Protective clothing legislation?

[Hailwood]

I think I look quite fetching in my black trou, black & red jacket, red helmet and day-glo vest. It mightn't suit you on the Harley, though.

Each to their own mate...but I am not wearing one if its compulsory.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Crazy Steve posted recently, that if you don't wear gear you shouldn't get ACC to pay for your fuckup.

And if it is proven that it wasn't the riders fuck at all... but the cage... (Again don't get me started on ACC...

If was driving along and ran someone over at a crossing causing injuiry then ACC shouldn't pay because the the pedestrian wasn't wearing protective gear or at least hi-vis vest when crossing the road... (yes a piss take)

While we are at it lets just make it a suite of armour... hell ban all vehicles and transportation of all kind... including the horse and cart... I would fall a horse and break my neck quicker than I would on the bike..

but the point being how far will it go? How far do you want to be controlled? and told what you can and can not do ...

If I want to ride my bike in a t-shirt its my skin, my bones my life I am dealing with... not yours... and at the end of the day my risk... you have no right to tell me what I can and can not do with it... none what so ever. Kiwis are worse than sheep and just simply follow along whether its right or wrong and slowly taking away your freedoms that my forefathers died for...

(before the the reps start I wear ATGATT All the gear all the time, I have had my accidents when I was younger in just jeans and that was bad enough. I said to myself then... I'm not doing that again...)

[Quasievil]

crash helmets should be worn in cars to as head injuries cost the country a fortune.

as if that would happen lol

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

crash helmets should be worn in cars to as head injuries cost the country a fortune.

Crash helmets, as well neck braces 5 point racing harness and soft rubber foam bumpers that can take 99% of the impact and uses that stored energy to solve the power problem... and because NZ is such a bad place to drive this system would solve our power problem...

[90s]

I support comulsary wearing of helmets because the evidence is overwhelming that this reduces mortality and serious injury for riders.

There is little conslusive evidence that either would be affected by hi-viz shirts as too many accident classes are not about poor visibility. Even in accidents where this was a factor I am unaware of any evidence this makes a statistical improvement.

Basically the cost-benefit of making this compulsary is not there.

There is only PR value in this for the politicos being seen to "do something".

However, depending on your riding and likely accident profile for your riding and area, you may be the 1 in a 1,000,000 that finds wearing this vest was the factor in avoiding an accident. This is your call, and I have no problem with some of my friends that wear the hi-viz vest (one with light that flash! You know who you are!) But its not for me and won't change the ACC budget or accident rates.

[swbarnett]

Crazy Steve posted recently, that if you don't wear gear you shouldn't get ACC to pay for your fuckup.

It has merit.
Scooterists will disagree, obviously.

Are you going to stop ACC for car drivers whose heads hit the windscreen because they were not wearing a helmet?

Where will it end?

[ynot slow]

WTF? Don't let anyone tell(legislate) what to wear re protective apparel,we don't need a law made.Surely common sense should suffice,if you don't want to wear boots but jandals don't come crying to me about the pain etc.

[Big Dave]

I suspect we might see a hi-viz requirment some time soon.

Instead of addressing the issues. Educating drivers to look etc etc. Impact protection equipment, Rider training, etc etc etc etc etc

You see them now, wearing a flapping florescent garrote over tee shirt and shorts.

[Ixion]

It gives the appearance of doing something. It is readily apparent to the general public. It has sufficient statistical basis forcredibility. It is easy to explain. It costs the gubbermint nothing. It costs those affected very little. It provides a source of revenue through fines. It does not require complex or contentious legislation. It is not dependent on any outsiders coming to the party. It's a natural.

[Big Dave]

What 'they' fail to understand - that we all know too well - is that 'I didn't see him' really means 'I didn't look'.

[davereid]

I support comulsary wearing of helmets because the evidence is overwhelming that this reduces mortality and serious injury for riders.

Here is a question for you. Helmets are overwhelmingly good right ?

What year were they introduced ?

Hint 1 - table attached from official NZ statistics.
Hint 2 - if you can't identify the year from the death statistics, google the paraplegia/tetraplegia statistics. Much easier to pick there.

Trouble is, that helmets DO help with minor knocks and abrasions. But the leather stuff the oldtimers had was great for this too. "Proper" helmets have err, actually, not been as useful as you may have imagined.

At best a helmet may double your chance of survival. But getting on a motorcycle made you 30 times (depending on whos figures you read) more likely to die than driving your Volvo.

The ATGATT game sounds nice, but really the only way to be safe with a motorcycle is to sell it.

[1 Free Man]

Whilst I am an ATGATT kinda gal, I would really hate to see it become compulsory.
Pity our poor m/c mechanics having to gear up every time they road test some one's bike.

Agree to some extent but whats the diff. Your mechanic has to put on a seat belt if he is road testing you car.

[1 Free Man]

If I want to ride my bike in a t-shirt its my skin, my bones my life I am dealing with... not yours... and at the end of the day my risk... you have no right to tell me what I can and can not do with it... none what so ever. Kiwis are worse than sheep and just simply follow along whether its right or wrong and slowly taking away your freedoms that my forefathers died for...

(before the the reps start I wear ATGATT All the gear all the time, I have had my accidents when I was younger in just jeans and that was bad enough. I said to myself then... I'm not doing that again...)

I hear what you are saying buddy but you didn't go on to say where the money is coming from to put you back together when you fuck up on your bike in your Tee and shorts. Do you have a personal hospital for which you pay all of the expences on standby for when you fuck up..NO me thinks not.. You will expect to get the best service you can get from the system and who is paying for that. ME and MANY hundreds of other bike riders who pay hellishing high fee's because of the people with the 'DON'T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT TO DO' attitiude.
This is all hypothetical of course because you do wear all the gear all the time and fuck'n good on you but do you see my point????

[TLDV8]

Agree to some extent but whats the diff. Your mechanic has to put on a seat belt if he is road testing you car.

Cars etc have one type of seat belt cost wise as a rule unlike motorcycle safety gear.

Even safety gear is profit driven in the Australasian market so what might be deemed good gear to meet a government policy would be hard.

Arai XD3 here AU$800+.
The same helmet from the USA delivered AU$478.
How much for a XD3 in New Zealand.

Who here has never ever ridden a motorcycle without full gear from the day they started,not me. (Full gear being a armoured (back/hip/shoulder/forearm/knee) leather one piece or zip together two piece,full face helmet and full length boots and long HD gloves)

I will go back to what i posted in the R/R forum,i think NZ will follow Australia and put up the Registration cost for motorcycles before they enforce what you wear.
The easiest policy to introduce and police is user pays,fines for those who do not,a high viz vest would be easy to enforce all the same.

I payed my rego this week for the DR.

AU$666.10 or over NZ$800
The $666 dollars is around $15 for rego the rest is personal injury payment (a bit like ACC).
Vehicle damage insurance (third party/full insurance) is "extra" on top so you are looking at close to NZ$1000 for rego and a third party damage policy.

[Motu]

More safety gear is totally the wrong approach.They say the biggest incentive for safe driving is a 6 inch steel spike in the centre of the steering wheel - the same is true with motorcycles.The biggest improvement in rider safety would be the removal of safety gear - no helmet,no gloves,T shirt,shorts and Roman sandals (better for gearchanges than jandals.) Send 20 gixer riders around the Coro Loop like that and see how many crash.It high lights the motorcylist's vulnerability,and the very real possibility of getting very really hurt radically changes their approach to riding.That such a method makes a safer rider proves that they are in fact totally unsafe wrapped in cotton wool.