While I don't like "Nanny" laws I have to say that not wearing safety gear is a huge mistake. Wouldn't it be interesting to watch a football game or other contact sport without gear?

Personal freedom is great but how about leaving behind a spouse and or children because "I'll be damned if I'm going to wear gear because" . It's a choice all right in the states that don't require it but IMO a pretty foolish one if you don't.

 

Fact is, the choice to ride without a helmet didn't affect only Bruce. Now he's left a family behind. Luckily he's a wealthy man so his family will be well provided for, but often that is not the case and families end up financially ruined when their provider dies or is severely injured and requires years of medical care. In the latter case this cost is passed onto the taxpayer when the family can't afford to pay so the personal choice to not wear a helmet can affect all of us.

 

Respectfully Twinrider, how is the personal decision to not wear a helmet any different than your personal decision to choose to ride a motorcycle instead of driving a car with seatbelts and airbags. That decision could just as easily be the direct cause of leaving your family behind and causing an additional cost to the taxpayers. Would you want Uncle Sammy making that decision for you? Should there be a law that says everyone has to wear a lifejacket whenever they go swimming? Where does it end?

Just another point of view!!

 

It's called Rugby. And while I wear my helmet in a helmet-free state, I still believe in the option to choose to. It can be strongly argued that just throwing a leg over your motorcycle - geared to the hilt or no gear - is an irresponsible decision that could leave your family to grieve, and financially stranded. Fact is, once they start choosing for you, it just leads to them choosing all of your choices away.

Fatguy.

 

Well, I basically just repeated what Clint55 said.

 

Sure, that can be argued, just like it can be argued that deciding to drive is an irresponsible decision compared to walking because your chance of dying in an accident soars.

It's really a matter of percentages and deciding where to draw the line between safety and personal choice. Those same percentages explain why construction workers are required to wear hard hats on the job or why soldiers and football players are required to wear helmets in action.

Anyhow, it's good that everyone here can exchange perspectives in a meaningful way.

 

Did not mean to turn this into a helmet law discussion.

R.I.P. Bruce.

 

I don't think any disrespect is being shown by having such a discussion in this accident report thread.

Another thread exists where people are paying their respects.

 

my DOT/Snell Shoei full face saved my life in 2002 on a bad wreck at 70mph. hell i even wore a hole on the top side of my steel toe boot.

me personally, its ok not to wear a helmet if you know that you are not going to get into some type of accident that day. the problem is that it is not cool looking to wear a helmet. my wife wanted a different type of helmet. i told her no problem as long as it had the latest snell approval. be carefull

 

Just out of curiosity, why aren't the other riders quoted. If one had to brake hard to miss the accident shouldn't he be an eye witness?
As for what went on we will probably never know. The old man is going to blame the bikers and the bikers are going to blame the old man, it's just the way it goes.
On helmets I'll only add this: I went without wearing one for a long time but then went thru about a month of running on motorcycle accidents. There were probably 8-10 in a month which is more than I usually run in 6 months while working for a local FD. All the accidents were minor and the riders could have walked away except they hit their head. Every one of them had some type of nuerological defecit. Nothing major, as far as I know, but they all had to be transported to the hospital because of the severity of the deficit. It ranged from not knowing their names, to not knowing what happened and constantly asking the same questions even after being given the answer multiple times. I took all those as a sign to start wearing again. That was my choice and I still firmly believe that it should be a riders choice.