Missouri Motorcycle Helmet Law Repealed

[Shovelhead]

I pay for INSUREance and HEALTHcare so why is it that taxpayers will absorb the cost if a biker dies? Simple, insurance companies are BIG MONEY and they are all about making money, not paying money so any claim that comes in is absolutely absorbed by every taxpayer (non-illegal immigrant). It must be great to have a business that will, thanks to legislation, never lose a dime. Insurance companies will always make money.
Also, for those who aren't aware , most of the huge corporate loans, say to build a Lowe's or Wal Mart etc. come from insurance company loans not banks. Then the most terrible thing of all is when you do have a problem they start talking about what IS covered, what is NOT covered, co-pay and so on.
The definition of insurance;

A promise of compensation for specific potential future losses in exchange for a periodic payment.

The problem is they are big money, very powerful and they do not want to pay out........I pay IN!

This is where the biggest problem lies.

Also, i'm fairly certain you'll never see a biker reading a newspaper, putting on makeup, or texting while going down the road.

[JKL]

Personally, I think you're more likely to crash wearing a full face helmet, due to limited visibility and heat. This is even worse is town, where you really have to see everything, and expect the unexpected.
I got t-boned a few years ago going through a intersection at 35mph. Luckily I saw it coming, and hit the gas. He hit right behind my seat. Tore things up, but I stayed upright. I was so pissed, I walked across the street and swatted the guy in the head with my skull cap. Goo thing for both of us I wasn't wearing a full face helmet!!

[Diamondave]

I see it as this, You can take a bullet for you country, Buy a cell phone use it and drive proving you are worse at driving than drunk driver all at 18 years of age but you must be 21 to ride in my state. Come on come wake up people

[CatatonicBug]

Diamondave wrote:

I see it as this, You can take a bullet for you country, Buy a cell phone use it and drive proving you are worse at driving than drunk driver all at 18 years of age but you must be 21 to ride in my state. Come on come wake up people

What state is "your state"? We can ride at 16 here in Missouri.

As for the helmet law, I am an ATGATT guy. I ride with a full-face, armored jacket, gloves and long pants EVERY TIME, no matter how hot it is outside. To me protecting my body is just that important. The fact is that though we may not like it, when we cause the insurance companies to pay out for anything, that causes the rates to jump for everyone. That's why health insurance has becore so expensive in recent years - the aging population is forcing an increase in insurance claims.

Remember that driving a vehicle IS a "Privelidge" NOT a "Right". The regular taxes that we pay on things like food and consumer goods do not pay for roads. The taxes that pay for roads come directly from the vehicle-related transactions - Fuel taxes, Personal property taxes, tickets, etc.. If you don't own a vehicle, you are not forced to pay anything related to roads or their upkeep.

I am a strong believer that helmets should be required everywhere. Yes, they can be uncomfortable, but so can the seat of a cage. Get one that is suited for your head, and you'll be fine.

Motorcycle crashes usually have 2 sides - The rider who was either going too fast, not paying attention, or not riding defensively; and the cage driver, who, as was mentioned, doesn't care about anything outside their cage, is driving too fast, nto following road signs/signals, etc.. The thing is that we, as riders, have a responsibility to take care of ourselves. We have to pay special attention to the road, and all that is going on in and around it. A rider who is riding defensively won't get t-boned at an intersection, because they slowed down and looked for possible threats PRIOR to entering EVERY intersection. Those who say we should not have to ride being afraid for our lives are ignorant IMHO. We MUST ride that way. Otherwise, something will happen that will cause you and your family severe pain and heartache.

Remember that we ARE invisible. Accept it, and ride that way!

[toastedgoat]

check it out.. Ks. No helmet law. less motorcycle deaths last year. when a car fails to stop and runs over you ..that helmet isn't gonna save ya.

It's rated at 30mph impact sorta. but a drop from 4 ft destroys it. and it must be replaced. We have had helmet laws in MO . It isn't decreasing the motorcycle deaths.

that said ... I ain't taking any chances. I'll wear mine.

[Bap Paintworker]

It SHOULD be the right of the person riding to decide if he or she wants to wear a helmet . The consequences of their actions will be dealt with either happily or sadly . That said , I think that person SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE MEDICAL INSURANCE to cover any and all accidents and the aftermath of such accidents . The average Missouri taxpayer should NOT have to pick up the bills for those that ride without a helmet !

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[Amy]

For me personally, I prefer to wear a helmet on our bike -- my husband, not so much. But that is OUR choice. The comments on here irritate me that say, "do you know how many lives could be saved if you had to wear a helmet?" Do you know how many lives could be saved if EVERYONE QUIT SMOKING?? So are we going to enforce a law now that says it is illegal to smoke a cigarette? Where do you draw the line? It should be an individuals choice whether or not to wear a helmet, and if they want to assume that risk then so be it. Exactly how much power/control are we willing to give the government? I'm sorry for anybody who has suffered tragedy due to "not wearing a helmet" and your concern for others to wear one, but it is not UP TO YOU or our goverment to make that choice for us. There are far more CAR accidents due to idiots talking on their cell phones, blue tooth, texting, and not paying attention! Drivers of motorcycles are far more aware of other vehicles and their surroundings/safety than a lot of people driving cars. On a motorcycle your senses are heightened and you don't have the distraction of screaming kids, radio, phones and the like. Just my 2 cents...

[Tim]

If I have no say over making you wear a condom, then you have no say over making me wear a helmet.

Tim

[Robert Winters]

Soon we will wear helmets in the bathtub and we can pretend we are going to the moon.

[mshep]

I wear a helmet the majority of the time. However i do enjoy the freedom of cruising with out one. People die daily becuase of poor judgement. Why dont we all wear helmets all the time. I'd imagine that if i were crossing the street and got hit by a car i'd be safer wearing a helmet. The more we cater to "stupid" people, the more of them there will be. Except that death is part of life. I'd rather die being TRULY free than live by laws made by people who think they know better.

[HD rider]

The taxpayer argument is old and ridiculous. If you want to solve that problem, eliminate the government programs would be used to support the untold thousands of motorcycle vegetables that you are so worried about. I've not been shown any reliable data to support the claim that a statistically significant dollar amount would be spent on these "victims". If you don't want to ride a motorcycle, don't. If you want to wear a helmet, go ahead. Take this argument to its conclusion; following this logic, Americans should be legally required to eat only vegetables and rice, we should not be allowed to drive ANY vehicle and all sharp edges and corners should be outlawed. Sound like hyperbole? If you can prove that people will be injured by the thousands (or even the hundreds) by repealing the helmet law, I will prove that helmet laws lead to Orwellian dystopia. Give me verifiable data, not "I am a cop on a busy highway" or "I am a nurse in an ER". You may be experts in your field, but your field is NOT highway safety. And if the taxpayer argument IS valid, I shouldn't have to pay for some whore's abortion, your triple bypass, or anything else that doesn't directly involve me.

[chillinnmo]

my whole family rides and i think i'll always wear a helmet i trust my old mans drivin its the aholes in cars i worry about

[guest]

Just make motorcyclists become madatory organ donors and let them ride without a helmet.

Cracks me up to see a motorcyclist all dressed up in leathers, chaps, gloves, boots, etc. Right behind him is some idiot kid on a moped wearing a helmet and flipflops, short shorts, and a halter top.

[groker]

at5goat wrote:

<quoted text>
The problem is not in "your freedom" as much as it is mine. I will be burdened with your hospital bills, rehab or funeral as a tax payer. You will likely counter with " I have private insurance" and again I say, the burden will be passed on to me. If your actions have no burden on me, then I support it however; in this case it does.

How about all the pollution your big 4, 6 or 8 cylinder 3000 - 5000lb cage causes because you have the "freedom" to purchase a ride 100X more than what you need? How about all the raw materials and energy that went into making it (causing further pollution from manufacturing it - think CO2 - think costly landfills)? How about that 2nd cage (4, 6, or 8 cylinder 3000 - 5000lb) you bought because for some reason you decided only having one wasn't >>convenient<<? How about the drunk drivers behind a 2 ton trigger killing 10's of thousands of people a year and costing millions of dollars in medical and legal costs (not to mention your taxes pay for their jail time)? What if they road bikes instead? Or, what if they and the poor soles in other cages struck by them wore helmets, had mandatory roll cages, complete fire extinguisher systems, full-cab air bags and Kevlar impregnated paneling? Bottom line is cars/trucks are exponentially more costly to the public than bikers without helmets, and most people blindly accept those cages as a part of life such that they don't even realize they've have been manipulated into being one of the sheep (without ever even question it).

[best highjump]

This and the seat belt law are based on your becoming a burden to the State (people). The problem is that if you recieve a serious head injury, in a coma etc. your health insurance (if you have it will eventully run out. You will become a burden on the tax payers after you are placed in a state institution. As for the DOT regulating crash speeds for helmets, the manufacture of any higher speeds in a crash would result in a helmet so heavy it would be extsteamly uncomfortable, and unsafe. Yes they are hot, but at the expense of "just looking cool" They do provide some protection.I ridden many miles on a bike 14 states in one week, and have ridden both ways, And the day I saw my buddy go down on a interstate exit and hit his head, I put my helmet back on. There was no cars no one pulled in front of him, just some gas on the pavement from an overfilled gas tank.

[BDS]

Does anyone have a list of the Senators who would not support calling for a vote to override Nixon's veto of the Motorcycle Helmet Law? We need to make that public if you can find it and make it a quest to vote the liberals all out of office.

[BDS]

http://www.statesurge.com/bills/698186-sb202-... This is the link that shows Senator Schaefer's refusal to bring up and call for an override vote of Jay Nixon's veto of this bill. You can post comments there as well. Very odd that the very Senator who instituted the bill refuses to stand on what he brought up or believes. Either he was bought out or doesn't really know what he believes or stands for.