Motorcyclist Hit by UPS Truck: $3.4 Million

Packmule

Well-Known Member
Not in Georgia or the surrounding states.
Never heard of it either.

Most states do not allow splitting the lane (California does).
Some states do not allow two bikes side by side in a lane (unless you are a policeman, of course).
I Was told by a law enforcement officer relative of mine, up here in northern country, summer bikers crowd the center line trying to stay off the leftover wintertime sand closer to the shoulder.
And some crowd it pretty hard.
Any way you look at it a guy has to weigh the risks verses the fun. That's why I bought the family boat. Way easier to control the safety issue!
 

Indecisi0n

Well-Known Member
Any way you look at it a guy has to weigh the risks verses the fun. That's why I bought the family boat. Way easier to control the safety issue!

Agree 100%. I went years without a bike because of the risks involved but for what? To live a "boring" super safe life? Enjoy life while its here because you only get one. Ride on!
 

Packmule

Well-Known Member
Spending time at the lake with the kids and grandkids is hardly boring to me. And when my daughter-in-law's dad got killed on a bike a few years back, cured me of any cravings for bikes.
 

Limper

Out For Delivery
Life may be dangerous and by no means do I advocate bubble wrapping ourselves but only an idiot would ride a motorcycle without wearing a helmet.

That's only an opinion.

Whether I smoke, consume trans-fat, drink a fifth of
Jack everyday, or skip my vegetables, it's MY business.

When I'm on my Harley, I wear a helmet. It's MY choice. If a fellow rider doesn't wear one, ITS HIS
BUSINESS.

Keep government out of my life.
 

Packmule

Well-Known Member
I Look at it this way. One driver accidentally pulls out in front of a motorcyclist not wearing a helmet. Severe injuries result causing death or permanent disability.
Another driver pulls out in front of a vehicle in which all occupants are wearing seatbelts. Zero to very minor injuries occur and insurance fixes everything.
Is driver one any more guilty of negligence than driver two? No. In the end it is the motorcyclist who made a willful choice to take bigger risks that caused them to get hurt or killed.
I'm All for freedom and choice. But with freedom comes personal responsibility. If you're going to take bigger risks you should also assume greater responsibility for any injuries you incur.
Stop expecting everyone else to assume greater responsibility for your choices.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
That's only an opinion.

Whether I smoke, consume trans-fat, drink a fifth of
Jack everyday, or skip my vegetables, it's MY business.

When I'm on my Harley, I wear a helmet. It's MY choice. If a fellow rider doesn't wear one, ITS HIS
BUSINESS.

Keep government out of my life.

As long as I don't have to pay for your choices you can do whatever the hell you want.
 

PhatAzz

Well-Known Member
ATGATT All The Gear, All The Time


Right Barnyard???


gear-funny-motivational-poster.jpg
 

clean hairy

Well-Known Member
Just the opposite here. My wife is the one who insisted we go from an 1100 Honda Shadow to an Ultra Glide Harley. I have a real hard time trying to sneak out for a solo ride. If she hears the scoot start up she comes running. Just today I mentioned that we better do a lot of ridding in the next few years because I don't know if I want to be out there on 2 wheels when I'm in my 70's. She said "we will get a trike then". That works for me.
And in your 80's an adult Hot Wheels Trike would be cool!
 

HEFFERNAN

Huge Member
I always enjoyed riding my Harley Fat Boy without the helmet.
When I had to wear the helmet out of CT, I felt more wind force on it which did make my neck tired.
Also I felt my peripheral vision was impaired as I couldn't always get a great view of my blind side.
I chose to sell the bike because my job was more important than getting hurt and losing more than my job.

To this day, if I went back biking, it would be helmet-less. No question.
 

burrheadd

KING Of GIFS
I always enjoyed riding my Harley Fat Boy without the helmet.
When I had to wear the helmet out of CT, I felt more wind force on it which did make my neck tired.
Also I felt my peripheral vision was impaired as I couldn't always get a great view of my blind side.
I chose to sell the bike because my job was more important than getting hurt and losing more than my job.

To this day, if I went back biking, it would be helmet-less. No question.
ImageUploadedByBrownCafe1426997036.828499.jpg

In The Wind
 

1BROWNWRENCH

Amatuer Malthusian
Not even the professionals are immune to crashing.

Lets not put up the video of Marco Melandri's crash where his helmet comes off. As a 25 year rider, and current, I have to respectfully disagree with Tooner, Heffernan, and Olroad on the helmet position. Look around and you will see fine, just as the company tells you every day.
 

joeboodog

good people drink good beer
That's only an opinion.

Whether I smoke, consume trans-fat, drink a fifth of
Jack everyday, or skip my vegetables, it's MY business.

When I'm on my Harley, I wear a helmet. It's MY choice. If a fellow rider doesn't wear one, ITS HIS
BUSINESS.

Keep government out of my life.
Unfortunately, government is in our life and forces us to pay for people's bad decisions. If you drink a fifth of Jack a day and loose your job, it was your choice but I will pay for it. Personal choice is great if people took responsibility for their actions but we all know most people prove denial isn't just a river in Egypt.
 

1BROWNWRENCH

Amatuer Malthusian
If you think your current helmet is obstructing your vision, you need to go shopping for a new one because your current one sucks or doesn't fit. My biggest problem is people don't see ME! Mostly because their head is up their :censored2:
 

Indecisi0n

Well-Known Member
Common Myths
About Motorcycle Helmets
and Motorcycle Helmet Laws



Myth�Helmets cause neck or spinal cord injuries

Fact�Research has proven this untrue. Five studies reviewed by the GAO all reported a higher incidence of severe neck injuries for unhelmeted riders.45 An Illinois study found that helmets decrease the number of significant spinal injuries.46


Myth�Helmets impair hearing and sight

myths1.gif
Fact��The helmet affects my peripheral vision� and �I can�t hear as well� are two common myths neither of which is supported with scientific data. Normal peripheral vision is between 200� and 220�. Federal safety standards require that helmets provide 210� of vision. Over 90 percent of crashes happen within a range of 160� (with the majority of the remainder occurring in rear-end collisions), so it�s clear that helmets do not affect peripheral vision or contribute to crashes. Hearing is not affected either. Helmets reduce the loudness of noises, but do not affect the rider�s ability to distinguish between sounds. The University of Southern California conducted 900 on-scene, in-depth investigations of motorcycle crash scenes, and could not uncover a single case in which a rider could not detect a critical traffic sound.47 Some studies indicate that helmets are useful in reducing wind noise and protecting hearing.48


Myth�Motorcycle helmet laws are unconstitutional

Fact�The highest courts in more than 25 states have held motorcycle helmet laws to be constitutional. The Massachusetts motorcycle helmet law was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
�From the moment of the injury, society picks the person up off the highway; delivers him to a municipal hospital and municipal doctors; provides him with unemployment compensation if, after recovery, he cannot replace his lost job, and, if the injury causes permanent disability, may assume the responsibility for his and his family�s continued subsistence. We do not understand a state of mind that permits plaintiff to think that only he himself is concerned.�
�Simon v. Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.


Myth�Motorcycle helmets laws violate individual rights.

Fact�All highway safety laws require individuals to act in specific ways: stop at stop signs, yield to pedestrians, etc. However, courts have consistently recognized that helmet laws do not violate the right to privacy and other due process provisions. Nevertheless, the legitimacy of other traffic laws, like driving on the right side of the highway, buckling a safety belt, using a child safety seat, not driving while impaired, and obeying traffic signals is readily accepted, because all motorists recognize that failure to obey these laws results in serious risk to themselves and others. Motorcycle helmet laws are no different.


Myth�Age-specific motorcycle helmet laws are effective

Fact�Statistics tell us that the helmet use rate in states with age-specific helmet laws is usually the same as having no law at all. Currently 23 states have a law requiring helmet use for a specific portion of the population, usually those under 18 years of age. These laws only complicate the law enforcement community�s job, not make it easier. It�s hard to judge a person�s age when he or she is moving.


Myth�States will no longer lose federal funds if motorcycle helmet laws are repealed. This is the time to repeal helmet laws without penalty.

Fact�In attempts to repeal or weaken helmet laws, helmet laws opponents imply that the Federal Government penalized states without motorcycle helmet laws through a loss of highway construction funds until the repeal of Section 153 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) in December 1995. This is not true. From 1992 to 1995, as part of an incentive package for states to pass motorcycle helmet laws covering all riders, Section 153 provided for the transfer of Federal funds from highway construction accounts to highway safety accounts in states not having all-rider helmet laws. The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 repealed this provision.


Myth�Statistics show that fatality rates are lower in states without helmet laws.

Fact�Comparisons should be across years within the same state rather than across states in the same year. This is because states differ significantly on a number of factors, such as weather, length of riding season, population density, urban versus rural roads. The real issue is what happens within a state after a helmet law is adopted or repealed.


Myth�Motorcycles are a small percentage of registered vehicles, thus motorcycle crashes represent a minuscule burden to society.

Fact�Motorcycles are only 2 percent of the registered vehicles nationally, but motorcyclist fatalities are 5 percent of traffic fatalities each year. Motorcyclists account for over 2,100 fatalities and 56,000 injuries.49 The fatality rate per mile traveled for motorcyclists is 16 times that of car occupants, and the injury rate is about 4 times that of car occupants.


http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/safebike/myths.html
 
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