Quote:
Originally Posted by ishoot308
According to the NHTSA in 2003 there were 42,643 automobile deaths in the US. Of those deaths 90% were caused by head injuries.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ishoot308
Well then again I ask, why not for automobile drivers since many many more of them would be saved by a helmet law...??
Dan
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I'm not saying you don't have a valid point, it's just that there are extenuating circumstances to consider before requiring EVERYONE to wear a helmet.
Dan, regarding the statistic I quoted from your earlier post, how many of those 38,379 deaths (that's 90% of 42,643) were wearing their seat belts? And how many were in passenger cars vs. pick-ups vs. SUV's?
I know that passenger cars are required to meet a federal standard for strength in the roof area; it's supposed to be able to withstand/resist crushing in a roll-over accident (I don't know the exact requirement). Unless something changed over the years, pick-ups do not have to meet the same standard and I'm not sure about SUV's. So if they're in a car, they have a cheap version of a rollbar to help them survive (although it's nothing compared to a rollbar you'd see in NASCAR or NHRA Top Fuel or Funny Car drag racing).
It's presumed that if the occupants stay in the vehicle in a crash, they stand a better chance of survival. If they're not wearing a seatbelt, there's a very good chance they're bouncing around inside the vehicle and quite possibly being ejected from it depending on the severity of the crash. I'm certainly not an expert but in my opinion, from a survival standpoint, that's probably about as good as being in a crash on a motorcycle. In a car, pick-up or SUV, you've got
something around you to absorb some of the impact instead of your body absorbing all of it, provided your body stays in the car. That's the whole point of seat belts but alot of people won't wear them unless required to by law and then there are those that won't wear them even if there's a law. The point is if more people wore seat belts, there would be fewer deaths so their logic continues that if more bike riders wore helmets, there would be fewer deaths or at least fewer cases of severe brain trauma.
Let me ask you, would you wear a helmet in a car? Would you wear it if it were required by law? Do you currently wear your seat belt?
Does anyone happen to know of statistics regarding voluntary helmet usage? I'm sure Lakesrider can't be the only person who thinks the way he does (see his comments above).
Wow, this got a LOT longer than I ever thought it would!
