Freedom isn't defined in the USA by being able to do anything you want. While mandatory helmet laws and most transportation issues are handled on a local level here, they are common. If you are stupid enough to ride without a helmet you are lucky if you get cited for it instead of being killed or seriously injured. it isn't something to complain about if your IQ is higher than your shoe size in my humble opinion.oam3292 said:
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You took the words right out of my mouth. This is exactly the case in my country, the Philippines. I live in Metro Manila, the urban capital of the country, and it is very rare to see cyclists in the major roads here. People prefer to ride motorcycles or drive their own cars if they do not want to ride the public transportation systems. We have a Helmet Law that is supposed to mandate all motorcyclists to wear helmets, but our authorities are not so keen on implementing this law. I do agree with you that helmets should be made mandatory to all, whether they're cyclists or motorcyclists. Helmets save the cyclists/motorcyclists the same way that seatbelts save the driver and his or her passengers. I just hope the authorities become more strict in enforcing the law.briannagodess said:
Americans freedoms? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? What happen to people screaming about American Freedoms when seat belts were required? or those lawyer tabs on bikes? I can go on and on but you get what I mean, we don't have that kind of Freedom you're trying to stir up, freedom is taken when people get hurt or killed and then sue like crazy to say that it wasn't their fault for not checking quick releases on their bikes therefore the company who made the frame is at fault. And some laws were good, like seat belt laws to keep us from being ejected, so if we have to wear seat belts by law then we should have to wear a helmet by law to protect are brains to some degree, plain and simple.oam3292 said:
Both of these last two paragraphs are correct. This is what I was saying as well. If you make a law to protect people from injury and death to some degree, like wearing a seatbelt then you should also have a law that requires helmets; if on the other hand if you want the freedom to chose than you make seat belts and helmets an option. You can't have it both ways because it makes no sense, all you really are trying to do is to make it so that cyclists have safety freedoms but motorists should not, thus it's like a marriage, you have rules that the wife gives you to follow but she doesn't have too follow them...[email protected] said:
Right, cyclists cause less accidents because motorists are afraid to hit us when we do all the stupid stuff we do, like run stop signs and lights, weave in and out of traffic without signaling and doing so suddenly, cutting in front of cars, running around at night with no lights or reflectos, etc, then flip off the motorists after they honk at us for our bad riding abilities. Most motorists don't want a dead person on their conscious so they will go to extremes to avoid hitting us despite the fact it's our fault.oportosanto said:
