smunderdog
06-19-2006, 12:32 PM
Wasn't surprised to see this pop up in the news in light of the mishap in Pittsburgh last week, but it did bring a question to mind. Our governor here in Indiana rides a Harley and even rode it on a 2 day trip around the state to attend a few events recently. Does anyone else have a mayor/governor that rides?
Article from the IndyStar:
Helmets likely to remain optional
NFL star's crash revives issue, but few Hoosier lawmakers want to tackle new law
By Kate Hollowayand Mary Beth Schneider
kate.holloway@indystar.com
PHOTO CAPTION: Safety choice: Gov. Mitch Daniels led a two-day tour on his Harley earlier this month to promote motorcycle safety and awareness. Daniels (leaving the Statehouse on June 9 for a ride to Kokomo) said he wears a helmet but doesn't support a law making them mandatory. - SAM RICHE / The Star
Motorcycle accidents in Indiana in 2005
Motorcycles were involved in 1.2 percent of all vehicle crashes, but they accounted for 11 percent of all vehicle fatalities. Here are some other numbers:
• 68.8 -- Percentage of motorcycle crashes* that resulted in injuries, compared with 20.7 percent of all motor vehicle crashes.
• 4 -- Percentage of motorcycle crashes* that resulted in a death.
• 81 -- Percentage of motorcycle fatalities* that involved individuals not wearing a helmet.
* Denotes all crashes, injuries and fatalities with a motorcycle involved. All injured and deceased individuals were not necessarily riding a motorcycle.
Source: Indiana State Police
ARTICLE:
Maybe if it had been Peyton Manning and not Pittsburgh Steeler Ben Roethlisberger. Perhaps then, Indiana might think about requiring motorcycle helmets.
But legislative leaders quickly dismissed the idea last week after Roethlisberger, who wasn't wearing a helmet, reignited the helmet debate nationally by crashing into the windshield of a car in Pittsburgh.
"Do I think it's dumb to ride a motorcycle without a helmet?" asked Senate Majority Leader David C. Long, R-Fort Wayne. "Yes, I do, and I bet Roethlisberger does, too, now. But that's a choice people make for themselves."
The state's first biker, Gov. Mitch Daniels, agreed.
He wore a black helmet, labeled the "Skid Lid," earlier this month when he kicked off a two-day motorcycle tour on his Harley.
"I have not supported them," he said of mandatory helmet laws. "(But) I wear one."
Roethlisberger, who is expected to make a full recovery, said he would not ride a motorcycle again without a helmet.
But the prognosis for any kind of helmet law in Indiana is not so good. Wearing a helmet is a personal decision, leading Hoosier politicians say, not a legislative one.
House Speaker Brian C. Bosma, R-Indianapolis, hasn't shied from controversy in his short tenure as the most powerful member of the House, but he wants nothing to do with the idea. Bosma called the prospect of a mandatory helmet law "more emotional than daylight-saving time or Major Moves."
Changing Indiana clocks and leasing the Toll Road to a Spanish-Australian consortium have generated intense debate and even some lawsuits.
Under Indiana law, people younger than 18 or who have a learner's permit are required to wear a helmet if they operate a motorcycle. But the mandatory helmet law for adults, introduced in 1967, was repealed in 1977.
After Roethlisberger's crash, the Indiana State Police released updated statistics on motorcycle accidents.
Motorcycle crashes accounted for 11 percent of all Indiana vehicle fatalities in 2005, although motorcycles were involved in only 1.2 percent of all vehicle crashes.
About 80 percent of those fatal crashes involved riders who were not wearing helmets, the State Police said.
First Sgt. David Bursten, a State Police spokesman, declined to take a position on whether Indiana should have a mandatory helmet law, but he said there is no doubt that fewer motorcyclists would die if they wore helmets.
"It would be a reasonable expectation to see the number of motorcycle fatalities reduced from 11 percent to something less than that," Bursten said.
American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, which co-sponsored the ride that Daniels attended on his Harley, is staunchly opposed to any kind of mandatory helmet law.
The powerful lobbying group said the best way to reduce deaths and injuries is education and training.
"That's, of course, a far more proactive approach, rather than the protective gear, which is only reactive," said Jay Jackson, executive director of ABATE Indiana.
"In many states, once they've passed the helmet law, that's it. They're done," he said. "There are very few efforts dedicated toward motorcycle safety beyond that."
State Rep. Dennis T. Avery, D-Evansville, sponsored legislation in 1989 to reintroduce the mandatory helmet law.
"You can't do it with education alone," Avery said. "It's been shown that it doesn't work."
According to the State Police statistics, motorcycle-related fatal accidents increased 75 percent from 1976 to 1978 -- the years before and after the repeal of the mandatory helmet law. However, there was also a 28 percent increase in all motorcycle-related crashes during that period.
State Rep. Tim Brown, a Crawfordsville Republican who is one of three physicians in the legislature, said that while people who want to ride without helmets say it's an issue of personal choice, the consequences can extend beyond them.
"I want to tie that person to the consequences of their actions," Brown said. "Right now, there's a little bit of disconnect. If someone is severely injured, why should all people pay through higher insurance rates?"
Article from the IndyStar:
Helmets likely to remain optional
NFL star's crash revives issue, but few Hoosier lawmakers want to tackle new law
By Kate Hollowayand Mary Beth Schneider
kate.holloway@indystar.com
PHOTO CAPTION: Safety choice: Gov. Mitch Daniels led a two-day tour on his Harley earlier this month to promote motorcycle safety and awareness. Daniels (leaving the Statehouse on June 9 for a ride to Kokomo) said he wears a helmet but doesn't support a law making them mandatory. - SAM RICHE / The Star
Motorcycle accidents in Indiana in 2005
Motorcycles were involved in 1.2 percent of all vehicle crashes, but they accounted for 11 percent of all vehicle fatalities. Here are some other numbers:
• 68.8 -- Percentage of motorcycle crashes* that resulted in injuries, compared with 20.7 percent of all motor vehicle crashes.
• 4 -- Percentage of motorcycle crashes* that resulted in a death.
• 81 -- Percentage of motorcycle fatalities* that involved individuals not wearing a helmet.
* Denotes all crashes, injuries and fatalities with a motorcycle involved. All injured and deceased individuals were not necessarily riding a motorcycle.
Source: Indiana State Police
ARTICLE:
Maybe if it had been Peyton Manning and not Pittsburgh Steeler Ben Roethlisberger. Perhaps then, Indiana might think about requiring motorcycle helmets.
But legislative leaders quickly dismissed the idea last week after Roethlisberger, who wasn't wearing a helmet, reignited the helmet debate nationally by crashing into the windshield of a car in Pittsburgh.
"Do I think it's dumb to ride a motorcycle without a helmet?" asked Senate Majority Leader David C. Long, R-Fort Wayne. "Yes, I do, and I bet Roethlisberger does, too, now. But that's a choice people make for themselves."
The state's first biker, Gov. Mitch Daniels, agreed.
He wore a black helmet, labeled the "Skid Lid," earlier this month when he kicked off a two-day motorcycle tour on his Harley.
"I have not supported them," he said of mandatory helmet laws. "(But) I wear one."
Roethlisberger, who is expected to make a full recovery, said he would not ride a motorcycle again without a helmet.
But the prognosis for any kind of helmet law in Indiana is not so good. Wearing a helmet is a personal decision, leading Hoosier politicians say, not a legislative one.
House Speaker Brian C. Bosma, R-Indianapolis, hasn't shied from controversy in his short tenure as the most powerful member of the House, but he wants nothing to do with the idea. Bosma called the prospect of a mandatory helmet law "more emotional than daylight-saving time or Major Moves."
Changing Indiana clocks and leasing the Toll Road to a Spanish-Australian consortium have generated intense debate and even some lawsuits.
Under Indiana law, people younger than 18 or who have a learner's permit are required to wear a helmet if they operate a motorcycle. But the mandatory helmet law for adults, introduced in 1967, was repealed in 1977.
After Roethlisberger's crash, the Indiana State Police released updated statistics on motorcycle accidents.
Motorcycle crashes accounted for 11 percent of all Indiana vehicle fatalities in 2005, although motorcycles were involved in only 1.2 percent of all vehicle crashes.
About 80 percent of those fatal crashes involved riders who were not wearing helmets, the State Police said.
First Sgt. David Bursten, a State Police spokesman, declined to take a position on whether Indiana should have a mandatory helmet law, but he said there is no doubt that fewer motorcyclists would die if they wore helmets.
"It would be a reasonable expectation to see the number of motorcycle fatalities reduced from 11 percent to something less than that," Bursten said.
American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, which co-sponsored the ride that Daniels attended on his Harley, is staunchly opposed to any kind of mandatory helmet law.
The powerful lobbying group said the best way to reduce deaths and injuries is education and training.
"That's, of course, a far more proactive approach, rather than the protective gear, which is only reactive," said Jay Jackson, executive director of ABATE Indiana.
"In many states, once they've passed the helmet law, that's it. They're done," he said. "There are very few efforts dedicated toward motorcycle safety beyond that."
State Rep. Dennis T. Avery, D-Evansville, sponsored legislation in 1989 to reintroduce the mandatory helmet law.
"You can't do it with education alone," Avery said. "It's been shown that it doesn't work."
According to the State Police statistics, motorcycle-related fatal accidents increased 75 percent from 1976 to 1978 -- the years before and after the repeal of the mandatory helmet law. However, there was also a 28 percent increase in all motorcycle-related crashes during that period.
State Rep. Tim Brown, a Crawfordsville Republican who is one of three physicians in the legislature, said that while people who want to ride without helmets say it's an issue of personal choice, the consequences can extend beyond them.
"I want to tie that person to the consequences of their actions," Brown said. "Right now, there's a little bit of disconnect. If someone is severely injured, why should all people pay through higher insurance rates?"