Posted by Jason on August 09, 2000 at 01:29:34:
In Reply to: I think you're right on point.... posted by msblucow on August 08, 2000 at 15:53:10:
Damn, I thought I could skip this whole thread.
MSblucow, let me go out on a limb and guess that you don't
have an M endorsement on your license. You know as much about
riding as Dick Floyd, the legislator that proposed and passed
the lid law, using many lies to do so. IOW, nothing.
Since the helmet law, fatalities per 100 accidents has edged
up slightly or stayed constant. Helmets usually don't save
lives - they do nothing to protect the rest of the body. Their
best function is in preserving the head. "Brain buckets."
The medical costs are higher for helmeted riders than for
unhelmeted riders by about 6%. So if you want to argue the
money aspect, your argument fails. Motorcyclists carry health
insurance at slightly higher rates than cagers. If you're
concerned about tax dollars, target them. Floyd claimed that
California would save millions of dollars from the lid law. In
fact it has cost millions, mostly in reduced sales tax because
some people (mostly idiots) decided it was no longer fun.
The primary reason for the lid law was to harass guys on Harleys.
The CHP gave out 45,000 tickets in violation of the passed law,
deciding for themselves that DOT stickered beanie helmets weren't
good enough. When a DC judge told them to stop, the head of the CHP
remained defiant. Thankfully he was forced to resign soon after.
I really don't care about EMTs. It's their job. I'm sure they
spend far more time dealing with the remains of drunk drivers,
and grossly unfit people suffering from heart attacks.
If you really want to fix the problem, you ban riding in anything
sort of an BF Suv or a volvo. You look ready to prevent anything
that might lead to an unpleasant death. I'd rather live myself. My
mother will back me up on this - next year she's going to make a go
at Denali.
Floating around is an actuarial table that lists fatalities per
million hours of exposure. 3 of the 4 are activities that I've
done: Skydiving, scuba, motorcycling (though not racing). The other
is flying small aircraft. #5 was the act of living.
To me, it is a far greater tragedy when someone develops cancer
and dies 1-3 years later. This happened recently to a friend at
a previous office. She wasn't 30. I don't presume to have a life
into my 80s, and I'm going to enjoy the ride now, while I know it
exists. Should an accident happen to me, so be it. At least I
went out on my terms, not slowly wasting away from chemotherapy.
I don't hate life, but I certainly don't fear death.