How to Beat Helmet Tickets

[RoadWarriorService]

How to Beat Helmet Tickets

I ride without a helmet most of the time, and I've been
enjoying my freedom for almost two years. This is despite
the fact that I live in a helmet law state (VA), I commute
daily to a helmet law state (DC), I have family in helmet
law states (MD, MS, and MI), and I have ridden from
Mississipi to Maine without a helmet.

During this time I've gotten a grand total of 8 tickets.
Some of these were due to my own mistakes or
inattention, and others were just being in the wrong place
at the wrong time. I've learned from my mistakes. But
the amazing thing is this: I have beaten every single
ticket, whether for improper helmet or no helmet at all.
No fines, no points, no moving violations, no record.

Of course I've developed a system to enable me to ride
free. I have a modified black beanie helmet with a special
sling. This allows me to quickly become compliant while
the ticket risk is high. Otherwise I ride free.

If you have questions or would like to share your similar
experiences, I'd like to hear about it.

PS: The intent of this thread is for riders to share
information about how to beat helmet tickets, whether in
court or on the road. If you want to criticize riders who
choose to ride without helmets, please start another
thread. Thanks!

[jackthesmack]

Is this a joke?

[RoadWarriorService]

Most people find it unbelievable, but it's true. One of these
days I'll have to make a video, perhaps.

As I mentioned in my profile, fighting helmet laws is my
passion. It's what I do.

[jackthesmack]

I'm really curious, how fast do you ride without your helmet? I'm too scared to ride without my helmet because if I go down I'm not getting up, I even put on my helmet when walking my bike.

[RoadWarriorService]

Everything from a dead stop to a decade over the century mark. And the higher the speed the less wind resistance I would suffer on my head and neck. It's like being in an open cockpit Stearman at the air races.

But it's not like I'm fearless or I have a death wish. Quite the opposite. I ride a little scared as much as I can, with or without the helmet. Complacency and excessive risk-taking are what will kill you.

[CaptCrashIdaho]

I guess I'm a little murky on your system--you've recieved 8 tickets and beat them all, meaning you've been to court to fight them (OR use another means to defeat them) but you give no system to beat the court.

Other than that your system is to comply with the law when you feel risk of being ticketed is high...yet you have a foolproof system to beat the ticket so why comply?

I guess I'm missing the secret sauce here...once you have a ticket and you're heading to court--what is your system?

[iptg]

No worth the hassle if you ask me just wear a light weight lid.

[RoadWarriorService]

Nothing about this is foolproof, whether avoiding tickets or beating tickets. And I'm not a lawyer, so don't think for a second that this is legal advice. I'm just saying what I believe works best for me based on my experiences. When it comes to motorcycles and the law, you're on your own.

Avoiding tickets.

Traffic stops are not good. They immediately delay you and potentially cause you to miss work if you fight it in court. You have to ensure you don't have any paperwork problems, like losing your proof of insurance, or else you have a compound ticket (which is harder to beat). The cop could be a bad apple and make things difficult, or even falsely charge you. And you always lose when it's your word against his. If anyone's interested I can tell you - from a former policeman's perspective - what I do and DON'T do when I get pulled over. But that's another thread.

When it comes to avoiding tickets, the system I use is very effective. I can put on my helmet in less than one second. I mounted a couple of small black cabinet knobs on my helmet, right where horns would be. Most people think they're for amusement, like the rubber mohawks some riders wear. But they simply make it easy for me to grab my helmet when I need to put it on in a jiffy. My strap is totally slack, with two D-rings clipped on and able to slide the length of the strap. One D-ring snaps to a grommet in my jacket collar so the helmet hangs against my belly, cabinet knobs at the ready for grabbing. The other D-ring has a large nut hanging from it to give it some weight. When I grab the knob and lift the helmet up, the heavy nut holds the strap down in the open position so it glides right on my head without a hitch. Without the nut the wind would blow the strap up over my head.

Under most conditions I can see a potential cop car long before he can determine whether I've got the bucket on my head. Imagine seeing an oncoming car. You have to determine whether it's a Ford Crown Victoria or other known make/model of cop car. It's not too hard to tell when there's a good chance it is or is not a cop. And you can normally determine this long before he can determine whether you're wearing a black beanie or just a black bandana.

Looking at it another way, you can determine a car's make/model from pretty far away. But imagine there's a large round orange hood ornament on the car, and it's either a pumpkin or a basket ball. You'd have to be a lot closer to know which. That's the sight distance advantage you have.

Fighting tickets

Of the 8 tickets I've gotten, five of them have been for wearing an improper helmet and three have been for not wearing a helmet at all. In every case I was wearing my helmet the moment I was pulled over. In the five 'improper' cases the cop must have been unsure about seeing me without a helmet so he took the more believable route. After all, who would be brazen enough to ride without a helmet? Inconceivable to most, I guess. Tickets for improper helmets are pretty easy to beat because all helmet standards are 'destructive' tests, and there is no way for a cop to reasonably determine whether a helmet meets these standards (especially when the inspection occurs while the rider is more than 10 feet away and moving at 50mph). In Virginia there are lawyers who will represent you in court for free if you ever get an 'improper' ticket. I beat two tickets this way.

As to the rest of the tickets, it's really a combination of luck, bureaucratic incompetence, and limited court resources. My strategy is to simply challenge the ticket in court. In one case the officer didn't show up, so they threw it out. In all other cases (all of which were in DC) the court threw them out rather than assigning me a court date. I guess the $25 fine isn't worth their time. In any event, their official reason was that the officer didn't file the necessary paperwork in time. Right.

But the bottom line is that I try to avoid getting a ticket in the first place, and once I get a ticket I challenge it in court. I hope I never get pulled over again, and that's why I constantly improve my road skills. As to the court challenges, I hope my luck holds out if I get nabbed again. Again, nothing about this system is fool-proof. But for the past 2 years it's worked pretty darned good.

[CaptCrashIdaho]

Just so I'm sure:

1. You ride with a helmet. (it's just not on you head).

2. When Ponch or Jon lights you up you do a switch-a-roo and take your hands off the control surfaces and put on a helmet.

3. If you do get a ticket after all this ridin' and wardrobe changin' you just fight it.

That's a lot of work to 'not' wear a helmet. I'm with itpg, not worth that much hassle, just move the lid from your back to your head and spend the time you save on riding.

[RoadWarriorService]

1. Correct.

2. I don't wait to get lit up if I can help it. But sometimes they are sneaky (not a proper role of government I'd say). Long before that happens (hopefully) I just pop it on my head the instant I see them, or when there's too much going on for me to scan. Like when I'm at busy intersections, merge ramps, etc. It takes as much work as rubbing your eye, and you have to take your hand off the controls for that, don't you?

3. Correct.

... and it's not work at all. Like I said, it takes less than a second with one hand. But the immense pleasure I get from riding for hours on end like a free man (rather than government-owned livestock) is time well spent.

[CaptCrashIdaho]

You're gonna love this: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.f2217bee37fb302f6d7c121046108a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=1e51531b2220b0f8ea14201046108a 0c_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_1e51531b2220b0f8ea14201046108a0c _viewID=detail_view&itemID=da24063bfee9c110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD&pressReleaseYearSelect=2008

Sorry for the long link, but that's the gov for you. I would suggest you not be too worried about state laws, the feds are the ones out to get helmets on every head...

Oddly, they were successful with seatbelts.

[RoadWarriorService]

Fortunately there's considerable risistance at the federal level. And as to the states, that's what the Road Warrior Service is all about. I predict that within 10 years most helmet laws will be history.

[happymiles4me]

I am with jackthesmack. This has to be a joke. I cannot believe anyone would go to all the trouble to make a dummy helmet that sounds like something out of a Buck Rogersshow. I cannot believe that it would fool even a rookie officer when he saw it. I think most officers do not stop people for just failing to wear a helmet although in my state there is no helmet law. I still wear one. I went down once years ago and was glad I had it on as the helmet was pretty messed up. That damage would have occurred to my head without it. To each his own.

[RoadWarriorService]

Totally true. I guess I have to make a video.

[CaptCrashIdaho]

Just so ya know, I would respect your opinions and beliefs more IF you were really willing to stand up and fight. No offense intended but blustering about how you're fighting against helmet laws when what you're doing is just skirting them is a little...well, like saying the Vichy French were fighting the Nazis.

Dude, ditch the faux lid, take the ticket, fight it to the Supreme Court. THAT I'd respect a lot more. Hell, I'm a helmet guy but I'd throw 10 bucks at the cause out of respect.

If you look at what Sec. Mary Parker says in her press releases over the last couple of years it is pretty clear motorcycles are on her hit list for some kind of 'life saving' political action. Remember, you don't necessarily need Congress, sometimes you just need an "administrative action" to put the squeeze on things.

[RoadWarriorService]

I do more effective work to defeat the helmet law than you imagine. I won't post my lenghthy resume here. That's another thread ... a very long one. Instead check out my website (www.RoadWarriorService.com) and then feel free to throw stones.

[CaptCrashIdaho]

Nice site. Looks like you've got a shot in Maryland. I meant no offense but clearly your system is...comply. Which is fine because from your website your group isn't based on civil disobedience but targeted political action which is a good way to go. I would offer that with the influx of middleaged professionals into motorcycling (according to the motorcycle mags the average Harley purchase is made by a 47 year old male) if you can tap that fundraising/skillset you should be able to get something out of commitee and onto the floor.

I know this is a bit of a threadjack but do you have legislation written and a sponsor yet?

[RoadWarriorService]

We used the basic Road Warrior "sign blitz" process in Virginia last year and defeated one biker-hating state senator, replacing her with a former state representative that has always been pro-biker. Victory is sweet. This year Oregon bikers are giving it a try, and we're trying to expand into Maryland and California. But bikers are so used to doing it the same old way with the same old results, it's hard for them to comprehend its simplicity. Plus they're often mired in bureaucratic BS and can't bring themselves to jettison things that don't work.

When it comes to writing legislation, we believe in leaving that to the bill sponsor (a "patron" in Virginia). Usually an ABATE-type organization will bicker about what the bill should say and not say. Lots of infighting. But we only want some form of adult choice, period. We'll let the patron decide what conditions are needed in the bill in order for it to pass. (And if getting it out of committee is impossible, committee members become top-priority targets.)

On the house side we have a couple of reps that are happy to patron bills for us. Unfortunately we have competing motorcycle organizations in Virginia, and some do far more harm than good. Everybody wants to be in charge, though some are tenaciously incompetent and drive normal people away.

The senate is virgin territory, not having seen a repeal bill in many years. But a penalty reduction bill made it to a full vote in the senate last year, so now we know who our friends and enemies are. If you get a chance, check out the difference in the 2007 and 2008 senate maps in our News Blog (on the home page at www.RoadWarriorService.com).

We aren't remotely like typical bikers rights organizations, which are usually bogged down by meetings, paperwork, roberts rules, treasury reports, newsletters, membership dues, etc. But any ABATE could actually use us as weapons in their helmet law fight. We just need three simple things to be effective in any state:
- One person to pick the most vulnerable districts (Target Planner), ideally an ABATE legislative officer or their lobbyist
- One person to coordinate with the local campaign, pick up yard signs, and direct traffic (Anchor Man). This is the toughest job and therefore the most vulnerable part of the process
- No more than a dozen volunteers who show up at the Anchor Man's house on a given Saturday to deliver yard signs. Biker boots on the ground, baby!

It's a pretty simple system. It requires the least amount of time and manpower, and yet has the greatest effect on election outcomes.

[cjren]

you could just tell them your head got too hot and they'd probly let you off if you told them you would put it back on

[philkop]

hmm il still go with a helmet

[IBWicked]

Besides the obvious reasons for wearing a helmet and the request to post another thread for the no helmet wearing haters, which I'll respect, there is no way to beat a no helmet ticket in CA. Watched people try, even saw a guy get a ticket riding on private property without a helmet (not sure how that one turned out). But CA is just anal about everything...

Also, it just seems to go without saying that a helmet does more then keeping your brain in your head. Like warmth, lowering noise, wind in the eyes, oh yeah, and the bugs, nothing says I'm cool like splattered bug parts in your grill...

Just my two cents...

[sportbikegirl]

If Im out on the highway I'll wear my helmet (bugs hurt), but if I'm just cruising around town or out at the lake I usually dont wear one. I am an informed rider, I am also a Registered Nurse that works the ER. My philosophy is this: If I'm over 18, pay my insurance, taxes, etc... then I believe its up to me whether I want my brain protected or not. I think it should be a matter of personal choice.

[Icewatch]

I admire your conviction in not wanting to wear a helmet and the lengths you seem to go to in avoiding the repercussions when you get caught with out it. However, I believe in helmets and keeping my ugly mug unmodified by road rash. There was a picture I saw so many years ago with a man missing his lower jaw and tongue hanging down. It was sick and quite disturbing. Because of that I'm helmets all the way. GL

[CaptCrashIdaho]

Just realized the election happened--what was the outcome in Oregon?

[twinstar80]

When it comes to avoiding tickets, the system I use is very effective. I can put on my helmet in less than one second. I mounted a couple of small black cabinet knobs on my helmet, right where horns would be. Most people think they're for amusement, like the rubber mohawks some riders wear. But they simply make it easy for me to grab my helmet when I need to put it on in a jiffy. My strap is totally slack, with two D-rings clipped on and able to slide the length of the strap. One D-ring snaps to a grommet in my jacket collar so the helmet hangs against my belly, cabinet knobs at the ready for grabbing. The other D-ring has a large nut hanging from it to give it some weight. When I grab the knob and lift the helmet up, the heavy nut holds the strap down in the open position so it glides right on my head without a hitch. Without the nut the wind would blow the strap up over my head.

Am I the only one smelling a Rube Goldberg winner!!

http://www.rubegoldberg.com/

[IBWicked]

If Im out on the highway I'll wear my helmet (bugs hurt), but if I'm just cruising around town or out at the lake I usually dont wear one. I am an informed rider, I am also a Registered Nurse that works the ER. My philosophy is this: If I'm over 18, pay my insurance, taxes, etc... then I believe its up to me whether I want my brain protected or not. I think it should be a matter of personal choice.

Yeah, my buddy felt it was his God given right to choose wheather or not to wear his seatbelt in his convertible. When he rolled it, I wouldn't say that it left us with pride knowing that he died unrestricted. I think people forget the impact their departure has on those around them. And I would think that as an ER nurse, you've seen enough head injuries to motivate you to wear a helmet all the time. Not that I'm snapping at you, just the whole death of a buddy thing cause he was too stubborn to belt up (and people who are opposed to protection cause it ain't cool or comfortable)... Sorry, venting, back to work...

[Archangel]

Ya to each his own no matter how hard you try some times you will get caught and some times you will not.

It is much much harder to guess when you will need your helmet on your head to keep your brains on the inside from spatering to the outside.
Other question is while you are wreaking your bike can you have time to much less think to put it on your head and should you let go of the handlebars to do so even it you could in the middle of a wreak ?? inquiring minds want to know!

But I do agree if you do have a death wish you should be allowed to do with out your helmet if you want.
What ever happened to free America home of the free and the brave.
If I want to be Brave ie (stupid) I should be allowed to be just that, as long as I don't kill some one else being stupid I mean Brave.

Sorry!, but I could not help my self I tend to think out loud.
Good thing we still have limited free speech or I would be in trouble.

[jaybyrd1979]

to be honest with ya the seat belt deal is a lil different from the helmet thing, it has actually been proven that not wearing a seat belt has saved a few lives cuz if they had been wearing them it wouldve killed them, like a wreck a friend of mine had in her truck, a big rig jack knifed in front of her and she ran under the trailer, she was able to duck and roll over in the seat and the top of the truck was cut off from the rigs trailer, now if she had been wearing her seat belt she never wouldve gotten out of the way far enough or quick enough so i honestly think it was a good thing she wasnt wearing it that time. but i dont think i have ever heard anyone say "boy if he hadnt had that helmet on he might have survived that wreck" just my thoughts

[Archangel]

How true.

[MattInFla]

to be honest with ya the seat belt deal is a lil different from the helmet thing, it has actually been proven that not wearing a seat belt has saved a few lives cuz if they had been wearing them it wouldve killed them, like a wreck a friend of mine had in her truck, a big rig jack knifed in front of her and she ran under the trailer, she was able to duck and roll over in the seat and the top of the truck was cut off from the rigs trailer, now if she had been wearing her seat belt she never wouldve gotten out of the way far enough or quick enough so i honestly think it was a good thing she wasnt wearing it that time. but i dont think i have ever heard anyone say "boy if he hadnt had that helmet on he might have survived that wreck" just my thoughts

Perhaps 1 in 100,000 collisions. Maybe.

In 15+ years working as a paramedic in a high-volume system, I don't think I ever saw a single auto accident patient who was better off not wearing a seatbelt. I've never known another EMS provider who has seen one, either.

As for helmets, well, it seems the really simple way to beat a helmet ticket is to wear a helmet where required by law.

As for the whole beanie / sling / widget rig, I think you're just begging for an officer to pass on the helmet ticket in favor of a more expensive ticket for failure to devote full time and attention, or even reckless operation.

But hey, whatever floats one's boat.

Matt

[SHTF Rat]

I live in a state that does not require helmets. 90%+ of the riders I see on the road are without helmet.

Today I got my first bike... I started to ride to get the hang of it and while going up and down my street, I realized I had no helmet on.. Even at my top speed of 20mph, I suddenly became concerned for my skull, so I went in the house and got my helmet and on my head it'll be every time I ride.

I don't care if I am free to not wear it, I want my skull intact if anything happens, and considering that I am a new rider, I think it would be stupid of me to not wear it.

[Archangel]

I just had my first crash GLAD I HAD MY HELMET ON
I know I didn't have time to try to slip it on during the crash.

[jackthesmack]

I have not had my head hit the pavement in the 1.5 years of riding with a helmet. I do not regret spending over $400 in helmets so far though.

I cannot imagine riding at 150mph though without a helmet though. My lips would have been whipped around my ears.

[stoopidsteve87]

To the original poster - bro, i've gotta say, this is a bit stupid. I will side with you on the fact that wearing a helmet should be up to the individual. But not wearing a helmet and trying to get around it by doing this swap? That's stupid. Seriously. I mean, make all the excuses you want, but if you simply wore your helmet, you'd have no worries about avoiding a ticket, you wouldn't have to watch for cops so that you can switch, thereby devoting more attention to actually riding and watching everything around you, and yeah, it just sounds absurd. And the fact that you admit to riding at excessive speeds, and without a helmet, while almost bragging about your whole no helmet thing, wow. Ignorance apparently really is bliss. I just hope you don't have to learn your lesson from smacking your head on the asphalt and ending up six feet under.

As for the seatbelt comments that have come up...Yes, obviously in that one story, the girl was fortunate and probably saved by not wearing one. But that is EXTREMELY rare. That's seriously not enough of a case to not wear one, so I hope that you, your friends, and even her don't use that as reasoning. Next time she won't likely be as fortunate. Yes, seatbelts do occasionally cause additional injuries (bruises, banged up a little bit, broken collar bone even), but without them? The odds aren't in your favor, or even close.

Though not quite as bad as the odds of surviving a high speed motorcycle accident without a helmet.

For the girl who works the ER, I agree with whoever responded about it, but I would think that maybe you've seen a few people come from motorcycle accidents and would be scared into wearing a helmet at all times. I know a guy that graduated a year or so back, he was back on campus recently, talking to me and some buddies. The motorcycle topic came up, said he used to have a sports bike, and did the typical hot-headed mess and tried to show off and act a fool. Now that he's working in a hospital, and has seen numerous people come in badly injured, dying, or dead from motorcycle accidents, he'll never ride again.

So maybe it should be an matter of choice. But when you're dead, don't...wait, you'll be dead so you won't be able to say anything.

[Badlands-4-2]

Heck I even wear a helmet when I am on my mountain (pedal) bike. I only have one life. To live it to its fullest, I have to keep on livin'.

[RoadWarriorService]

Nothing wrong with that!

[wawadave]

i loved rideing before helmet laws. Then enjoyed rideing through places you did not need them. Be nice if you had a right to a choice i would chose no in most cases.

[SockNinja]

I'm shopping around for my first helmet (because I want one, not just because of the law), and I'm making sure to get one with face protection. A friend told me of a freak story where a biker on an interstate just died and fell off his bike. When the paramedics got to him, they couldn't tell why he'd died besides a trickle of blood from the one of his eyes. After an autopsy, it was found that a bee had hit the corner of his eye and slid past it into the brain killing him instantly. Yeah, law or no law, I'll be wearing a helmet.

[wawadave]

now there is yet another urban myth!

[Archangel]

Maybe but It could be very possible, the eye is a very soft and easy access spot to the brain and at a high rate of speed bugs hurt like crap they leave quite a bruise on impact.
I was stung by a large bumble bee that hit me very hard and it left my right side of my face dead for around a hour and I am not allergic to bees.
If a person was allergic to them and they just stung you in the eye to poison would find the brain very quickly and who knows what could happen.
And Ya I ware a full face helmet as well, and would ware it even if for no other reason than to avoid a mouth or face full of bugs.

[SockNinja]

Ok, how about this one for a more beleivable story: a different friend of mine owns a motorcycle. A few years ago, he was in a high speed crash. I don't remember the circumstances of the crash, but I do remember that he slid for about 20 feet facedown across the pavement. His leather jacket was destroyed and the face sheild on his 3/4 helmet was almost completely worn through, but he was unhurt. Again, I choose to wear a helmet.

[Toolman44092]

Back to the original poster. You have every right to fight the fight of your choosing. That's why I was a Marine - to preserve our right to do that. I don't agree with you, but who cares? I don't have to. I have the same right as you.

Your don't seem to have any kind of practical system for avoiding tickets, and beating the tickets you did get has been through various bureaucratic complications that had nothing to do with the actual violation.

On another note, put your bike in an upright rack in your garage - you know, the kind mechanics use to keep it standing straight up. Sit on it without your helmet. Now fall off to one side and hit the floor square on your side - ribs, arms, shoulder all at once. Tell me if you can keep your melon from smacking the garage floor. It sounds like you can, right? Try it. Remember, this is at 0 MPH.

Mandatory helmet laws may be a hassle and all that, but you're missing another angle. Everything revolves around money, right? Say you're cruising down the street and some idiot pulls out in front of you. They didn't mean to - they just didn't see you (sound familiar?) You hit the front fender and get launched. Your unhelmeted dome bounces off the street - dead. Let's just say for this example that your dome WITH a helmet is fine. You get up, pissed off, and go about getting your bike fixed. That's the difference between some insurance company paying out a few thousand bucks and a few million - all for the same failure to yield violation by the idiot in the car. This is one reason that helmet and seat belt laws get life.

It's your life. You get one. Do with it as you choose, bro.

[wawadave]

nother scenario you get launched just like above post but you slide forward into traffic car runs over your lower legs and your head snapping your neck killing you. but guess what you have a pretty face yet for the funeral sparing many mourners feelings....

[Gooble]

This post is ridiculous. So you developed a sling with a helmet on it and have gone to court 8 times to fight helmet law tickets?

Sounds like a great use of time. Apparently your time doesn't have much value to you.

[Jay550]

Personally I choose to wear a helmet. Not because I'm about protecting my head, if something happens my body is going to get mangled pretty bad. It's either bumper to bumper or flying at 80mph in the slow lane. It's more so for when moving my eyes don't start to tear up, I hate the wind in my face like that. I wear a full wrap around with shield. When stopped I'll put the shield up, enjoy some air, but once i'm moving beyond 20mph, I can't stand it.

I think it's your right, yes. However, you taking that right and potentially costing a company millions isn't right. If it were up to me, which it's not, there would be a waiver for insurance, or a clause written into the policy, stating if you are not wearing a helmet, they are not responsible for your death in the event of an accident. They made you aware, but the choice would be yours.

[PassioneDucati]

I'll take the helmet, thanks. I'd never ride without one and I wouldn't want to go through all that legal trouble to get away with it even if I did.

[Goliath616]

How to Beat Helmet Tickets

WEAR A HELMET, if you live in a state that does not require them, then you have nothing to beat

[captainhowdy]

yeah seriously i didn't think a helmet was that big of a deal. i don't mind, and if it's got a motor, it's probably worth wearing a helmet, and if you still don't want to, at least in Texas I know you can get an endorsement to ride without a helmet.

[hwy505idtu]

This is hysterical - well I must say you were fortunate in your "eight cases" - in all the years on a motor with the NYPD I never lost any helmet case - from the non-wearer, to the guy with the Viking Horns, to the guy with the novelty non-Snell and DOT approved helmet, to the guy trying to do a switch.
BTW - it's less about sneakiness of a government agency than it is on someone trying to shortcut a law implemented by politicians who were voted into office by their constituents.

Just remember and understand the definition of Prima Fascia.

However good luck - especially when that 18-wheeler kicks up a pebble - into the old cranium.

[wutzcrack3n]

why would you want to try and beat a helmet ticket, either wear one or dont. i understand its a matter of personal chioce but if you are in a state that requires one, why not just wear one. its sounds too much of a hassle everytime you get stopped then you have to make a day of it to go to court and try to fight it, and possibly lose your case and add to the fines. just wear one, not like its gonna kill you (pun intended)

[minemich]

Why dont u just wear a helmet. You wont be such a freedom fighter with no skull... No offence but this is probably the dumbest topic ive ever read..

[Gooble]

Why dont u just wear a helmet. You wont be such a freedom fighter with no skull...

Put Simply: Because he's an idiot.

[Sapper81]

I saw a picture of a full face helmet embedded in the grill of an 18 wheeler. I have a feeling no helmet in the world would save you from that.

[minemich]

I saw a picture of a full face helmet embedded in the grill of an 18 wheeler. I have a feeling no helmet in the world would save you from that.

Oh, so ur saying a bare skull would stand up better?? Not denying **** happens, in which case no helmet will save you. Either from bad luck, or your own fault stuff will happen, but im sure with a helmet you have a better chance of survival.

[jemdesigns]

... and it's not work at all. Like I said, it takes less than a second with one hand. But the immense pleasure I get from riding for hours on end like a free man (rather than government-owned livestock) is time well spent.

Ok number one you ARE government live stock you pay taxes you own or rent a house you bought a bike from guess what a company and paid taxes and insurance on it. The only way you are not government owned livestock would be if your a hippie making your own gas living off the grid growing your own food raising cattle for fertilizer and showering in a river. This post is a joke you stated you put it on in low visual areas what afraid to get pulled over for NOT wearing a helmet, but you said you enjoy fighting the tickets STOP COMPLAINING! Another thing you say it takes less than a second to put on well guess what It takes the same length of time to scoop your melon off the road with their cool snow shovel. Tools like you wasting other peoples time reading this garbage when over 90% of the people here are saying SUCK IT UP and wear it.. oh but I wanna be a rebel and not then ask for ideas to get out of it here's an idea move to an area where there isn't a helmet law then with the money you have saved from not getting tickets buy a car to get to the areas that have helmet laws and voila no more tickets and no more problems.

[RoadWarriorService]

Ok number one you ARE government live stock you pay taxes you own or rent a house you bought a bike from guess what a company and paid taxes and insurance on it. The only way you are not government owned livestock would be if your a hippie making your own gas living off the grid growing your own food raising cattle for fertilizer and showering in a river. This post is a joke you stated you put it on in low visual areas what afraid to get pulled over for NOT wearing a helmet, but you said you enjoy fighting the tickets STOP COMPLAINING! Another thing you say it takes less than a second to put on well guess what It takes the same length of time to scoop your melon off the road with their cool snow shovel. Tools like you wasting other peoples time reading this garbage when over 90% of the people here are saying SUCK IT UP and wear it.. oh but I wanna be a rebel and not then ask for ideas to get out of it here's an idea move to an area where there isn't a helmet law then with the money you have saved from not getting tickets buy a car to get to the areas that have helmet laws and voila no more tickets and no more problems.


Pretty funny rant. Thanks for the laugh.

[jemdesigns]

Any time you want some common sense thrown back, hey I'll be there for ya. Too bad there aren't exaggeration marks or my last post would be covered with 'em, did seem like a horrible rant now that I look back on it. lol eh at least you took a second to smile my jobs done.

[MagikMan74]

I understand the "cause". I agree that everyone should have their own right as to whether they chose to wear or not to wear a helmet. I mean it's your life after all. As far as the insurance company having to pay, then the lack of helmet should void them of their responsibility of such. It's not like they don't have a million other loop holes they use everyday.

However, I have to agree with the posts about the bugs. Florida is a no helmet law state... Ever been down there during lady bug season?

[kcfanxiii]

helmet laws suck. i personally where a DOT about 90% of the time. a brain bucket the other 10%. here in MO, if you got something hard on your head, you need not worry, and my brain bucket is less than 5 lbs. when in a state with no helmet laws a use about 40 mph as a line between wearing and not. if i'm below 40 mph, i'll go without. if i'm going to be going faster than 40 mph, i put one on. you see, the laws suck, cause it takes the choice away. sure my choice would be to wear a helmet most of the time, but it should be my choice. not a law.

[Sapper81]

Oh, so ur saying a bare skull would stand up better?? Not denying **** happens, in which case no helmet will save you. Either from bad luck, or your own fault stuff will happen, but im sure with a helmet you have a better chance of survival.

Eh, I'm just saying a helmet won't save you from a major crash. I've already bounced my head off the ground, glad I had a helmet on.

[hwy505idtu]

Eh, I'm just saying a helmet won't save you from a major crash. I've already bounced my head off the ground, glad I had a helmet on.

Sorry - I have investigated "Major Crashes" whereas a helemet wasn't worn it was surely a fatal accident. Why not give yourself a chance? I have seen "lay downs" where the operator wasn't wearing a helmet and scraped his head across the ground causing his skin to deglove from the skull - an accident where at worst he would have been treated for burns due to the road rash, instead he was buried. We calculated his speed around 33 mph.

[Archangel]

I will wear my helmet every time I ride if you want you do the switcher roo on the fly, :eek: my chances for life are at least 40% better than yours:D

yes it is your choice as it is mine, but I like my odds better than yours.:)

[minemich]

I will wear my helmet every time I ride if you want you do the switcher roo on the fly, :eek: my chances for life are at least 40% better than yours:D

yes it is your choice as it is mine, but I like my odds better than yours.:)

+1

[daw840]

helmet laws suck. i personally where a DOT about 90% of the time. a brain bucket the other 10%. here in MO, if you got something hard on your head, you need not worry, and my brain bucket is less than 5 lbs. when in a state with no helmet laws a use about 40 mph as a line between wearing and not. if i'm below 40 mph, i'll go without. if i'm going to be going faster than 40 mph, i put one on. you see, the laws suck, cause it takes the choice away. sure my choice would be to wear a helmet most of the time, but it should be my choice. not a law.

When I was 17 years old I fractured my skull and almost died because I was standing still on a pair of rollerblades and slipped. I hit my head on a curb and spent the next week in hospital, and the next 6 months in a dark room at my house not being able to walk because of the insane migraines. That, and about $250,000 in medical bills and a partially numb left hand. If I had been wearing a helmet that wouldn't have happened.

[MikieTaps]

wow.... that is crazy...

[black27696]

This feels like a plug for a website. Just saying...

Also, helmet and seatbelt laws exist basically to keep prices down. That's not what they say, of course, but the fact is the more skulls get cracked the higher our insurance will be. In the interest of keeping prices down, and because I feel like my head is worth saving, I will wear my helmet. If you don't value your brain as much as I value mine, ride without one.

[Little-Westy]

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion on helmets and personally I think that everyone should wear them, but not necessarily to have a law to make sure everyone wheres them, I would never go out on my bike without a helmet on, but then I've had some bad experiences. If you want to know why you should wear one then you should see my old helmet or whats left of it. It's your choice whether you wear one or not but I consider it essential wear, especially if you see what happens to some people that don't wear helmets.

poetry.rotten.com/all-kings-horses/0005/

[MaineHDRyder]

"Let those who ride Decide" -- that being said I usually don't wear one unless I know I'm going multi-state riding and I FIRMLY believe that any passenger under the age of 18-here in Maine its 13- should have one on. I don't like letting "Big Brother" rule my life either but I want to have a life so I can bitch about BB. Just my 2 cents worth.

[EatSomeIron]

Eh, I'm just saying a helmet won't save you from a major crash. I've already bounced my head off the ground, glad I had a helmet on.


This article details the controversy between SNELL and DOT approved helmets.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

I think that this article has one interesting part (might have been a different study, but this is still informative) that any accident that would be at too high of an impact for a helmet to help would cause death regardless of head injury.
In other words, if you are in a major crash, regardless of helmet/head injury the trauma to your body would cause death.

[daw840]

This article details the controversy between SNELL and DOT approved helmets.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

I think that this article has one interesting part (might have been a different study, but this is still informative) that any accident that would be at too high of an impact for a helmet to help would cause death regardless of head injury.
In other words, if you are in a major crash, regardless of helmet/head injury the trauma to your body would cause death.

While this is an interesting article, what exactly is your point in a discussion of whether or not helmets are effective?

Not trying to be argumentative, just a question.

[EatSomeIron]

in response to

"Originally Posted by Sapper81
Eh, I'm just saying a helmet won't save you from a major crash. I've already bounced my head off the ground, glad I had a helmet on."

Just saying that mostly the only the time you would die with a helmet, injuries to the rest of your body are so catastrophic that you would die from those regardless.

Helmets are effective. If you are concerned with safety, not just with your driving but your safety, than you should wear one. Other drivers rear-ending you at a stop light are outside of your control, but a helmet isnt.

[newbieking]

I agree helmet laws suck. There should be no helmet laws simply because everyone should be smart enough to CHOOSE to wear a helmet when riding. The helmet law is there for the very same reason most other laws are on the books: to make stupid people do the right thing.

[InfiniteMiles]

Just wear a helmet. You can beat tickets but it's hard to beat a 50MPH head first collision with concrete.

Or as on the cover of my favorite game a "110MPH smack to the face."

[Ramazith]

A helmet with knobs and a big heavy nut on it snapped to a jacket and slung over your belly is a lot more uncomfortable and cumbersome than just wearing a regular helmet normally. All this putting it on, taking it off and scanning for the cops is a lot more distracting and freedom limiting than just wearing the helmet. This system of yours has you more of a government livestock than the law itself does. You're not getting out of their cage. You've built a smaller one for yourself.

And it's not just about your right. Behavior like this raises my insurance rates. When a no helmet rider wrecks out and receives more damage to themselves than they would have if they wore a helmet and the insurance company has to pay out more money because of it, that raises my rates. Get your hand outta my pocket. You have no right to put it there. How about that? How about you respect me and my rights? What makes you think you have a right to make me and every other insured motorist pay more money just so you can 'ride free'?

[capnfred]

wow, some interesting reading, for the new guy looking for a helmet, make sure that the dome doily you buy is SNELL approved. They are the only ones that are worth a hoot. I will not say one way or the other whether or not the guys against helmets are right or wrong, I will just say that I love to ride naked, (no helmet, no protective gear what soever, but 99 % of the time I am fully dressed, helmet, gloves, armored jacket, chaps, and motorcycle boots. Just remember that every single cager is trying to kill you, so drive like your invisible and driving on ice.... plan ahead, think ahead, look for escapes, do what ifs...remember that they call them accidents because they are not planned..... and they happen in a millisecond, one second your riding along, and the next second, someone pulls in front of you, someone cuts you off, you have a blowout, a bug hits you in the eye, etc etc..... so live to ride, but ride to live.... I have been riding for 40 plus years, and hope for 20 more.... (61 y/o). A last thought, I applaud those who fight for rights,,, God bless America and the freedoms we enjoy...

Retired Navy SCPO

Capn

[elader]

Personally I like Gary Busey more since he turned his brains in to mashed potatoes.

I say ride without a helmet, but sign a waiver that says the state won't have to pay a nickle for your medical bills.