To the right is a picture of the helmet I was wearing when I had a 60-mph spill on rain-slick I-85 Northbound near Malfunction Junction in Atlanta back in February of 1999. All things considered, I got off light: Broken rib, broken thumb, cracked shoulder blade, and no "road rash" at all. The reason I didn't get any road rash is partly apparent in the scuffs on the port side of the helmet I was wearing at the time. Had I not been wearing a helmet, (or if I'd been wearing any helmet that didn't have full face coverage,) the asphalt would have abraded the left half of my face like a high-speed belt sander, rather than doing it to the lid I was wearing. Not being a big fan of reconstructive cosmetic surgery or skin grafts, I'm damned glad I was wearing it.
To the left, one can see an item from a clever
eBay auction: A "Ben Roethlisberger Replica Helmet", just like the one he was(n't) wearing when he
dumped his bike recently. With nothing between his noggin and the pavement, things went rather worse for him. I guess if you have no vital organs to protect north of your collarbone, there's not much point in wearing a lid to protect them, is there? Maybe he and
Gary Busey could have a spelling bee...
To the right is a picture of the helmet I was wearing when I had a 60-mph spill on rain-slick I-85 Northbound near Malfunction Junction in Atlanta back in February of 1999. All things considered, I got off light: Broken rib, broken thumb, cracked shoulder blade, and no "road rash" at all. The reason I didn't get any road rash is partly apparent in the scuffs on the port side of the helmet I was wearing at the time. Had I not been wearing a helmet, (or if I'd been wearing any helmet that didn't have full face coverage,) the asphalt would have abraded the left half of my face like a high-speed belt sander, rather than doing it to the lid I was wearing. Not being a big fan of reconstructive cosmetic surgery or skin grafts, I'm damned glad I was wearing it.
To the left, one can see an item from a clever eBay auction: A "Ben Roethlisberger Replica Helmet", just like the one he was(n't) wearing when he dumped his bike recently. With nothing between his noggin and the pavement, things went rather worse for him. I guess if you have no vital organs to protect north of your collarbone, there's not much point in wearing a lid to protect them, is there? Maybe he and Gary Busey could have a spelling bee...
The only one dumber than Roethlisberger is the Steelers who signed him to a contract without a clause outlining his off the field activities.
ReplyDeleteI still have a similar one from 1976 - quarter-inch deep gash about 4 inches long right down the back center of the lid
ReplyDeletefarmist
unrelated, but this is the most appropriately-shaped tequila bottle ever
ReplyDeletehttp://cgi.ebay.com/HIJOS-de-VILLA-45-PISTOL-TEQUILA-bourbon-vodka-rum_W0QQitemZ102250741552QQihZ010QQcategoryZ369QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Tam,I hate to get off topic on you here, but I ran into a funny sight that reminded me of your definition of toilet paper, "Sh*? Tickets". Sitting in the throne room doing my deal here Stockholm, Sweden, I reach over to tear a piece off and out comes a single sheet. Just like a movie ticket dispenser. Lauged so hard I nearly cracked my back. Just thought I would share.
ReplyDeletelater
shooter
It is not the business of the government to protect me from myself.
ReplyDeleteIn England, now that they have nearly made it illegal to smoke, they are talking seriously about either outlawing french fries, or forbidding their sale to anyone who is overweight. It is for your own good of course, because after all you are not a responsible adult who expects to live with the consequences of your actions.
If the state wants to control things for our safety, why don't we just outlaw motorcycles all together? That would be safer.
Freedom? Who cares about freedom? We are talking about safety here! (And if you can't recognize sarcasm, well then you have other problems.)
It is for your own good of course, because after all you are not a responsible adult who expects to live with the consequences of your actions.
ReplyDeleteOnce you buy into collectivism unfortunately this crap makes a lot of sense. Since the government is paying for your health care, guess who gets to regulate anything having to do with your health (like obesity)? That's right the government. After all it's going to be their money to fix it.
Oh, don't get me wrong: Just because I always wear a helmet doesn't mean I'm in favor of helmet laws.
ReplyDeleteI don't run with scissors, either, and I don't need a law to tell me not to.
Been there, done that a couple more times than my insurance company considers pleasing. Did I mention I hate idiot old man drivers who think turning left on a green means right of way in an intersection? Nevermind. Suffice it to say my first crash a few years ago would have been considerably more serious than a concussion if I hadn't been wearing my DOT half-shell. After THAT incident, full face and dirtbike lids all the way.
ReplyDeleteSparky
When asked "How much should I spend on a helmet?" the proper answer is "If you have a $2.00 head then get a $2.00 helmet."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see you rightly concluded your head was worth more than $2.00.
(I too object to helmet laws and I too wear a full face helmet when riding.)
The thing that always struck me (besides the asphalt) when I crashed on the street was the suddenness and the energy - it wasn't just a fall, it was like being thrown to the ground. !Whang! That and weird post-crash feelings of pain and ugliness, the damn flappy plastic, and the way the bars were not right and the bike rode crab-like, and the wind entered blown-seams in the leathers - and having to buy a new Arai. That's all expensive especially the plastic for a FZ. After the first time I quit bothering with the insurance guys, but I was priced-out of the street-side of the sport when I was unemployed. No riding without health insurance at a minimum. So I started dual-sporting and eventually turned away from the street to the Dirt - and have never loked back, much - except for a trip through the Alps two-up with my wife.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't help it. I blogged it. Thanks for the rant.
ReplyDeleteI'm against helmet laws, too, with some caveats.
ReplyDelete1)Your medical insurance should only be valid if you told them up front you don't wear helmets. Don't make the rest of us pay more for your independence.
2) If you don't have medical insurance and do not have the means to pay the freight, then no medical facility is required by law to treat you. They can just transfer you to the funeral home's waiting room.
By no means should government be trying to circumvent Darwinism.
There's a medical term for people who ride without helmets. Y'all have heard it before but it's truly used. At the hospital, when we get the call from EMS,"Bringing an organ donor."
Best