Natasha Quao
Critical Essay
Hum 115:4237
04/26/2017
Helmet Laws Discriminate against Bikers by Stan Daniels
The title of the article is: “Helmet Laws Discriminate against Bikers” and it was written by Stab Daniels. The reports analyze the fairness of the helmet law that has been passed in various states regarding the use of helmets by motorcyclists or bikers within the roads in those respective states. According to the article, the law compels the bikers to always wear a helmet while on the roads for safety purposes because it is considered that they are at a significant risk if they do not have the helmets on. The position of the writer is that the decision of whether or not to have a helmet on should be left for the individual motorcyclist. He argues that one should have the freedom of choosing whether to wear a helmet because of the personal nature of the risk. The helmet law seems to be discriminative to the personal freedom of the bikers because cases of bikes being involved in an accident are
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However, the probability of road accidents occurring is not as high in the case of motorcycles as it is with buses or trucks. The writer is precise and clear in the manner he points out at facts and arguments he presents along for example on the personal nature of bikes usage which he says should be the reason why the decision should be left to individuals to make. The arguments presented in the article are logical, and the writer proves consistently that the helmet law seems to be unfair to the bikers. He uses different facts from statistical percentages of trends of accidents to logical comparisons of different cases such as golfers. The argument in the article can be considered to be complete because it is conclusive in its design and it is fair to the extent of the arguments
The judges considered the effect of the severity of the risk by mentioning Shellharbour City Council v Johnson, which states that where the harm posed by an obvious risk is serious, an unreasonable response to the risk results in a breach of duty of care. It was found that the bollard created a ‘real and significant hazard for cyclists.’ On these factors, the judges found that the respondent’s response to the risk was not reasonable.
The governor of Michigan just signed a law that overturned the state’s long-standing helmet requirement for motorcyclists. Senate Bill 291 overturned the 35 year old safety requirement that was created to protect motorcycle riders from traumatic brain injuries and fatalities in the event of a crash. This decision has sparked national controversy and debates about the costly affects that the repeal will have on the lives of motorists in the state.
Across the United States, every year millions of license drivers choose to ride motorcycles rather than drive automobiles for a variety of reasons; Reasons range from individual pleasure to a much more cost effective way to travel. The universal motorcycle helmet law debate over the past forty years has revolved around whether the federal government should adopt a universal helmet law that mandates all motorcyclists to wear helmets at all times when riding to reduce societies economic cost, or whether the individual rider should have the right to choose rather to wear or not wear a helmet.
In a research report done by Mayrose about the effects of a mandatory motorcycle helmet law on helmet use, he compared the effects of motorcycle fatalities and injury patterns based on helmet usage. Mayrose found that "[the] District of Columbia, which currently has a primary helmet law, 84.0% of fatally injured riders were wearing a helmet" (Mayrose 429). However, helmet use continued to decrease as the laws became laxer across the states. Helmet usage in states with secondary laws decreased to 32.6%, and in states with no helmet laws usage dropped to 17.5%. These statistics are important
Evidence incapable of being resisted proposes that using a motorcycle helmet considerably reduces the rate of head injuries in accidents. In accordance with National Highway Authority approximates, for every 100 people died in a motorcycle accident even as not using a helmet, 37 would have continued to live when they had been using a helmet. In addition, it doesn't even
The lack of doors, roofs, and most importantly seatbelts most people think that there is no way to be safe while riding, but with the correct safety gear such as helmets and leather layers could protect in accidents and falls. In the article “Mid-Life and Motorcycles a Bad Mix for Beginners: Highway Patrol Wants New Approach.” by Matt Bise he states, “So far in 2017 of the 63 killed (at the time of the meeting) two were age 20 or under, the rest were 21 and older; of those, 87 percent were not wearing a helmet or safety gear. Forty-two percent of the crashes involved just the rider” (Bise). Regardless of age it is imperative to wear the proper gear at all times to reduce the chance of a fatal injury. With the gear you are still at risk when falling or getting into an accidental but the gear prevents most the injury and can keep most of the impact.
Helmet laws throughout the United States are very wide spread. Some sates either have minimal laws on helmets, some are on hundred percent pro helmet and others have no restrictions at all when it comes to wearing a helmet on your motorcycle. Ever notice on how we are made. We have two or more body parts that are important but if one is taken from us we can still live. Now the things we have just one of for the most part, if we lost them we would basically be dead. We have a brain, you only get one, so use it and protect it.
In today's society you see kids as well as adults at skateparks, in the neighborhood, the park,etc. All riding skateboards, but not wearing a helmet. To them they trust themselves that they won't crash but it's not always them that can cause themselves to crash but other skaters, cars, even people out on a nice run, you turn a corner and next thing you know bang, you crash. With all these dangers you think it would make sense to strap on a helmet. But for some reason skaters do not agree and keep getting head injuries and have to be isolated from what they love, skating. And this why helmets should be mandatory while riding a skateboard.
Both the motorcyclist and the automobile drivers must practice responsibility on the road. For the motorcyclist, taking simple measure such as wearing bright colors and driving defensively will help to ensure their safety. For the automobile driver, the simple fact of following road rules, such as the three second rule, knowing where vehicles are at all times on the road, and driving defensively, will all help to protect the safety of the motorcyclist on the road. It is the responsibility of the driver and the rider to help ensure the safety on the road, which might save the motorcyclist's life.
According to Bike Helmets (1990), in more than 1000 bicycling mortalities annually, three-fourths are generated by head injuries. Fifty percent of those fatalities are school-age children. An analysis concluded that wearing a bike helmet can decrease the likelihood of head injury by 85 percent. Furthermore, when an accident occurs, a bike helmet absorbs the impact and cushions the
Fatalities associated with motorcycle accidents have always been something that I feel very passionate about and it is related to my experience when I was a surgical nurse In an ICU Step down unit. This was my first experience as a nurse and I was shocked to say the least on the number of patients that we received from motorcycle related injuries. Some of the injuries were so bad that associated head trauma more often than not caused the patient to be in a persistent vegetative state. In situations like that, I have always wondered what would have been the fate of that individual if only they had a helmet on. The part of this selective state requirement that is hard to understand for
This numerical data shows that 17% of the road toll in 2013 were caused by motorcycle collisions. As promoted in the television advertisements, motorcycles are urged to decrease their speed. In 2013, 43% of motorcycle deaths occurred due to the driver exceeding the legal speed limit. Motorcyclists are encouraged to reduce their travel speed by 5km per hour in order to reduce road trauma. Speeding over a minor amount of speed of 5km per hour, can still determine the difference between a “close call” and a “serious accident.”
Mandatory seat belt laws and motorcycle helmet laws have been a controversial topic and there has been much argument between the two sides. I will be presenting both sides of the argument and I will be giving my opinion on this topic.
Drunk driving has become a serious controversial issue. Supporters argue drunk driving kills each year, and there needs to be tough polices to prevent it. Opponents argue that aggressive methods needed for drunk driving violate suspects’ rights if they are under the influence of alcohol. In the article “Drunk Driving”, the author reminds us that “39% of all traffic related deaths are related to alcohol.” Thus, the drunk driving rates is high, and must be stopped because it leads to death of the driver and other innocent victims on the roads. The public safety threat presented by drunk driving, and the thousands it kills each year, explains the use of tough policies to prevent it.
Motorcycles are probably some of the coolest things in the world to eight-year old kids. I was lucky enough to grow up around motorcycles, and some of the kindest people I have ever met; bikers. My dad and his best friend, Ken, had ridden motorcycles together since their junior year of high school. They both saved up all the money they had earned from bailing hay to buy their motorcycles. Being reckless, as most teenage boys are, they developed the bad habit of not wearing helmets while riding. In 2008, Ken’s life was cut short after a fatal motorcycle accident. He was on his way home from work when a woman in a large suburban switched lanes and did not see him on his motorcycle. Ken swerved in an attempt to get out the woman’s way, but