Remember why the motorcycle helmet law was repealed
Letters to the EditorPublished August 11, 2005
Re: Motorcycle deaths rise with end of helmet law, Aug. 9.
You will no doubt receive dozens of letters demanding the helmet law be reinstated. Therefore, it we need to be reminded why it was repealed five years ago.
In every state where the helmet law was contested up to the state supreme court, the law was ruled unconstitutional. The Florida Legislature decided not to spend the money fighting to save the law and instead repealed it. But they were able to keep the part requiring helmets for those riders under 21. If they had fought through the courts and lost, this part of the law would probably not have survived either.
Personally, I would wear a helmet if I rode a motorcycle, but I do believe that it is unconstitutional for the state to require me to wear one. However, the insurance companies may have the right to not insure people who ride without helmets, or at least charge them a higher premium.
-- Ken Leiser, Seminole
Protecting us from ourselves
Re: Motorcycle deaths rise with end of helmet law.
I submit that the headline for this story should have been "Per capita motorcycle deaths have decreased with end of the helmet law."
The large percentage of readers who only scan the headlines and blurbs would think that the reported 81 percent increase in mortality was due to the repeal of the helmet law. But, if we continue reading toward the end of the article, we see that the most reasonable conclusion is that the increase is due to a 91 percent increase in riders.
Wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle is a good thing and should be encouraged. Wearing your seat belt in an auto is also a good thing. However, as a matter of principle, I strenuously object to being forced by law to wear them.
I'm sick and tired of laws that restrict my freedom in order to protect me from myself. The very same reasoning used to justify the helmet and seat belt laws could be used to require me to exercise regularly, eat the proper diet and brush my teeth. Think of all the lives that could be saved!
-- Bob Bryan, Seminole
A drain on society
Re: Motorcycle deaths rise with end of helmet law.
What a surprise! Is it really true that more people die in motorcycle accidents without helmets? Gosh, who would have figured on that? This isn't about the freedom to have the wind blow in one's hair and the right to decide what is good for oneself. It's about stupidity, but it goes farther than that. Who winds up paying for the increased number of people on disability? All of us do. Helmetless riders are an unnecessary drain on society as well as a danger to themselves.
-- H.J. Myers, Redington Shores
It's about safety, not comfort
Re: Motorcycle deaths rise with end of helmet law.
As the saying goes: "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink." And so it goes for bikers who refuse to wear a helmet. With motorcycle deaths on the rise since the helmet law was repealed, one would think that bikers would take heed. Not only are today's motorcyclists doing themselves a disservice (by not wearing a helmet), but they are also setting a poor example for the next generation of bikers to come. John "Johnny Widebars" Taylor of St. Petersburg, has said that he is more comfortable riding without his helmet. Well, personally I am much more comfortable driving my car without fastening my seat harness. But I wear it anyway. Not only is it the law, but statistics have proven that seat harnesses do save lives. Perhaps a complete overhaul of the helmet, with a brand new design, might help to get the naysaying bikers to once again don their helmets. And while we are at it, let us too, make it the law of the land again.
-- JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater
Educate, don't legislate
Re: Motorcycle deaths rise with end of helmet law.
If motorcycle registrations increased 91 percent and motorcycle deaths increase 81 percent, isn't this actually a decrease? I wonder how the automobile death rate fares compared to its 18 percent increase in new car registrations? The article does not mention how many were single-vehicle accidents or how many were the fault of another vehicle. As a motorcycle rider for over 25 years, I imagine the majority of the accidents were caused by a driver oblivious to the motorcyclist.
As for younger riders having a greater increase in fatal accidents, I would suspect this would be affected by the type of motorcycle which appeals to younger riders - fast sport bikes. Some motorcycle dealers have no problem selling a young person a motorcycle capable of doing 140 mph without even confirming they have a motorcycle license!
The key to reducing motorcycle deaths in not legislating helmets. It is educating the masses. Educating drivers to be more alert to oncoming vehicles. Educating dealers that a 140 mph bike is not a starter bike, or another commission. Educating our young and re-entry riders to be alert to the hazards of the unobservant driver. The way I deal with this is I expect each vehicle to pull out in front of me, or change lanes into me, or run that red light, or any other worst-case scenario that may evolve. Always have an escape plan ready and be prepared to utilize it!
-- Richard Woods, New Port Richey
Misplaced priorities
Re: 6 arrested during BayWalk protest, Aug. 7.
I could not believe the comments and actions by the customers and management at BayWalk in regard to a protest favoring peace rather than war. These people who prefer war to peace, or who are more concerned with their ice cream socials than other individuals who are exercising their right to free expression, are shallow.
St. Pete for Peace is an organization of concerned Americans. This is a group of people who don't want to see our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters die for no reason in a war started by President George W. Bush. This war has nothing to do with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as one BayWalk customer reportedly stated.
People should get their facts straight. Iraq had no ties to al-Qaida. It had no weapons of mass destruction. The people there never asked for our "help" to make it a democracy. A forced democracy is not democratic.
The actions of some BayWalk customers shows their lack of respect for the families and loved ones of soldiers. They are too busy "having fun" to care about what's going on in Iraq.
-- Sharon Hardison, Pinellas Park
The comfort of Keillor
Re: Garrison Keillor's op-ed columns.
It is with relief and with a sense of comfort that I read Garrison Keillor in the paper. Here is a man with a fine sense of emotion. He is expresses his feelings with pride. It's good to read him in the morning. Starts the day off on a positive note.
-- Toni Van Pelt, Seminole