Fines wiped if biker buys 'dorky' helmet

[madandy]

Haha, got a laugh outta me all right at this hour one needs humour

[skidMark]

Haha, got a laugh outta me all right at this hour one needs humour

i was thinking sleep but errr.....

[madandy]

Grab it while you can.
My Mrs has been up since 1:30 with beginnings of labour. I have the massage, make cups of tea, time the contractions job till dawn...tis gonna be a loooong Tuesday.

[skidMark]

Grab it while you can.
My Mrs has been up since 1:30 with beginnings of labour. I have the massage, make cups of tea, time the contractions job till dawn...tis gonna be a loooong Tuesday.

congrats...! anyways we better stop hijacking the thread LOL

add me on msn messnger if you have it...i cant sleep anyways LOL

brngiton@hotmail.com

[Pancakes]

I have exploded two helmets (cycling) and cracked two more (rock climbing one and and a snowboarding one).

Don't tell me that the force they used up by being damaged wouldn't have hurt my head! All have since been replaced, $370 Road Riding helmet, $70 BMX helmet (low speed stuff and more for lots little dings) climbing helmet $200, a 3 Kg rock fell, glanced off my head then smashed my shoulder. That one alone turned what would have been my buddy de-rigging and carrying me out into just a retreat and pain. The snowboarding one ($399) I dropped a cliff and found a rock. That one would have killed me no doubt, split the helmet in two.

If you want to buy a shitty helmet and wear it wrong it makes you a fool, not the helmet. I don't wear one going to the dairy etc, no alot of risk and not that fast but think they are a good idea.

The Tour Riders get really hot and perform better when they are cooler, they aren't sure to get hurt if they crash either but if they hit their head I have no doubt a helmet would help to reduce and spread the blow.

If you want to wrap your setbelt around your neck and eat a hot pie & coffee while texting you will probably get hurt when you crash. If the guy in the ditch story is going to be used and the guy couldn't undo his seatbelt and drowned he was pretty hurt or unbconsious. What would he have been like is he wasn't wearing it and what shape would the windscreen have been?

It's no gaurantee but worth doing. As for not wearing a helmet on a motorbike, yeah all the old buggers never died, they're in the RSA complaining about stuff now and looking up Mables dress while it's her turn at lawn bowls! Think of any motorbike accident you have seen and what would happen if the rider wasn't wearing a helmet. Get on a ute with leathers and no lid and jump out at 50, thats slow, go on.

[oldrider]

Pro-choice is great.
Now go get some full private medical insurance so my tax dollar doesn't have to pay for your brain surgery in the unfortunate event that you require your head fixing.

Just as a little conversation piece and a wee rant.

What year was it that compulsory helmet laws came in for motorbikes?

Prior to that, I could not even buy a decent helmet let alone wear one!

My priority was always "gloves" up to that point, they were hard to get too!

I do have private health insurance but I also have "compulsory" ACC, so I think I pay my own way now.

I have been riding motorbikes for 54 years and I think I fully understand the value of safety equipment.

For a major portion of that time, I had no safety equipment and couldn't afford what was available! (we used to try to make our own)

I also value highly the right to freedom of choice and personal responsibility.

I don't need some bureaucratic bloody socialist government dickhead to tell me when I should wipe my own arse.

I use and wear safety equipment when I need to protect myself (or others) not when I don't need it!

Doing so just to comply with some stupid bloody irrelevant collective law is a brain damaging practice in it's self! (IMHO) John.

[madandy]

Of all the people who are stating their dislike at being told to wear helmets how many, if given the choice would leave theirs at home and take to the roads without that helmet?
You do have a choice not to comply with a law, any law. Out in the sticks where one seldom sees another vehicle and there's nothing to be scared of how often do you remove your helmet just to feel the wind in your hair etc?
I fell off a BMX at age 11 and woke up in Hospital and have worn a helmet ever since. I have a Sth Is. seconday school title and regional title on a road bike in 1994 and have been upside down on several bikes both road and MTN and a car and would never choose not to use the saftey gear provided. On a motorcycle, choosing not to wear the gear would be silly in most situations I have ridden over the past 20 years. Maybe I push harder thah some but mistakes can happen and that's what wearing the gear is for.
I have the choice to wear a helmet or not (just like everyone else) and by choosing to do so just to avoid a fine is doing my brain no damage, sir.

[Big Dave]

Of all the people who are stating their dislike at being told to wear helmets how many, if given the choice would leave theirs at home and take to the roads without that helmet?

Me.
If the circumstances warranted.
or not Me
If they didn't.

It should be MY decision. I pay Private insurance levys and wave my private parts at ACC levy wingers.

[hospitalfood]

whats a helmet?

[oldrider]

Of all the people who are stating their dislike at being told to wear helmets how many, if given the choice would leave theirs at home and take to the roads without that helmet?
You do have a choice not to comply with a law, any law. Out in the sticks where one seldom sees another vehicle and there's nothing to be scared of how often do you remove your helmet just to feel the wind in your hair etc?
I fell off a BMX at age 11 and woke up in Hospital and have worn a helmet ever since. I have a Sth Is. seconday school title and regional title on a road bike in 1994 and have been upside down on several bikes both road and MTN and a car and would never choose not to use the saftey gear provided. On a motorcycle, choosing not to wear the gear would be silly in most situations I have ridden over the past 20 years. Maybe I push harder thah some but mistakes can happen and that's what wearing the gear is for.
I have the choice to wear a helmet or not (just like everyone else) and by choosing to do so just to avoid a fine is doing my brain no damage, sir.

Like I said, your experience, your choice, you should not be "made" to behave in a safe manner, you should choose to of your own free will!

Sometimes arbitrary rules are to your detriment, you should be the judge!

For instance, drive to the conditions, when they change, reduce your speed!

What utter bullshit, situations occur when conditions dictate it is safer to increase your speed, you are there, "you" make the decision, based on the ethics of the situation as you read it.

I don't wear a helmet to avoid a fine, I wear it for protection against the elements and in case some other dickhead, like that "driver" in the Buller Gorge, does something stupid and causes me to experience something I did not plan and could not escape!

If there were no rules at all, would there be much change in the way I ride my bike?

Not really!

If you ride your bike believing everyone else will be observing the rules then you probably are in for a short life!

I ride to enjoy the experience of the ride and look after my bike and my body so that I can do it again and again and again ad infinitem!

Rules and laws are for the benefit of the rule and law makers, they just love it and it makes feel they have made a contribution to society!

If they really believed that their rules and laws were effective, they would rule that we don't need a Police force any more. Yeah right!

Safety is a learned behaviour, not a rule or a law. John.

[madandy]

So it's ok for YOU to behave in an unsafe manner is it John?!
People already have the choice to behave safely or not. Sometimes it comes with consequences. Public scrutiny, hummiliation, condemnation, Death or a fine and/or imprisonment spring to mind.

Dave, you can already choose to leave yer helmet off.
Find a medical reason not to wear it, or to wear it as the circumstances dictate.
You could choose not to stop for a cop to issue you a ticket for not wearing the helmet and if you did stop you can still choose not to pay the fine, or at least contest the issue in court.
I would argue that any place you could safely ride without a helmet would be far enough away from the presence of Police and things to smack your head on as to make your decision not to wear that helmet completely 'safe'.

I completely agree that skilled riders and drivers are able to assess situations and make their own judgement calls but not every one can do that. In fact most people cannot. Wanna edumacate them all? Good luck. Most don't give a rats ass about their driving skills, they just wanna get 'there'.

Sounds like you guys want rules for yourselves and other rules for other people. Or do you really trust the whole population to make wise choices as you guys do all the time?

[Big Dave]

\

Sounds like you guys want rules for yourselves and other rules for other people. Or do you really trust the whole population to make wise choices as you guys do all the time?

Yep. No problem with different sets of rules based on experience and skill. IQ rating would be handy too.
Stupid? - Yes - compulsory everything.
Half a brain - follow the guidelines - or else.
Alpha - well, you inderstand - off you shoot.

I don't really care about the rest of the population. I think the Spartans had the right idea and fully support Darwinism.

[davereid]

So it's ok for YOU to behave in an unsafe manner is it John?!

Is it OK for you to behave in an unsafe manner ?

Because thats what you do every time you hop on your motorcycle.
You are much more likely to be killed or injured on a motorcycle than in a car.

As a form of transport, motorcycles suck. They are unstable. They offer no crash protection. They offer no seatbelts, airbags or stability control. Environmentally they are no better, often getting worse fuel consumption than a car, and gobbling consumables like tyres and oil at 10x the speed of a small car.

Motorcycles are chosen, because we like 'em.
Most people don't like them and would not even notice if they were banned.

So, when you raise you hand to me, to enforce my safety with your "nanny knows best - wear your helmet" arguement, look over your shoulder.

Your nanny may be standing there, holding her left hand out for your keys, and with a big stick tucked behind her back just to make sure you listen.

[oldrider]

So it's ok for YOU to behave in an unsafe manner is it John?!
People already have the choice to behave safely or not. Sometimes it comes with consequences. Public scrutiny, hummiliation, condemnation, Death or a fine and/or imprisonment spring to mind.

Dave, you can already choose to leave yer helmet off.
Find a medical reason not to wear it, or to wear it as the circumstances dictate.
You could choose not to stop for a cop to issue you a ticket for not wearing the helmet and if you did stop you can still choose not to pay the fine, or at least contest the issue in court.
I would argue that any place you could safely ride without a helmet would be far enough away from the presence of Police and things to smack your head on as to make your decision not to wear that helmet completely 'safe'.

I completely agree that skilled riders and drivers are able to assess situations and make their own judgement calls but not every one can do that. In fact most people cannot. Wanna edumacate them all? Good luck. Most don't give a rats ass about their driving skills, they just wanna get 'there'.

Sounds like you guys want rules for yourselves and other rules for other people. Or do you really trust the whole population to make wise choices as you guys do all the time?

If you haven't worked it out by now, I don't think you ever will, you are a nanny dependent!

I blame the socialist public school system here in NZ, they teach kids that the State will do "all" their thinking for them!

These are the rules, we know best, now obey without thinking for yourself, nanny knows best!

The thought police will keep you on track and make sure that you are devoid of any dangerous (for nanny) original thoughts.

If you don't believe me, take a look at some of the legislation that nanny is passing in parliament at present, it's not for "your" benefit!

Take your helmet off and look around. I'm out of this discussion. Good luck, John.

[Pancakes]

John and Dave, I have only read your posts, I don't know you in "real life" but normally agree and see experience and wisdon in your writing. I agree about the nanny state etc etc but there is so much you lose your brain for and so much to lose to gain what? Bugs in your eyes and the feeling that your "stickin' it to the man"?

If you want to have the occaisional blat with no helmet I'm sure you'll find a little spot for doing it but for general riding with Mr I'm texting my mrs and all the girls changing the stereo and applying their eye-liner don't you think the perceived or real hassles of wearing a helmet are a small price to pay for a way higher chance of saving your mental faculties?