3 thoughts on “Episode 162: Prophylactic Electronics”

1. Guys, while I appreciate your opinions regarding helmet laws, have you ever considered the cost to society which preventable head injuries cost us all ? Dont just focus on head trama fatalities, but how about those that survive and require medical attention and rehabilitative care for many years after the accident. Helmet laws are not just for the individual, but for all of us.

2. Brad,

   I full agree that these costs have to be factored in, but I think what bothers me is that even though we don’t (officially) have a fully socialized medical care system here in the USA, more and more people are assuming that the government is the entity that should and must pick up the slack where private and insurance funds run out.

   Personally, I don’t want to pay for Ricky Racer when he slams his helmetless head into the side of a truck at 80 doing a wheelie with his girlfriend on the back. If the government is going to pay the slack, then tell me that I have to pay for it and conduct myself a certain way, well… I have an issue with that. If that sort of after-trauma care is to be paid for public funding, then my routine coverage and non-trauma care should be as well. And when that happens, and I don’t have to give a rather huge percentage of my pay each week to a private insurance company, then I’ll happily cheer for helmet laws and everything else.

   Right now it just feels like a helmet law is low hanging fruit and one more checkbox on the road to civil conformity that, in my humble opinion, shouldn’t ever be mandated. The federal government should protect our borders, define our nation’s overarching structure and currency, and let the states do their thing. As long as I have to insure, license, register and maintain my vehicle’s and my status according to STATE rules, the fed has no place getting involved.

   $.02 / IMHO

3. You talk about helmet laws, and I have to tell you right up front I am NOT a supporter….but let me explain why.

   First let me say that I would never ride without a helmet, and I try to be as “geared” up as I can because I appreciate the *safety issues* involved in riding….and that is the point. I believe that helmets save lives, but people need to understand the safety aspect and not just wear them because they are told, because there are PLENTY of other things you can do in terms of gear and how you ride that will get you killed, irrespective of whether you wear your helmet or not, so it would be MUCH more valuable to a rider if they appreciated the safety issues because they would then use a helmet, and do MANY MORE things with respect to gear and perhaps even more importantly with their riding style.

   The other thing…….I think we all know people in a “must wear” helmet state that comply by finding the smallest, least significant beanie helmet that offers very little protection. While this complies with the law, it does little to protect them…..had they instead been sensitized / educated on safety. and if they have half a brain, they would more intelligently choose their headgear and probably alter their riding aggression. Safety and protection is a multi-faceted issue that isn’t solved by wearing a minimalist-DOT approved beanie alone, and making people feel GOOD by passing legislation is just that…..a feel good measure that doesn’t address the problem.

   In general, I am quite libertarian and am NOT in favor of being lead by the nose and told how best to live my life in the name of protecting me or everybody else…..and I don’t care if I already wear a helmet and the law would not change my life…..but this sort of nanny state thinking will mean some further regulation to protect me on some other area of life that I might not be so happy to be forced into. (pick your favorite poison / passion and imagine the do-good majority telling you it makes you fat or keeps you less than perfectly mentally sharp, and their banning it is meant to protect you from yourself……it is a slippery slope)

   If you must spend public money, I would much prefer education on safety and rider protection.

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