food for thought

^ +1 how would you feel when suddenly if our real good govt decides that bikes are too dangerous and car is safer and ban bikes... (exasperating) but i gives some hint ...

I would happen to know a guy who thinks that " no sane person will ride a bike when he has the option on car" hows that for starters...

That is purely his prerogative. That decision will not lead to any injury. Also, statistically speaking he is true.

In an ideal world, yes even that should be encouraged. IMO, helmet is the most basic protection and hence should be enforced.

In that case let me give another example. Why are seat-belts mandatory in most developed nations?

If the limit is realistic, why not.

There i always different way to look at things we are not saying that Helmet is bad we are only saying no one should be forced to wear them. If someone doesn't wants to wear a helmet why force him, just to prove your self righteous .... dat really doesn't sounds fair to me ..

While you are entitled to your opinion, I just want to say that I feel that way coz, its citizens are the most important assets of any country.

^ agreed, but it has to be personal choice you cant just force people and say its good for them, let them decide for themselves (they are adults ). This setting reminds me of the movie V for Vendetta, we all know what happens ....

i'm all in favour of buckling up. seat-belts should be mandatory.

how about this then...
(the government should) only allow the manufacture of cars with air-bags.

aren't air-bags in cars the equivalent of helmets on bikes?


haha... really? and what's a realistic speed limit for you?

and i sure as heck would buy that bike tho.

One day I am sure, air bags/ABS would be mandatory and people would then protest against the government for forcing on them this basic measure of safety.

For the speed limits, we have the German Autobahns for inspiration.

I think its a completely retrograde and bull$hit step. To those advocating individual freedom, kindly realize one does not ride in isolation.

A motorcyclist on his bike is part of the bigger traffic stream. If one is involved in an accident, due to whatever reason/confusion/error - then the motorcyclist can die. The other person esp say a car guy who can face a greater prison term or suchlike for no reason. Or even for example a jaywalker or a errant cyclist.

The government's job is to regulate & make the overall environment safer. There is little scope for individual freedom in common-use public spaces. If there's too much freedom, you get Indian highways - morons driving all over the roads, no lane discipline.

To take a corollary - there are always multitude of RJ02 boleros crawling at 50 kph in the rightmost lane of the Delhi Gurgaon expressway - its a free world, right? But each such vehicle makes hundreds of other vehicles cruising at 80-110 kph to swerve into the slower lanes & weave in/out of traffic. If there's an accident, the faster vehicle is to blame - not the stupid lane hog who was the root cause.

And yes, I've commuted on this expressway four years - I've seen that mornings GGN-DEL is fantastic because there's least lane hogs. Evening 9pm's the worst when its overrun by trucks in all lanes! That time the traffic is the worst!

So sorry - I'm all for basic minimum regulation.

In Surprise Vote, Motorcycle Helmet Choice Bill Passes Committee

By Andrew Doughman | 7:37 pm April 14th, 2011

CARSON CITY – Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, had written off his bill as dead when he learned this afternoon that Sen. Shirley Breeden, D-Las Vegas, was giving it a vote. The senator was even more tickled when he realized his bill had the votes to pass out of committee. The bill would let people ride motorcycles without helmets if they are 21 years of age or older, have had a motorcycle license for more than one year and have completed a safety course.

Gustavson has introduced the bill for the past five legislative sessions. The bill passed out of committee on a 4 to 3 vote with three Democrats voting against, three Republicans voting for and Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, casting the tie-breaking “yes” vote.

Despite being against the bill, Breeden said she wanted to give the bill a chance. “I believe we vetted all the bills and I thought it should have an opportunity for folks to vote on it,” she said. “…I know how it’s going to come out, but I still thought it was the right thing to do.”
The chair of the committee decides whether to bring up a bill for a vote. In Nevada’s case where the majority of legislators in the Senate and Assembly are Democrats, all committees have a Democratic chairperson. Often, the bills brought forward to a vote reflect the political hue – red or blue – of the chairperson.

Republicans voiced their support for Gustavson’s bill. Sen Elizabeth Halseth, R-Las Vegas, called the bill a “great liberty bill.” She also said the bill could be a way to bring jobs to Nevada, echoing Gustavson’s earlier arguments that motorcycle events and interest in riding will grow if the law is repealed.

Sen. Michael Schneider, D-Las Vegas, disagreed. “This is a great jobs bill for the medical community,” he quipped. “There’s a huge, huge expense in this. I would dispute what Sen. Halseth is saying.” He said that helmets provide protection from more serious injuries when motorcycle riders are involved in accidents. Removing a requirement to wear one could lead to gruesome injuries and more fatal crashes, he said.

Lee said wearing a helmet or not wearing a helmet was a “personal right.” Schneider said that society ends up paying for that personal right. “It costs society so much money that, you know, the cheap way out is that people die,” he said. “They hit their head on the curb and die. That’s cheap.” Otherwise society pays the medical bills for people in assisted living homes, he said. In the end, Nevada Sens. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, and Dean Rhoads, R-Elko, joined Halseth and Lee to pass the bill out of committee.

The bill is now headed for the Senate floor.

Source : Nevada News Bureau Blog Archive In Surprise Vote, Motorcycle Helmet Choice Bill Passes Committee

Unbelievable !! This being implemented in a developed country like USA !!!