I live in Michigan, a state which, up until April 12, has had a helmet law for Motorcyclist since I can remember. I can't rightly say when it was enacted I just know for sure it has been that way for as long as I have been alive. If you're riding a motorcycle you have to wear a helmet, that was the law. Well they changed it April 12, 2012, now if they have had their motorcycle license for more than two years, and have extra insurance they don't have to wear one.
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| This one is from BMW |
Why did they change it, because the bikers have been whining about it for years and apparently if affects tourism of bikers in our state. Their biggest argument? "It should be our RIGHT to choose whether or not to wear a helmet." To me that is just a childish statement. OK if we are going to go there, it should be my RIGHT to choose to wear my seatbelt(it is not, it's a law, I have to wear it...which I don't mind at all), it should be my RIGHT to choose to carry a concealed weapon, it should be my RIGHT to choose whether or not to stop at a red light, it should be my RIGHT to choose whether or not you can smoke a cigarette, it should be my RIGHT to choose whether or not to drive on the right side of the road. See what I'm getting at here? It's no more a RIGHT than any of these other things it was there to make us all safer. It's pure stupidity to not wear one, I don't care if you like the wind in your hair, I don't care if some doctor said, your buddy who miraculously lived through a motorcycle accident, would have died if he had on a helmet.
I own a horse, I ride in a helmet EVERY SINGLE time. Did I used to? NO! But I've seen what can happen, my horse has a limit to how fast he can go, and it's a lot slower than most motorcycles. You might argue that horses are unpredictable and a motorcycle is a machine that you control. OK, I can see that, but how many motorcycle accidents happen because the rider is IN CONTROL? Probably only those caused by other drivers. The simplest of road conditions can cause you to lose control of your bike. I've ridden motorcycles, I know. I have lots of friends who ride, I love them just the same and my non-motorcycle riding friends to me there is no difference, but when they start whining about their RIGHT to choose about whether or not to wear a helmet, I just have to walk away. You want to act like children, go ahead, but I'm not going to get in that pissin' match. The law is passed at this point, there's no changing it now, but I'm still seeing the argument about it being their right to choose, and I still have to wear my seatbelt, have a CCW permit, stop at a red light, walk through your smoke to get into the building, and drive on the right side of the road. There have been 6 deaths of helmetless riders since the law passed, would they have died if they were wearing a helmet? Maybe. I hope it's worth it to the bikers and the tourists.
