I got another e-mail from another clueless wonder.

From: Paul Purtle

Hey RED-Here's some homework for your Darwinian principle. Go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ , then head toward crash statistics at FARS/REPORTS/PEOPLE/MOTORCYCLISTS/HELMET USE. Now, read the number of fatalities in each column. You'll notice that the number of dead people in the HELMET USED column is ALWAYS bigger than in the HELMET NOT USED. Year in/year out. Majority of states (31) with NO helmet law. Gee, I wonder why. I guess it means that you'll die (if you're lucky enough not to be a vegetable) sooner than me, with your gleaming lid on.-PDP

My Response:

Well, it would seem that the lidless wonders of the world's hypocrisy has no bounds. I find it strange that in all my years of riding and arguing about helmets that the only riders really concerned with statistics are those who don't want to wear helmets. What's even stranger is that they only send me stats that point in the direction of their argument. Then, when you give them data showing the opposite, they are quick to dismiss it and start arguing personal freedoms, comfort, blah blah. Now really, this should come as no surprise. Anybody who has an argument is going to dismiss any numbers contrary to their argument. So, you may ask, what is my point? Thanks for asking.

I don't trust statistics. Statistics is the art of manipulating numbers. Anybody making any type of argument about anything can take the numbers found in some research project and use them to there own end. Based on how you display, manipulate, include, or omit, the numbers. You can make two different arguments with the same numbers. Let me give you an example.

Ok, now let's make two arguments, with the exact same numbers:

Crime is up in the last 10 years.

According to the chart, there was 60% increase of crimes committed per year from 1990 to 2000.

Crime is down in the last 10 years.

According to the chart, the population increased by 87% in 10 years, yet crime increase by 61%. So, per capita, crime is down 25% over the last ten years.

That is why I don't trust statistics. As you can see, even I can take the same exact numbers and display them any way I choose. Now imagine what these statistic bureaus can do with all kinds of numbers, conditions, blah blah blah..

Lets use something a little more noteworthy, personal observations. Now, keep in mind, these are not hard facts, just what I have noticed in my riding experience.

A majority of riders that do not use helmets ride cruisers. You know, Harleys, Viragos, Gold Wings, the like. For the most part, these riders do just what their bikes are made for, "cruising". It's usually an older, more experienced, and milder riding crowd. I've seen a lot less cruiser accidents than I have sport-bike related accidents.

Now, a majority of sport-bike riders do wear helmets. However, these riders are taking corners at break-neck speeds, doing wheelies, endos, and other stunts. I hate to admit this because I am a sport-bike rider, but a good number of sport-bike riders are idiots, or they ride like idiots. Most of them are kids (mentally anyway) with a switch that turns off the moment they saddle these speed machines.

I would be willing to bet that a good majority of motorcycle fatalities are on sport-bikes. Most of these riders are getting into accidents doing stupid stunts or are doing speeds well into 3 digits, sometimes getting pretty close to 200 mph. At that speed, will a helmet help? I think it would at least some, or not. It depends on the accident. I seriously doubt your skull is going to be able to handle any kind of impact at that speed.

The point of all of that is this. In accidents where a rider wearing a helmet dies, the cause of death is usually due to BODILY injuries. You know, broken bones, blunt trauma from impact with a car, ground, other people, etc, internal bleeding, or even decomposition or decapitation (seen that, not pretty). And don't get the any ideas about the helmet having anything to do with any decapitation situation. Had he/she not been wearing a helmet, his/her head would have been totally crushed or severed anyway.

Ok, now on to common sense. I'll tell you what, Paul. Let's do a little experiment. We will both sit on our respective bikes. I'll wear my "gleaming lid" and you wear your bandana, doo-rag, hair, or whatever. We'll take two 5lb sledge hammers and place them vertically behind us. Letting gravity take its course, we will let the hammers crank us on the top of our heads until one of us goes unconscious. I got money that says one of us leaves with a crushed skull. The worst I'll get is a ringing in my ears.

Anyway, you keep believing statistics and searching for data, and I'll keep my helmet. When you or one of your friends gets killed from getting hit by a car and his/her head glances off the ground and splits wide open, go cry to someone else. I'll only give you a resounding, "I told you so!"

Red

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