Why don't folks wear gloves when they're riding?

[discotex]

"Take away people's rights"???
You're off to a really good start in your attempt to fix ACC! Take away the income support and you take away ACC's incentive to provide treatment!

Huh? ACC currently fail abysmally at providing support to get people back to work quickly.

I apologise if my “personal freedom” has contributed to your higher ACC levies. If only I’d spent $700 on high tech race boots instead of the $350 for touring boots, I may not have crushed my foot and required ACC support. But I guess we’ll never know, so SORRY!

How about you taking away my personal freedom to spend my hard earned cash on MY CRASH and MY STUPIDITY not yours? (figuratively speaking as you were obviously doing the right thing)

Under my system, you'd be fully covered. It's not the amount of $/protection that counts...it's the fact that you took a realistic level of responsibility towards protecting yourself in the first instance.

Exactly. The argument that it all balances out in the end is weak. Certain parts of the population get a free ride from ACC and others use it very little.

People should expect free medical cover (regardless of their stupidity) but should take out their own income protection insurance.

if someone had "all the gear" but was riding like a loon, would that fail the criteria of "realistic level of responsibility towards protecting yourself"?

How about chopping off your arm while juggling chainsaws?

The reality is that ACC is (very wisely) a 'no fault' scheme. The frenzied shrieks of the holier-than-thou brigade demanding that those who infringe against their religious taboos shlould be excluded from it have (thank gods) absolutely zero chance of being listened to

If I smoke for 20 years I expect to pay higher life insurance premiums. If I ride with no gear like a dick I expect to pay more but ACC won't charge me if I play rugby but will (through rego) if I ride a motorcycle. Doesn't sound like 'no fault' to me.

Conversely if I take care of my body I expect lower life insurance premiums and to pay less ACC.. Not an option though is it? Where is the incentive to lower my own (and others) risk of injury?

Don't even get me started on the poor people unfortunate to miss out on 80% of their income because they get cancer instead of falling off a ladder because they didn't bother to have someone hold it..........

[mv.senna]

"Discotex: ...ACC won't charge me if I play rugby but will (through rego) if I ride a motorcycle. Doesn't sound like 'no fault' to me"

apparently the levies we pay in our wages/salary are meant to contribute to funding for non-professional sprots injuries, and home injuries.

Discotex: Don't even get me started on the poor people unfortunate to miss out on 80% of their income because they get cancer instead of falling off a ladder because they didn't bother to have someone hold it........

amen. used to be an ambo in a prev life (hence the thing with folks not wearing riding gear)... gave me the absolute shts seeing nana's and grandpa's who'd worked hard and contributed all their life, having to live on the bones of their R6s coz they had a medical condition (cancer, heart attacks, strokes etc) and therefore had no financial support (for meds etc).... if only they'd tripped or slipped instead, ACC would've taken care of them! ....oh dear, i'm ranting off my own topic again

[Owl]

Huh? ACC currently fail abysmally at providing support to get people back to work quickly.

I never said ACC was perfect or close to it, but your idea to only cover hospital treatment with no income support is seriously flawed. ACC are far more motivated in getting you back to work if they are paying your income!

[motorbyclist]

myself always wear as much as practically possible, and full kit in wet weather or longer rides

even wear my gloves and helmet on the pocket rocket, and often my jacket too

as fun as leaving bone on the road is, i think i'll try my best to prevent it

what anyone else does is their own business, at their own expense (along with taxpayers for ACC and us bikers when we see the road statistics)

[Number One]

Why don't people wear ATGATT?

...they are twats who don't really value their skin.

Clearly they have never had to have a skin graft - from what I hear if they had have they would think twice about it!

[Usarka]

A shitload of the proponents of forcing everyone to have "all the gear" (or to ride safely for that matter) have learnt through lessons.

what they forget was what their reaction would have been if someone said the same to them before their incident (or whatever learned them the lesson).

Most would have told you "fuck off mind your own business, I'll take the risk".

[thehollowmen]

while I used to be an ATGATT person, I must say I've lapsed a little lately. I'm back on great big winter gloves on any journey longer than to work in no / light traffic, just because I've been a plonker and lost a few pairs of gloves lately, falling out of my helmet, nicked off my seat when I've been taking the keys out (!!!) and the like.

Yes, I value my skin, and will be wearing full leathers out in the country, and my draggins for a big day in the town. And I value my hands too, but it is a choice I'm making with my convenience vs risk. A stinking hot day, going just a few km, I'll leave my jacket unzipped a bit and my gloves off so I can be my metro/petrosexual biker self rather than promote the image of big unclean louts.

Yes, I agree we need to be safe and use the gear as much as we can, but we also don't want to be safe enough that we have our bikes permanently mounted above the mantle-piece along with a brass plaque that says "the older i get the faster I was"

[MSTRS:Me]

A shitload of the proponents of forcing everyone to have "all the gear" (or to ride safely for that matter) have learnt through lessons.

what they forget was what their reaction would have been if someone said the same to them before their incident (or whatever learned them the lesson).

Most would have told you "fuck off mind your own business, I'll take the risk".

True...except I would have said "You gonna pay for it?"

[Number One]

Yes, I agree we need to be safe and use the gear as much as we can, but we also don't want to be safe enough that we have our bikes permanently mounted above the mantle-piece along with a brass plaque that says "the older i get the faster I was"

Firstly - Gloves knicked off yer seat?! That sucks! Dirrrty buggaz!

On the note of yer post...too right, to each his own!

However I'm confused....

So you said you agree that we should "use the gear as much as we can" SO by we do you actually just mean other motorcyclists or noobs? AND by use the gear as much as we can do you really mean - except for when it suits us not to like when it's a bit hot or we don't feel it necessary as we are only going a wee way.

..Seems to me that shit happens when we least expect it...I hate wearing ATGATT on hot days (peeeuuuuwwww) but crikey I'm a total woose when it comes to pain so I'll put up with that temporary discomfort to prevent a much worse and lingering one.

Maybe I've missed your point here though hollowmen?Probably...and if so feel free to put me in my place.....BUT just incase, what prey tell, does growing older and going slower/faster have to do with the choice to NOT wear your full gears while riding (at any given time?)

My dad can be a real shocker for this and I give him crap about it all the time...because I love him to bits btw not because I feel it's my roll to suck all the joy and freedom out of his life.

Me - I'll just settle for growing old, admitting and 'celebrating' my nana-ness (as it will no doubt have helped me to; a) keep my skin on my body and; b) possibly helped to keep me alive) and still being able to get on my bike and ride...as for mantle-pieces...do people still have those?

0.02c

[the mouse]

As a survivor of a low speed off - high sided from the pillion seat.
I slid head first along the tarseal with my arms at my sides, the protective leather gloves i was wearing peeled off my hands like butter. I had blood red hands for some time until they scared over and healed up, but hey, i still have hands.

Don't be a dumb ass, wear the gloves.

[thehollowmen]

So you said you agree that we should "use the gear as much as we can" SO by we do you actually just mean other motorcyclists or noobs? AND by use the gear as much as we can do you really mean - except for when it suits us not to like when it's a bit hot or we don't feel it necessary as we are only going a wee way.
0.02c

I think I try to mean "We should wear as much gear as we can stand to wear for this ride" applying to everybody.

We need to be safe, but not too safe. After all, why ride when you're not having fun?

[ital916]

I think i might be an anomaly among the noobs learners as i tend to really wear a lot of gear when i ride. Helmet, gloves, boots, armored cordura pants, armored cordura jacket, high visibility vests and a teknic back protector. On top of that most of the time witha backpack. I find that i would rather be hotter and sweat a little than have no skin to sweat out of. The back protector also adds support with the hunched position on my bike. ATTGATT...something i live by! Never go out without all that *excet sometimes where a back protector is too cumbersome like with a full backpack*. ATTGATT...to all fellow noobs...ATTGATT................ATTGATT............ ................ATTGATT!

[Usarka]

*excet sometimes where a back protector is too cumbersome like with a full backpack

oooh, never go riding with a backpack full of stuff and no back protector! you might fall off and puncture an organ with something hard in your pack, and we'd have to pay for it through ACC!

[jrandom]

Helmet, gloves, boots, armored cordura pants, armored cordura jacket, high visibility vests and a teknic back protector. On top of that most of the time witha backpack...

*makes note to self to wave to any large black shapeless masses attempting to hide RG150s from view on the road*

ATTGATT................ATTGATT.................... ........ATTGATT!

So... what does ATTGATT stand for, then?

[jrandom]

I always find it a nicely balanced quandry to decide whether sprotsbike riders or crusier riders are the more arrogant.

It is my cherished goal to own one of each, so that I may ride the cruiser wearing a kangaroo-leather one-piece with knee sliders, back protector, ultra-tarty race boots and carbon fibre helmet with an iridium visor, and the sprotsbike wearing a T-shirt with a rude slogan, flappy board shorts, Mk I Kiwi Safety Jandals and a scratched-up matte black pudding bowl.

And Ray-Bans.

Cos Ray-Bans are cool.