EDITORIAL\Use the old noggin\Helmet mandate saves lives of motorcylists.ANYONE who rides a motorcycle motorcycle, motor vehicle whose design is based on the bicycle. The German inventor Gottlieb Daimler is generally credited with building the first practical motorcycle in 1885. The motorcycle did not become dependable and popular, however, until after 1900. on a public street without a safety helmet ought to have his (or her) head examined. We almost are inclined to feel the same way about the members of the new Republican-dominated Assembly Transportation Committee who voted earlier this week to repeal The Annulment or abrogation of a previously existing statute by the enactment of a later law that revokes the former law. The revocation of the law can either be done through an express repeal the state law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets. The evidence supporting the value of safety helmets is so overwhelming that it's difficult to see how any rational person could oppose the law. For example, the California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. reports that fatal motorcycle accidents have declined by 45 percent since the helmet law went into effect in 1992. Studies made shortly before the law took effect are no less compelling. Accident statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission showed that riders without helmets were 15 percent more likely to be injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. , and 40 percent more likely to be killed, than riders who wore them. Many motorcycle activists, of course, oppose the helmet law. They contend that fatalities are down, in part, because fewer people ride motorcycles due to their opposition to wearing helmets (a common complaint is that they interfere with their vision and hearing). The apparent success of the state's motorcycle safety Accident rates Motorcycles have a far higher fatality rate per unit of distance travelled when compared with automobiles. According to the US Highway Safety Authority, in 2002 20.9 cars out of 100,000 ended up in fatal crashes. The rate for motorcycles is 66.7 per 100,000. program is another factor. Then there are the arguments that the law violates individual rights, and that the state discriminates against motorcyclists simply to save money for insurance companies. Well, we aren't all that fond of the idea of the nanny state nanny state n. Informal A government perceived as having excessive interest in or control over the welfare of its citizens, especially in the enforcement of extensive public health and safety regulations. , either. In a free society, measures that force people to do things that the state believes are for their own good generally should be viewed with suspicion. The test is whether a law is needed to protect the public. But public roads are, after all, built and maintained with tax dollars. Taxpayers pay for police, safety and health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract utilized by people who travel on public roads. Thus, it's proper for the state to make and enforce reasonable rules that seek to make public roads safer for everyone - including motorcyclists. |
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