Please wear a helmet.

I was a witness to the worst motorcycle accident friday night. A guy who wasnt wearing a helmet was going about 150+ mph, and changed lanes and hit is friend on a motorcycle. The friend was knocked off and slid onto the grass and had a lot of road rash (but lived). The other guys front tire fell off and he slid face first into the curb (ill spare you the grousome details), and died. I was the one that called 911.

He was only 21 years old and had only been riding for 2 weeks, both guys were on hayabusa's, and niether were wearing helmets. I didnt know either guy, but just seeing that affected me in a way I never thought would happen. It makes you think about your own mortality.

If you want to see the story, heres a link to the story on my hometown news website: http://www.kfdm.com/video/index.php?...tid=1620732138

I will never ride a motorcycle, and I will try and convince my freinds not to ride them also, cause if this affected me this way and I didnt even know these guys. I dont want to know how it feels to actually loose someone you love in this way.

 

Helmets wont help when your stupid enough to go that fast with so little experience.

 

x2, hitting your head on the curb with that kind of force will break your neck if it doesn't crush your skull. I am truly sorry you had to see that, I can only imagine how bad it was.

 

Yeah it was horrible, and yes I know he was stupid for doing what he did with so little experience, and he still wouldnt have lived even if he had a helmet on. But I still feel bad, cause he was so young, you know??

 

I have been an EMT/FF on and off since I was 16 and Im 23 now. I can tell you right now, after a few accidents on bikes the person on the bike is about 80-90% of the time at fault cause they are being dumb. Just today I saw some sportbikes pulling a wheelie down a very busy main road like idiots.

 

i just got a call from the guy that lived. He thanked me for his help, and for stopping and caring about what happened to a total stranger. It made me feel really good inside.

I want to meet him under different circumstances and actually talk to him. I feel really bad that this happened to him cause it was the guys that died fault, who happened to be one of his friends.

 

Right on for stopping, very tragic. I always wear a helmet but i dont ride on the road. Its honestly hard not to ride like an idiot when u get on a bike and ur ripping with ur buddies. its kinda intoxicating i guess. sounds weird but thats no reason to do it still.

 

ride careless on a motorcycle and you will pay for it i see no reason to ride fast and stupid

 

yeah, I didnt even know the guy and I still am affected by this, It doesnt only hurt you, it hurts everyone invovled and around you at the time!! I wish I could go to his wake, but I am in another city for school!

 

Thats horrible. I've seen a few motorcycle accidents and know people who have been in some bad ones and they've all been caused by stupidty.

A few months ago a guy I know was severely injured when he slammed into a curb at full throttle coming around a coldisac (sp?) drunk and got tossed. He ended up shattering his pelvis, breaking an arm, and fracturing his skull because his passenger had his helmet on. The passenger ended up with broken ribs and collar bone.

Just a few days earlier I saw a guy riding this cars a** and looking over his shoulder to pass, when the car slammed on it's brakes. He hit the car, went straight over the bars and bounced into the median.

 

Darwin's theory at work.

It's totally irresponsible to not wear a helmet (especially if you have children to raise) or seatbelt but I don't believe adults should be told they have to wear either but I do understand when it comes to insurance costs and such.

 

I disagree with you x-awd. I think it should be the law for adults to wear seatbelts and helmets. Last year my sister was involved in a head on collision on the highway, if she wasnt wearing her seatbelt, then she would have been killed. I mean its not like seatbelts are uncomfortable, I have never been bothered by a seatbelt in any car I have driven!

 

I ride a motorcycle every day and I always wear a helmet and 90% of the time I wear an armor jacket. Learning to ride in trafic was a little hair raising at first and I can see why about 80% of all crashes are durring the fist 1000 miles of riding. I have about 2500 miles under my belt and I am feeling better about my ability to ride safe.

Some people just can't controll themselves on a bike and ride unsafe. In my experience, these people sell the bike before they die or they keep riding and don't reach old age. Mororcycle riding should be taken seriously and you would have to be a nut not to wear a helmet! People do it all the time around here. I just don't get it.

 

In California it's the LAW to wear a helmet on a bike and a seat belt in a car!
I've been commuting on my bike all summer now. And I don't see how people can ride without a helmet. I wouldn't feel safe without it. And plus, it keeps the bugs and out of your eyes and face! lol Obviously that's if you have a full face shield or good goggles.

Begining riders should start out on a bike that's much smaller and less powerful than anything like that! I have a DR650s Induro bike, and it was a little big for me to begin with. But I started on dirt and got used to the bike and the power before I ever touched pavement!

Also in California, if your under 21, your REQUIRED to take the Rider's Safety Course. Personally, I believe that everyone should have to take it. I took it for the knowledge base and to experience it. Plus it drops your insurance, no matter how old you are. If you took the course, your insurance company will give you a discount.

We also have a few more restrictions on new riders in California. If your riding on a permit, you CAN NOT ride on the Freeway, You CAN NOT ride at night, and You CAN NOT carry a Passenger!!

I'm sorry you had to witness that! But I'm glad you did the right thing and stopped to help as well as calling 911! Thank You from all of us that ride! I would like to hope that if I'm ever in a wreck (on a bike or not) someone like you will stop to assist me!
I try to stop for anybody that I can! If nothing else, helping somebody makes me feel good!

I hope you get the chance to atleast have lunch sometime with the rider that survived. That would be cool!

Sorry to have rambled on so long! lol

Thank You for Stopping to help them!
Good Luck and Keep being so helpful!!
Grant

 

Man, sorry you had to see that. I'm sure it's a pretty life changing experience. I don't think MCs are bad though. They are incredibly fun, but you have to be totally defensive and aware of your surrounding. I've been riding street bikes for the last 12 yrs, and thank God, no injuries. I admit I did my share of stupid crap when I started, then I grew out of it. I lost a really close friend to a MC accident in 04. It makes me cringe when I see all these kids riding with no helmets, in t-shirts or muscle shirts, flip flops.... with a permit still on the bike. Geezus people. I think it should be the law to wear a helmet on a MC - no matter what kind of bike.

With that said, if that kid was even going 85, with that type of accident, I don't know if a helmet would've mattered. When you want to ride like that, take it to the track.

 

If an adult doesn't want to wear it then they are stupid for not;I guess seatbelts save the lives of the stupid people too. I always wear a seatbelt and have for 25 years and always wear a helmet even on my bicycle but it's sad that the goverment has to force the idiots of the US to be safe.

 

x2

My bike is a 250cc with a top speed of about 75mph which I figured would be a good bike to learn on and keep me from doing anything dumb. It is about as fast as the average car on acceleration. I think it is a good way to get the feel for riding on two wheels without having all the power.

Riding is dangerous no matter how you look at it. I primarily do it to save gas these days since I get 75mpg on my bike. I think a required safety course for riders under 21 is a good idea. I plan on taking it but have not gotten a chance.

 

X2

If nothing else. The helmet should be required so that the officer that has to clean up the accident doesn't have to scrape as much brain and blood off the sidewalk. They call it a "Brain Bucket" for a reason!

No helmet will ever save you from a direct hit to the head at 150 miles per hour! It'll snap your neck and possibly shear your helmet in half!
In all the wrecks I was in on my mountain and bmx bikes as a kid. I only remember 1 that I needed my helmet. And my head still hurt after hitting the corner of that brick wall. But I was definitely glad I had it! I never hit my head in any of the others, maybe I'm a freak of nature and know how to protect myself. lol

And I agree, the government shouldn't have to regulate us to death, because we as a society have bred so many IDIOTS and STUPID people! That's natures way of natural selection. Survival of the fittest. Be it mentally or physically.
People need to regain some common sense and start to take responsibility for their own actions!
That's part of why there are so many STUPID people around! They've all been saved and nurtured by "the system." Be it seatbelts or Well Fare!

 

yep it irks me when i see some jackass doing wheelies on a public rd !!! makes me want to swerve over into their lane just to give them a scare !!! if you want to go 150+ do it on a friggin track !!!!! but then thats natural selection !!! same goes for the dolts that cut lanes in traffic ! makes me want to open my car door on 'em ! if i gotta follow the rules of the road then so should bikers as well !!!

 

I belive the biggest point has been over looked still so here it is

AT 100++ miles per hour NO HELMET WILL SAVE YOU NO MATTER HOW SAFE IT IS

that said all these idiots on them suicide machines need to learn there is a place and a time to ride and act like an ass and on the street is not the time or the place.

I ride between 3-5000 miles a year and understand how to keep my self in check even when some douchbag keeps on taunting me.
JUST MY .02