Exemptions to the helmet law

[SpankMe]

It’s now twice I’ve seen some guy riding a bike near my place wearing a turban instead of a helmet. I don’t know if our country has exemptions to the helmet law, but I certainly don’t think they should, I don’t care what believes they have. If the law says you have to wear a helmet and you don’t want to, then you don’t ride a bike.

Also laws should not be based on religion and definitely should not give preference to one religion over another or non-believers.

Helmet laws are there to protect riders from head injuries and help cut the cost of health in this country.

Wearing a turban does not protect you from head injury and the government should not be paying (with our tax money) to pay for medical costs of fixing a head injury if someone chooses not to wear a helmet.

If the government thinks its ok for some people not to wear helmets, then none of us should have to. I believe wearing helmets for motorbikes and cycles should be a matter of choice.

[Antallica]

What was he riding? I could see that happening a lot on Cruiser styles, don't some gangs in NZ wear those headband things?

My helmet sure can save me from a lot of shit, but damn my neck is sore atm!

[Lou Girardin]

If he's a Sikh, he'll have an exemption, but he'll also have a speed restriction.
It comes back to the personal responsibility thing though. I wear a helmet, and seat belt when in a cage. But why should I force other people to. If someone wants to kill himself, why should some pious prats in Government repress all of us in order to stop him.
Lou

[bluninja]

The asinine laws in the UK allow sikhs to ride a scooter of limited cc without a helmet...strangely the jockey club stuck to it's guns and a sikh professional jockey worked to get a helmet that would allow him to conform to his religous beliefs AND the safety rules governing his chosen profession.

I personally believe that the choice of use for all personal safety devices should lie with the adult driving/riding. The government should set the standard for protection and ensure that safety equipment is provided by the manufacturers. Of course they also have to accept the consequences of their actions (or inactions)....lower ACC/insurance payouts for injury....higher premiums.....invalid insurance if not using safety gear.

TTFN

[Sharkey]

Bluninja - does your motto of Believe Nothing Test Everything, combined with your comments above about helmets mean that you don't believe helmets are useful, or have you tested this?

[Motu]

I think it should be compulsory for certain segments of our population to wear turbans when riding a motorcycle,also skull caps ,hoodies and baseball caps on backwards.These persons should also never be allowd to ride anything less then 750cc - stoppies at all intersections manditory.

[Coldkiwi]

hehe, Blu is one of our more experienced helmet testers actually Sharkey!

[bikerboy]

Spank is right. The public provides the care so has the right to expect action to reduce harm. You can't have some opt out as blu suggests as eventually one of these will be hurt beyond their ability to pay and society will have to pick up the bill.

We all know no one is going to allow these people to lie in the street bleeding to death, and it would be too expensive for these people to pay an extra fee to cover their increased risk. Systems like NZ's only work when costs are spread over the widest number of people.

[What?]

Originally posted by SpankMe
Also laws should not be based on religion and definitely should not give preference to one religion over another or non-believers. 

Unfortunately, most of out statutes are based on religious belief.

[Racey Rider]

I'm for compulsory motorbike helmits. Just makes sence to me.
But I'm Really Against compulsory bicycle helmits.
Sure they may be a good idea, but where should the line be drawn in removing my freedom of choice? When we can't even ride a bicycle and have the wind blowing through our hair, (those of us that still have hair to be blowen that is!), because those that think they know best, have remove the RISK out of our lives,,,,
So at 16 we are legally allowed to have sex with whomever we please,, and the use of a condom is still just suggested as a good thing too do,,, but no matter what your age, getting exercise in the fresh air on a bicycle, with NO Helmit on is Ticketable offence!!

I suggest that the sex issue is far more taxing on the state than bicycle/head injury accidents. But that's getting away from the main topic, so let's not go there.
Just wanted to say somthing and out that came!

[SpankMe]

Originally posted by Antallica
What was he riding?

It was a sport bike of some type. I only saw the back of it.

[twistymover]

We should all become Sihks, then we could ride round without a helmet. The going might be a bit slow, but the turban should be nice and warm.
Many people have strong religious customs and/or beliefs, and I think that giving them some acceptance and understanding about their custom (in this case, the turban) and allowing them to wear it (with speed restrictions ), will maybe increase others chances of gaining exceptions for themselves in other ways, perhaps to do with motorcycles. What comes around,goes around?

[750Y]

at least he was smart enough to pre bandage his head for when he headbutts the footpath.

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by Racey Rider
I'm for compulsory motorbike helmits. Just makes sence to me.
But I'm Really Against compulsory bicycle helmits.

I would not like to be the parent who had to hear their kid faces a life of challenges because I let them ride without one. At sixteen my life changed forever because I thought bike helmets were ugly.

I now suffer from Epilepsy, dyslexia and insomnia because of one pushbike accident on my sixteenth birthday. So my kids are not allowed to ride or skate without a helmet.

Still I'm fairly lucky I'm still alive with no visible damage, authorised to ride or drive (seven classes of license), and still with a IQ of 136.

Some days it doesn't feel that way a lot of employment opportunities vanish, insurance is murder and I have to read & reread any of these posts that are misspelt.

Helmet laws exist because people are inherently stupid, take cigarettes, they are known to be toxic 104 known toxins 1000 chemicals known to be carcenigens and up to 2000 chemicals in an average cigarette according to ash yet I still smoke.

Helmet laws don't exist to stop people dying, they exist to stop people becoming vegetables.

My boy once tried to tell me he did not need a helmet.
I gave him a potatoe and told him to talk to it for a while.
Being 5 he looked blankly.
I told him that I wanted him to love me back and a I needed him to be more coherent than the potatoe for that and explained about my head injuries.
Now he wears his helmet whenever he rides and tells other kids that hassle him he wants to be just like dad and get a motorbike.

Some of you may disagree..... but your adults you are able to make an informed decision based on the 18 years + of experience and information availible to you. Thats why you are allowed to vote.

Its also why your kids can't

And that was my soapbox moment for today.

[scumdog]

Big Dog, you said it all man, too many people think "it won't happen to me" especially the younger ones (I guess that's why they join up when there is a war on).
You can educate people as much as you want but a certain amount are going to bite the dust whatever laws are around - and for some it won't be their fault, so with our crappy roads and crappier drivers a helmet makes sense.
In the States with open one-way highways with no intersections them I can see a case for "helmets optional" but not here, even on push-bikes.
You don't want to wear a helmet? then YOU organise your own injury insurance - and see how far you get!! what I'm trying to say I guess is that freedom is o.k. but someone has to pay - and I don't want to pay for someone else to be on a life-support needlessly.
It's about 5 hours past my bedtime so I better stop my raving before it makes even less sense!!!!
P.S., there is a certain amount of the population would piss on an electric fence more than once, they are the type that get the restrictive law brought in to protect them from themselve - and we all suffer.