I Don't Like Wearing a Helmet

Apparently, throughout Vietnam, the government is running a series of advertisements trying to coerce their citizens into wearing helmets. ...


Here's an example of one such ad...

I discovered these ads on another motorcycle blog, "Twisting Asphalt". I tried to post a comment on that blog in response to something the blogger said, something about not understanding why bikers don't wear helmets. However, his blog requires a captcha to validate the comment, and his blog software produces a broken URL to the captcha image, showing only a red "x".

So, I'm commenting on my blog instead.

The reason why these ads make sense in Vietnam is because ALL injuries are paid by public funds.

In the USA however, the majority of motorcycle injuries are liability cases, in which another party is charged with compensation. If that party doesn't have adequate coverage, then the injured rider's uninsured/underinsured policy kicks in. If the injury is not a liability case, then the injured rider's own health insurance policy pays for it. Very rarely does a motorcycle injury become absorbed by the State.

That's why helmets are a personal freedom issue in the USA.

If you disagree that motorcycle injuries rarely become absorbed by the State, consider that no one has actually quantified this. Proponents of helmet laws have pounded the "public healthcare burden" for years, while never actually proving it. I've yet to see any comprehensive studies on this. Proponents figure it makes sense, and that people are gullible enough to believe it.

ALL bikers agree, however, that a helmet will reduce the severity of an injury, but very few will agree that it will prevent an injury. Many bikers point to evidence that it actually exacerbates neck injuries, which is actually the larger cause of death and permanent disability.

The reason why accidents are on the rise is because a comfort factor has grown with cars and motorcycles. Safer cars, improved technology, airbags, mandatory seatbelts, anti-lock brakes, have all turned bad drivers into comfortable drivers. The same is true with motorcycles. The majority of accidents are caused by drivers and riders either not paying attention, or doing stupid things.

Forcing people to wear a helmet puts a bandaid on a big problem.

If a serial shooter was on the loose, firing at random citizens, do go after the shooter, or do you force everyone to wear bullet-proof vests? My solution is focus on bad drivers and riders.

Eliminate the problem, and we'll all be safer AND freer.


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Post a Comment

  1. I totally agree with u. Wearing helmets or not is a personal freedom issue in the. I think the Vietnam government’s policy is stupid. Once I asked my friends, whom I met on a site named bikerkiss, whether they wore helmets when they rode motorcycle. Most of the answer was no. They said wearing helmets could prevent them from enjoying freedom. And I have the same opinion with them.

  2. Well that seems like an easy fix to elimate the problem, but it's a known fact that because of the size of the motorcycle, often they are not seen. Those accident are hard to avoid to someone that is not looking out for a motorcycle. Why not have an added measure of protection by wearing a helmet?



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