who make their numbers look good and profit their companies. The moment anyone attempts to apologize for this, they are supporting the current meme, which I believe is seriously skewed making US screwed.

This country wasn't built on people who waited for the next least-common-denominator entertainment...nor will it be sustained through a service and banking/insurance foundation.


Cheers!
John

But you are only thinking about yourself. I'm not talking about you. If you splatter your brains on the pavement riding your crotch rocket at 105 like a retard that's your own issue. But if you don't have insurance who's going to pay for the damage you did to my car? I don't give a crap if you can't afford your funeral or anything like that. But if you damage my car or, God forbid, damage me or my family, your ass better be paying because I'm not paying the added premiums because Mr. Idiot McWindinhishair wanted to go all Easy Rider on everybody.

[Philbo]

.







El Jimbo- the chances of a biker causing trauma to you or your family are very slim, so relax.

You're already paying for the uninsured. Go to any hospital waiting room and you will find plenty of people without insurance that you and I are paying for.

As a biker I will continue to wear my helmet but it should be a matter of choice, after all this is America is'nt it ? Let those who ride decide.

[EL Jimbo]

.
El Jimbo- the chances of a biker causing trauma to you or your family are very slim, so relax.

You're already paying for the uninsured. Go to any hospital waiting room and you will find plenty of people without insurance that you and I are paying for.

As a biker I will continue to wear my helmet but it should be a matter of choice, after all this is America is'nt it ? Let those who ride decide.

Perhaps not, but the biker is still going to wreck my car. I might have to get sections of the body replaced and do you know how corrosive idiot brains are on paint job? I don't want to pay for that.

I'm all for "let those who ride decide". Like I said, survive of the fittest. Anyone dumb enough to ride without a helmet probably should be weeded out of the gene pool anyway. But if you want to play, you have to pay. Simple as that.

As far as already paying for the uninsured, since when do two wrongs make a right?