In 2013 there were a total of 1028 injuries or deaths in accidents involving motorcycles and drivers without helmets. I believe that if you’re driving or riding on a motorcycle, if should be illegal to drive without a helmet. Many people get severely injured or killed because of something that could easily be prevented, even if it helps a small percentage – that percentage is life-saving. I think of it just like wearing a seat belt, and you can be ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt in the state of Wisconsin.
If I am sitting in a car, I am shielded by the metal box around me. If I am sitting on a bike, I am shielded by nothing. When someone on a motorcycle crashes, there is nothing to help them but the ground beneath their feet. Nothing can help their skull if it is to hit the ground, unless they have a helmet on. A helmet can save a life, just like a seatbelt, and we’ve made it a law to wear a seatbelt. It is now time to make wearing a helmet while on a motorcycle a law.
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A standard or primary enforcement seat belt law allows police to stop and ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt, just like any other routine traffic violation.” Whether the ticket is $10 or $1,000, there is an inconvenience to getting pulled over for not wearing your seat belt, and because of this law, many people started wearing theirs when they drive every day. I think that this same law should be in place for wearing a helmet while you’re riding a motorcycle, because wearing a seat belt has saved lives, and so will wearing a
If one is properly equipped and following the laws than it should be a safe ride. But with anything there is risk involved so to resolve this are we going to take cars off the road because people keep running into each other or band motorcycles because if they get hit there chance of survival is very small. No we have allowed all these items on are public roads because people are willing to take the risk every time one gets in there car and turns the key they are taking a risk not just for them but the ones that share the road with ‘‘ATVs are dangerous motorcycles are dangerous cars can be very dangerous but using the vehicle in a safe manner and proper education and training on how to maneuver the machine and using right speeds is key’’(bowman) as you can see from the reasoning above ATVs can and should be legalized on public roads. they are a more convenient way to get around and tour the state. Anyone willing to take the steps should be allowed to license and ride their ATV on public
An enormous division currently exists between the people who believe that automobile safety should be an option and those that feel it must be a requirement. The federal government feels the morally obligated to create the safest driving environment possible. On the other end of the spectrum, opinions exist that the average driver has ability to make the choice of safety on their own. Editorials, political assemblies, debates, and conversations have arrived on the concept of click it or ticket. This idea refers to ticketing any motor vehicle driver and passenger that is not fastened by a seat belt. Arguments have been made for both sides, and have been reviewed in multiple states.
Millions of people all over the United States choose motorcycles over automobiles for the thrill, speed, and high performance capabilities. On the other hand, motorcycles are not at all the safest way of transportation. Motorcycles do not provide the passenger with the outer protection that cars provide, therefore, when one crashes, the results are usually much more serious. Injuries to the head are responsible for 76% of fatalities when dealing with motorcycle crashes many of which could have been prevented had the rider been wearing a helmet. For this reason, many states have adopted the motorcycle helmet law. The law states that every passengers must wear a helmet at all times when riding on a motorcycle. This law has created a great deal of controversy. One side supports the law, believing that it protects motorcyclists from danger and saves the economy a great deal of money. The other side argues that the law is unconstitutional and it violates our right to freedom. However, statistics show overwhelming support in favor of the motorcycle helmet law. Although wearing helmets cannot prevent motorcycle crashes, they can greatly reduce the number of deaths caused by head injury as well as lowering taxes, insurance rates, and health care costs. Therefore, the helmet law should be put into effect in every state across the United States.
In 1966, the National Highway Safety Bureau (NHSB) was designed by the Highway Act. NHSB’s director, Dr. William Haddon, noticed that he could prevent motor-vehicle injuries by applying public health methods and epidemiology. Various passages demanded the government to set standards for the highway and motor vehicles. The federal government responded by developing new safety features in cars such as safety belts, head rests, and shatter-resistant windshields. Barriers, reflectors, and center line strips were placed on roadways to provide direction and illumination. Traffic safety laws, wearing a safety belt, and public education encouraged drivers to make safer decisions. The use of safety belts has skyrocketed from 11% in 1981 to 68% in 1997 and decreases When the community and government understood the necessity for motor-vehicle safety, various programs such as Prior to the implementation, the rate stood at 18 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1925; however, the rate stood at 1.7 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1997. With all of the new safety features with cars, public education and enforcement of safety laws, “motor-vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States.” Over 23.9 million vehicle crashes were reported in 1997; estimated costs were around $200 billion.
Even though there are some statistics that may show a lower rate of injury or death if you wear a seat belt when in an automobile accident, I do not feel that the government has the right to make wearing a seat belt mandatory for adults because by making seat belts mandatory it takes away from our right to freedom of choice, and wearing a seat belt does not eliminate the risk of injury or death as people have been injured and/or killed due to wearing a seat belt Current seat belt law originated from federal legislation in the 1960s that made it mandatory for all automobile manufacturers to include seat belts in their vehicles as a standard feature. Originally, the purpose of a seat belt was not to protect the occupants in the case of a crash, but rather to physically keep them in the vehicle, as driving was bumpy business. However, in today’s times, mandatory use of a seat belt falls under various states purview. Each state implements its own laws regarding enforcement of seat belt use.
Assistant City Manager Mike Wanchick said, "A helmet seems to give a false sense of security to the cyclist, who feel less vulnerable and may ride less cautiously," He then went on to add. "As a result, riders wearing a helmet are more likely to have an accident." (Post) Now, the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI) statistics show four states accounted for 40 percent of bicycle deaths in 2000, With Texas as one of them. Yet, Wanchick says that "our basic position is that bicycle safety is a parents' primary obligation," adding " What hurts kids are cars and we need to be working the traffic citations out there* people who are licensed to drive cars, not kids learning to ride bicycles." (Post) Even though 10 of the largest cities in Texas have bicycle-helmet ordinances including Dallas and Fort Worth. But, Richardson Texas choose to not act on this issue, but turn a blind eye to one of the silent injuries and the prevention of it by wearing a simple helmet. The BHSI says the statistics show about 800 bicyclists die in the US every year. Plus another one in eight of the cyclists injured has a brain injury.
Imagine a ten year old innocent girl, her parents whom she dearly loved slaughtered in front of her, her siblings being sold into prostitution, slavery or to guerrilla forces as child soldiers. Rape, theft, murder, genocides and other injustice doing is her daily “playground”. Now stop imaging, the common American seems to be oblivious to current events going on worldwide, because such girls exist in war torn places such as Iraq, Syria and Democratic Republic of Congo. If Conscription, the practice of ordering people by law to serve the armed forces were enforced then we might not have to let ten year old girls endure such hardship. Conscription is being used in countries like Switzerland, Austria and Finland, their citizens will never have
Should all states require motorcyclists and passengers to wear helmets? Carla Lockhart Dr. Wayne Marshall ENG 215 May 20, 2018 Introduction All states should require motorcyclists and passengers to wear helmets: Some states by law do need riders and passengers to wear helmets. Why would riders and passengers not want to wear helmets? Can all states reach an agreement to have the same helmet law?
Have you ever known somebody who was injured in a car accident? What do you think his attitude about seat belts was after they saved his life? If you knew that a seat belt would save your life, you would buckle up! It took years of legislation and public awareness campaigns to make seat belt use mandatory. Now a new topic regarding public safety is coming to light: people are dying or becoming seriously injured in seemingly minor accidents on bicycles when the rider's head strikes the concrete. When the head is unprotected "the brain continues to move in a forward motion while the skull stops moving" (Macyko1), causing trauma. What is needed is a way to protect the brain "by absorbing the energy from the impact, buying extra time for the brain to slow down" (Macyko1). Bicycle riders need to wear helmets to protect their brains from injury, yet unfortunately the public is simply not aware of this need and many people will continue to die or be seriously injured unless something is done. Bicycle helmets save lives and should be required by Arizona State law for riders of all ages.
II. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, bicycle related crashes kill about 900 people a year and injure over half a million. Most bicycle deaths or accidents occur between 3-9 pm, and most often occur during the summer months. We can prevent these numbers by: wearing protective equipment, obeying the rules of the road, and being aware of your surroundings.
Seatbelts have been around since the 1950s and have proven to save lives over the years. The teenage stigma is that they do not need to wear one because they will be fine. After thousands of accidents where the occupants did not wear their seatbelt, the Supreme Court decided to pass some laws. “In 1972, the agency requires dull passive restraints for front seat occupants” (Supreme Court). The agency that the Supreme Court is referring to is the Department of Transportation. This law is a staple in automobile safety and sets a level of precedents for future laws. After this law was passed, the amount of fatalities from traffic incident relating to seat belts usage had dropped. The Supreme Court did not stop there, they continued to add more laws. “...new motor vehicles produced after September 1982 will be equipped with passive restraints to protect the safety of the occupants of the vehicle in the event of a collision” (Supreme Court). Now all new motor vehicles must have a form of passive restraint added to their vehicles before they can sell them to the public. The government hoped to protect more lives of young drivers who did not insist on wearing seat belts by making them mandatory and being enforced by police officers. Since 1972, hundreds of thousands of teenage lives have been saved with this simple safety
We have all heard the excuses before, “do I have to wear it? It isn’t like it’s going to protect me,” “it’s uncomfortable, I’m only going around the corner,” or “I’d rather be thrown out of the vehicle than to be stuck in a seat belt.” No matter how good of a driver you are, or you think you might be, there are always situations that are beyond your control. Such as, bad weather, drunk drivers, and road conditions. Sometimes, seat belts can be a life or death in an automobile accident. Not only is wearing your seat belt every time you get in a vehicle, but it is required by law in 49 states, with the exception of New Hampshire. Although seat belts are known to lock up and wrinkle your clothes, I believe that wearing your seat belt is beneficial because every fourteen seconds someone is injured in a traffic crash. Seat belts are not only known for holding you in place during a collision, but more importantly the are known to save the lives of the occupants in the vehicle.
This topic is a constant and heated debate among people. Many people argue that the rider should have the freedom to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. Although, many people feel this is a selfish perspective because when others have accidents, it becomes other people’s concerns. This is said because some people believe that the families, loved ones, or tax payers will be paying for the rider’s injury bills. Along with freedom rights, riders complain that the helmets are heavy. With the weight of the helmet, arguments are made that injuries could increase with the spinal cord or neck. Likewise, people think that helmets can become a distraction or “get in the way”. When riders say this, they are referring to their ability to see or hear what is going on in the environment. “These senses have been studied in the context of motorcycle activity and do not appear to be impaired, and in certain circumstances, may be improved” (Auerbach). Research has been shown that helmets do not cause distractions or impair hearing or vision
Although there are many unsafe things that people should not do while driving such as, texting, reckless driving, speeding, and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, however, they still do it because they think they will not cause an accident. No one ever expects to get into a car accident one day while they are driving minding their own business heading towards their destination and suddenly being hit by someone ending up with head and back injuries and a broken hip bone or even fatality. The use of a seat belt may not save you from bodily injuries but it certainly can keep your body in place preventing you from being ejected out of a vehicle that has come to a halt. I’d rather be held in a car during a car accident than to be thrown on the side of a road any
Road safety is one of the most important aspects of daily living. Our vehicle is our main transportation from one place to another. The number of car and motorcycle accidents seem to be increasing because of the many distractions, the lack of safety measures and judgment to road conditions and weather. Not being cautious increases the chances of not only injuring ourselves but hurting others as well. On the road, you see people talking on their cell phones or texting, eating, putting makeup on, changing the radio station, reading or using your GPS while driving. These are all distractions that endanger drivers, passengers and bystanders safety. Safe driving involves off-road precautionary measures such as making sure tires are properly inflated, testing windshield wipers, getting regular oil changes and tune-ups and adjusting the mirrors. All of these actions can help prevent an accident. Unfortunately, not all of us decide to wear our seat belts when driving or turn signal ligh...