Comet
Junior Member
Didnt want to start a debate, I just thought it was a good read. Maybe I can get one to think about it a little.
Helmetless motorcycle riders = organ donors?
by Marijke Durning, RN on June 13th, 2008
Motorcycles = freedom on the road.
Motorcycles = fun.
Motorcycles = speed.
Motorcycles = danger.
But what do riders who don’t wear helmet equal to? I’ll tell you. Either they become organ donors (if we were lucky enough that they signed their donor cards) or they live life with severe injuries that will either incapacitate them or see them living with chronic pain.
Do you think I’m kidding? I’m not. The state of Pennsylvania repealed its motorcycle helmet law in 2003. Now, you only have to wear a helmet if you ride a motorcycle and you’re under 21 or have not taken a safety course - you have to wear one for 2 years.
The results? According to a press release issued by The University of Pittsburgh Schools of Health Sciences: “Study authors analyzed data from Pennsylvania’s departments of Health and Transportation during the years 2001-2002 and 2004-2005. They found helmet use by motorcyclists involved in reported crashes decreased from 82 percent to 58 percent in the two years after repeal. The authors also looked at data from head injury and non-head injury deaths to determine specifically how many deaths were caused by not wearing helmets. They found the registration-adjusted head injury death rate increased by 32 percent, whereas the non-head injury death rate did not change.”
There was also a, “42 percent increase in head injury-related hospitalizations, raising concerns about motorcyclists’ safety and the impact of this trend on health care costs.”
If you sense I feel very personal about this - I do. I have no problem with motorcycles. I think they’re great. I also think that car drivers often make it very dangerous for motorcyclists, causing them to really risk their lives to be able to ride, sometimes.
When I worked in an ICU, I had a patient who was knocked off his motorcycle. I saw his helmet. He wouldn’t have been himself any more if had not been wearing his helmet. He might not have been dead, but chances are, he wouldn’t be as he used to be before the accident either.
You want to feel the wind in your hair while you ride? Is that really more important than staying alive if you have an accident?
Helmetless motorcycle riders = organ donors?
by Marijke Durning, RN on June 13th, 2008
Motorcycles = freedom on the road.
Motorcycles = fun.
Motorcycles = speed.
Motorcycles = danger.
But what do riders who don’t wear helmet equal to? I’ll tell you. Either they become organ donors (if we were lucky enough that they signed their donor cards) or they live life with severe injuries that will either incapacitate them or see them living with chronic pain.
Do you think I’m kidding? I’m not. The state of Pennsylvania repealed its motorcycle helmet law in 2003. Now, you only have to wear a helmet if you ride a motorcycle and you’re under 21 or have not taken a safety course - you have to wear one for 2 years.
The results? According to a press release issued by The University of Pittsburgh Schools of Health Sciences: “Study authors analyzed data from Pennsylvania’s departments of Health and Transportation during the years 2001-2002 and 2004-2005. They found helmet use by motorcyclists involved in reported crashes decreased from 82 percent to 58 percent in the two years after repeal. The authors also looked at data from head injury and non-head injury deaths to determine specifically how many deaths were caused by not wearing helmets. They found the registration-adjusted head injury death rate increased by 32 percent, whereas the non-head injury death rate did not change.”
There was also a, “42 percent increase in head injury-related hospitalizations, raising concerns about motorcyclists’ safety and the impact of this trend on health care costs.”
If you sense I feel very personal about this - I do. I have no problem with motorcycles. I think they’re great. I also think that car drivers often make it very dangerous for motorcyclists, causing them to really risk their lives to be able to ride, sometimes.
When I worked in an ICU, I had a patient who was knocked off his motorcycle. I saw his helmet. He wouldn’t have been himself any more if had not been wearing his helmet. He might not have been dead, but chances are, he wouldn’t be as he used to be before the accident either.
You want to feel the wind in your hair while you ride? Is that really more important than staying alive if you have an accident?
While riding my bicycle to work a few years back (46 mile round trip) I slipped on some wet railroad tracks going about 5 mph. Before I could react I was down and my head bounced off the steel rail. Because I always wear a bicycle helmet I ended up with a bruised ego and a crack in my helmet instead of in my skull. 
