Another Mandatory Helmet Law in California?
The Sacramento Bee reports a Democratic state senator has introduced a bill to make the wearing of helmets mandatory for all bicyclists in California. We shouldn't be surprised. It's already illegal for anyone under 18 to ride a bike without a helmet. We've seen how well that's been enforced (sarcasm).
I'm a firm believer in wearing a helmet while on either a bike or motorcycle. It's dumb not to and I always wore a helmet back in my bike riding days. I don't believe in forcing it on others. I'm sure most readers here will defend the idea, but wouldn't you be screaming overkill if Eureka Police Chief Mills proposed the same thing?
It's been said idle hands are the devil's workshop. Senator Liu shows us that applies to idle minds, as well.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 7:39 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
If for no other reason than to make it a bit easier for EMTs and street workers to clean up some non-helmeted jerk's brains after a bad cycle crash, I'm all for it.
I have also noticed that bikers (motorized) seem to have adapted to the law with the plethora of gladiator style helmets as the new fashion over those old nazi helmets.
I may be a bleeding heart liberal, but there are some places where the pure libertarian argument makes sense to me. As long as you're willing to not get scraped up off the public street by a public fire department and taken to a public hospital and then have to go to rehab on the public dime, I'm cool with you not wearing a helmet. If any of those are not true, then I'd appreciate it if you would take a little personal responsibility and wear that helmet.
Since most auto accidents result in head injuries I assume you folks won't mind wearing a helmet as you drive your car.
Well seat belts save lives, and are the law, but that 60-Minutes Journalist didn't wear a seat belt last night, and it cost him his life. @ 8:12 makes a good point, but the reality is if you are seriously injured in an accident, you are absolutely going to be taken to a hospital, and they have to provide care to you without taking in to consideration your ability to pay.
The question is: can the state mandate safety standards for vehicles and their occupants?
If yes, then helmets can be mandated to protect people, reduce injuries and save everyone a lot of time, money and grief... not just motorcyclists, but everyone involved in a collision that involves a motorcycle.
If no, then holy crap, California would get into a world of hurt with an 'anything goes' approach to public safety.
Driving is a privilege, not a right. The state can enforce reasonable measures to protect public safety. It's why, for example, a sobriety test can be forced because, by virtue of your choosing to drive, there is implied consent to such a test if an officer suspects you're inebriated.
So, if you don't want to wear a helmet, don't ride a motorcycle. You have many other options.
Uh, huh. The perfect excuse of any restrictions on people since you could come up with something like that for just about any human activity.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."- William Pitt
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