I learned that the U.S. Government agency that studies injuries and fatalities published an article on June 15, 2012, that confirmed my point all along, that wearing a motorcycle helmet should be required by law:

The main points of this study are as follows:

In states with universal (meaning, they apply to all riders) laws, 12 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing a helmet. In contrast, states with partial helmet laws saw 64 percent of the fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing a helmet. In states without a helmet law, that rate climbs to 79 percent.

Looked another way, from 2008 to 2010, 14,283 motorcyclists were killed in crashes, and 6,057 (42 percent) of them were not wearing a helmet.

What do I think about this?
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I have been riding a motorcycle for some 35 years now. Throughout my riding experience, I have acquired, owned, and used a number of motorcycle helmets.

Before I bought my Harley-Davidson Road King in 2008 that comes with a built-in windscreen, I had a H-D Low Rider, which is a cruiser that does not have a windscreen. All of my previous bikes also were a cruiser type without windscreens.

Because wind is not a biker’s friend when cruising down the highway, I would wear a full-face, DOT-approved, helmet. I found of the different models out there that Shoei helmets fit best, were well-ventilated, and comfortable. Particularly for long rides, comfort is important. Nothing like getting a headache from having the head squeezed by an ill-fitting helmet.

When I got my Road King, my partner got me a new helmet painted to match the bike’s colors. It was a great gift!

But as I looked around and spoke with my biker buddies who ride Harleys that have windscreens, I noticed that almost all of them wore 3/4 helmets because the windscreen takes away the full frontal assault of the wind. These types of helmets cover the sides of the head, but are open in the front. One wears motorcycle glasses (like sunglasses but with rubber fittings around the eyes to keep the wind and bugs out) for eye protection when wearing such a helmet.

I did some research, and spoke with some motorcycle police officers, and found that Seer (see-er) helmets were highly recommended and worn by many cops. So I visited the SuperSeer website and ordered a 3/4 helmet — and had it custom painted to match my bike’s colors.

I like that helmet a lot. It is comfortable, well-fitted, and well-ventilated. It accommodates a microphone attachment for my radio so I can communicate with other bikers when I am on group rides. It also has two speaker fittings inside so I can insert speakers to hear the radio. Using earbugs is against the law, and also a pain in the butt. Speakers inside the helmet allow me to hear the radio but also hear sounds while riding (like other vehicles, sirens, etc.), which is important.

I will wear my full-face Shoei helmet that my partner got for me when it is really cold out. It keeps my head warmer and provides better protection from cold, biting winds. (I know, some bikers wear a neck and face fleece warmer, but I don’t like feeling choked as those things make me feel when I put one on then zip up my jacket and close the neck opening tightly.)

You will never catch me riding without a helmet, even in states where helmet laws are not in place. I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid. To me, riding without a helmet is both “uncool” and idiotic; begging for death or permanent brain damage if struck by a cage driver. Also, I don’t wear a half-helmet, because I don’t think they block wind noise that well, and I don’t want to wear ear plugs. And I’d never wear something stupid like a “skid lid” (aka “beanie”) that provides as little protection as not wearing a helmet at all.

A little-known fact about motorcycle helmets: the interior shell degrades with time. The shell is made with soft foam and resins that can be affected by vapors of gasoline. I do not store my helmets in my garage, because gasoline vapors from my truck and my partner’s car can cause the helmet interior to degrade faster than it should. I store my helmets inside the house, away from the potential damaging vapors in the garage.

Also, helmets don’t last forever. The industry recommends replacing them often. I get a new helmet about every three years. I may use an old helmet for an occasional passenger.

Following are some more photos of me riding with my favorite helmet.

Life is short: ride with a helmet secured to your head — always.

As I was stuck in a cage, which is what a biker calls a four-wheeled vehicle, riding in my partner’s car while going to Pittsburgh and back over the last weekend, many motorcycle riders were passing us on the other side of the interstate. On Saturday, May 28, they were headed from Ohio and Pennsylvania, and probably points further north and west, to Washington, DC, to participate in a big motorcycle event held on Sunday, May 29 (you know, the event that the former half-gov of the largest U.S. State appeared at for a photo op — not to commemorate the real reason the event is held.) Many riders returned on Monday, May 30, when I was riding in the opposite direction on my way home.

Most of the motorcycles that passed us in both directions were big Harleys, like mine. And I am happy to say that most of the of the bikers were riding safely — dressed appropriately in the right gear. While the weather was warm, most were wearing long pants, boots, and a helmet.

What bothered me was watching some of the motorcycle riders pull over just as they crossed from Maryland to Pennsylvania, and removed their motorcycle helmet. Yeah, while a helmet is not required by law in Pennsylvania, nonetheless, in my opinion, the difference between a realistic biker and a potential Darwin Award-winner is whether the operator of a big, heavyweight motorcycle keeps his helmet on regardless if the law requires it.

Sure, it was hot, but a well-ventilated helmet actually keeps the sun off the head and helps keep the rider cooler. But to the helmetless unsafe rider, “it’s not cool” to wear a helmet, and they only wear one in Maryland and DC because the law requires it. So sad, really.

The real Darwin Award-winners were those who not only removed their helmet at the rest stop (or worse, along the side of the road next to fast-paced traffic), were those who changed clothes. I saw at least a dozen men remove their boots, take off longer pants, put on shorts (or reveal shorts under the long pants), and put on sneakers instead of their boots.

In my opinion, I feel badly about guys who choose to ride like that.  A realistic, safe biker will wear the proper gear when operating a motorcycle for his protection. Sure, the helmetless shorts-sneaker clad unsafe rider thinks “nothing has happened before and nothing will happen now,” … but it only takes one shard of glass or sharp stone kicked up by a tire in front of him to cause a severe injury to unprotected legs, or an ignorant cage-driver cutting him off, causing him to crash and fall on his unprotected head.

Life is short: wear long pants, boots, and a helmet when operating a motorcycle. Period.

P.S.: this post may generate comments. Comments are accepted, but moderated to ensure compliance with this blog’s commenting policy.

A guy who regularly posts on “Boots on Line” posted this picture with the subject, “Awesome bike — cool dude.” The writer initially posted the pic saying that the rider of this motorcycle was very proud of his machine, a 2000 Millennium Indian, and talked to the writer at every stoplight about his pride in his ride.

What’s wrong with this picture? Well, besides the obvious (no helmet, wearing shorts, and some sort of soft footwear), he’s holding to the handlebar with ONE HAND! How incredibly stupid, on all accounts.

Several people wrote a reply commenting on the lack of protective gear, and I’ll add my voice to that. They referred to him as a “donor”. Meaning that when he is involved in a crash (usually caused by someone claiming not to see a motorcycle and turning in front of him), he likely will suffer a traumatic brain injury. If the rest of his internal organs are not spread to smithereens all over the road from the crash, then the organs may be eligible to be used as donor organs for people on transplant lists. (I am just very glad that they don’t transplant brains yet).

I am an organ donor. I know what that process involves, the emotions, and the long-term impact on the families of donors and recipients of organs. However, to avoid repetition of that story, just read my May 3 “Happy Kidney Day” post here.

What further adds to the misery of this story is that the writer said this picture was taken in Florida. It’s sad but true — Florida has more elderly drivers than any other state. NHTSA studies have indicated that older drivers have slower response than younger drivers, and we all know that milliseconds in decision-making count when determining how to avoid a crash. Motorcycle Safety Foundation studies have corroborated that when older drivers are involved in a crash with a motorcycle, the majority said to first responders, “I didn’t see him.” Their peripheral vision and visual acuity is just not as sharp. So riding without a helmet, in shorts, sneakers, and with one hand, IN FLORIDA, is particularly dumb.

Having served as a rescue technician for several years in my home county in Maryland, I got really sick of scraping guys like this up off the road. It was so very sad, and so preventable. What the writer also failed to recognize is that the cost of caring for someone who incurs a head injury from a motorcycle crash adds significantly to the cost of health insurance premiums as well as taxes we all have to pay that go to health care provided by public hospitals (if the guy were not insured.) If the guy isn’t killed in the crash, his health care treatment and recovery costs will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. And that doesn’t begin to measure the emotional cost on him, his family, and those who will become long-term caregivers.

I don’t give a hoot about whether the law says a DOT-approved helmet is or is not required. Getting in gear is just common sense. This guy ain’t got any. Period. End of story.