Users Choice

3 Pages 753 Words

Users Choice
Bicyclists and motorcyclists should not be required by law to wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet should be the choice of the rider. Most motorcycle organizations, such as, the American Bikers Aiming Towards Education and the American Motorcyclist Association, believe that adult riders should have the freedom to choose whether they should use a helmet along with their other safety equipment. They, and other similar organizations, believe that accident avoidance is a better, and more important, way to reduce deaths and injuries than a mandatory helmet law. American Bikers Aiming Towards Education encourage “Let those who ride decide” (ABATE).
The use of a helmet does not always make a significant difference in a motorcycle accident. The American Motor Cyclists Association states that “Helmets alone is insufficient to ensure motorcycle Safety.”(AMA) While some view the helmet just as a utilitarian device similar to a seat belt, man motor cyclists view the helmet as a piece of apparel, its use goes with their chosen life style, and they feel that it is their right as humans to make rational choices. Most motor cyclists believe that the most effective way to reduce deaths and injuries is to improve driver skill, through training courses and other similar activities. Regardless of a helmet being worn, a motorcyclist involved in an accident is at a considerable disadvantage. That makes it even more vital to avoid accidents that involve motorcycles. This makes drivers training courses, for all types of vehicles, a widely encouraged and perused in the motorcycle community. Mandatory helmet laws would do nothing to prevent the accidents in the first place.
The use of a helmet in most cases does not reduce the chance of death or injury. This point is proven with a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “NHTSA found that the average inpatient charge for a helmeted motorcyclist receiving a brain inju...