Helmet Law Essay

People should not have to wear helmets because non-helmet usage dose not cost the government more money then helmet usage in a crash there is no difference between injuries with a helmet and without a helmet, and a helmet limits personal freedom.

Policy is needed to support the role of health legislation and is seen as being fundamental to improving the

In the article, “ The 10 best things government has done for us” written by Rex Nutting (2011), states that one of the government 's greatest hits is improving public health. Also, that many of the people in the United

If governments are charged with ensuring access to health care for all its citizens, then we would not have a class in addressing health disparities. There may be some improvements needed in order to fully hold governments accountable, but it is something that will not change in the near future (Hathaway 2002). Furthermore, Braverman continues to charge the governments responsible for providing a right to health, but in reality most governments are limited in resources to address these issues. Some governments may have very dysfunctional systems in place that are not capable to provide equal health to all its citizens.

In 1967, the Highway Safety act created a federal highway safety grant program. Prior to this act, no state in the U.S. had a motorcycle helmet law. In order for states to receive federal funds, they were required to have a highway safety program in place. If a state did not enact a universal motorcycle helmet law, portions of these federal funds could be withheld. By

I personally believe that government is involved too much into health and human services. When I see the percentage of the funds that go into health and human services it’s nice to see that the government recognizes the importance of keeping its citizens healthy and taking action to provide citizens with Medicaid and Medicare. The issue I have is the complexity and aggravation it causes the majority when they go a little to overboard. In my opinion its perfect when the government focuses on significant issues that affect the masses that helps everyone. In the past it would have been acceptable for state and local government to direct a huge portion of its funds into dealing with hookworm, an infection that in places like Georgia affected a total of 51.7 percent of people. This was a disease that affected everyone no matter what social status or life choices you had, in that time period. It was effective that they completed public work projects and worked on providing everyone with sanitary conditions and hospitals.

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.

3. On the other hand, motorcycle enthusiasts believe increased fatality rates are caused by the increased number of motorcyclists on the roads; however, the number of deaths has grown faster than the number of registered bikes (Wlazelek 1). Motorcycle fatalities have increased even after the increase in the number of bikers was accounted for. Helmets save lives and there is nothing that can change that fact. Riding 65 mph on an open bike with cars and trucks all around is dangerous in itself, so what is it hurting to take a little extra precaution not to end up dead or with severe brain damage. Fatality rates of motorcycle accidents were declining for two decades until the new law was passed and now they have increased dramatically (Berenson 2).

“You cannot fix brain dead” those are the exact words my Biomedical Science teacher said when we were learning about the brain. She told us about how many motorcyclists lose their lives from brain damage. She also told us how many families go through terrible heartbreak as they see their loved ones on life support, unable to form a coherent thought long enough to understand that they are saying goodbye. “We have too many traumatic brain injuries brought on by people who do not want to protect themselves on our roadways” (Washington Times, 2011). We were told that doctors even refer to the motorcyclists who refuse to wear helmets as “donor dummies” because they can get organs in amazing condition out of the people who have crashed and hit their heads. Having mandatory helmet laws would save families the heartache and the money needed to pay for a funeral. Helmets actually used to be required, but are recently starting to be optional. Which in my opinion is the exact opposite of what should be happening. Truth be told, motorcycle helmets should be required for all motorcyclists to be able to ride.

In public health, as in many fields there are a set of conundrums that practitioners, leaders and law makers have to address in order to provide the most appropriate service to their populations. One of these conundrums is the battle between what is good for the community vs. what is good for the individual. This topic will be broken up to the community vs. the individual, and discussed based on research done by Kass et al, and Oriola, and will be concluded by presenting possible solutions.

This writer believes that health care is a right, and therefore the government cannot discriminate who should and should not receive health care. As a matter of social justice and political obligation, the government should be responsible for making sure that every citizen of the country, regardless of their race, color and ethnicity, has access to affordable coverage and quality care. According the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2007), everyone has the right to health, including health care. Good health is everything – it means a person is able to be a productive citizen and it increases quality of life while positively impacting the quality of life for the entire community. Thus the role of the government to achieve health for

Federal and States public health involvement has evolved over the years, because the relationship between the different levels of government are changing and due to the fact that we are now aware of the of threats to local communities well- being health, safety and our local communities expectations for governmental response to situations and as well

The compulsory wearing of helmets does reduce the number of fatalities associated with motor cycling and pedal cycling accidents. Data from a variety of studies overwhelmingly supports this fact. When discussing motorcycle helmets, there is a 40% prevention of fatal and 13% prevention of nonfatal serious injuries associated with their use, according to Adam, et al. (1453). After Florida repealed its mandatory helmet law in favor of one that allowed helmets for those over 21 with $10,000 in insurance to be optional, motorcycle fatalities increased across the state (Hooten and Murad, 1329). According to Boone, et al., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that the use of helmets prevented 1,630 deaths in 2013 and could have prevented 715 more if all motorcyclists wore helmets (3). In a study of almost 17,000 patients admitted to the hospital for motorcycle crashes, 37% of the riders were not wearing helmets. These 37% accounted for 69% of the deaths among these patients (Dua, et al. 1184).

We have laws here in the United States requiring seat belts, air bags, child car seats, smoke detectors, lights on bicycles operated at night, and a whole range of other safety devices. So, it makes sense that there would be a safety law in place to protect the motorcycle riders as well. When a motorcycle is a vehicle operated on a public roadway, its rider and passenger is subject to the same rights and obligations as other vehicle operators traveling on the same roads. If it is reasonable to require car seats for children, airbags in vehicles and the use of car seatbelts, requiring motorcycle helmets is also reasonable.

The debate over whether or not to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle has been hot topic since the helmet law went into effect in California in 1992. It seems obvious that wearing a helmet would help protect you in a motorcycle accident. Many legislatures agree. In fact, nineteen states have a mandatory helmet law for all motorcycle riders. Twenty-seven states have a law for those under a set age, three of which require additional insurance for those of age who choose not to wear a helmet. That leaves only four states with absolutely no helmet laws. Despite these facts, helmets are a superficial means of safety at realistic speeds. Yet because this is a public policy issue that is not just about