Why we crash. An incomplete but informative study.

[D04011]

Although I joked above about why I wear a helmet, I actually prefer to ride with a helmet and although Maine is a "helmet optional" state, I never ride without one. In addition to one motorcycle accident which took a huge divit out of the helmet with no injury to my melon, I've got lots of chips in helmet visors from rocks, etc. and have collected my fair share of big (and stinging) insects including June bugs when I lived further south. My first helmet was a Bell Star when it first came out and my latest helmets are Shoei (1200 and GT Air) and just got a Schuberth C-3 Pro Dark Classic. I never skimp on my helmets or other protective gear.

None of my geriatric H-D pals wear a helmet and a couple have made remarks about me wearing a helmet. WTH?!? I don't criticize them for riding over-priced low performance bikes...

At work I have had to deal with the medical issues of motorcycle accidents resulting in severe brain/cranial injuries. I don't know if a good helmet would have totally eliminated the resulting major problems but I do think it might have reduced the extent of the injuries.

Not trying to stir up a crap storm since I am a big proponent of individual choice in our various everyday decisions. Wearing a helmet works for me. Just my $.02...

 

[ThePhoinix]

I lost a good friend Friday afternoon. He was riding his motorcycle and a car pulled out in front of him. The coroner said he had "intensive head injuries". I could be wrong but if he was wearing a helmet I truly believe he would be alive today. He never wore a helmet for some reason. He owned a Harley and it seems those guys just don't believe in wearing helmets. He and I would talk at work about wearing a helmet. I would always suggest "you need to start wearing one". On cold mornings he would ask me did I ride my bike to work. I would tell him "Yeah I rode it". He would say "I don't have a helmet..... so it's too cold to ride my bike"

I lost my dad in a ATV accident. He never wore a helmet because he wouldn't ride hard and dangerous like I would. Somehow the ATV flipped on top of him and he passed away because of head injuries. He and I talked about getting him a helmet about a week or so before the accident. He said "We'll stop in and see what the dealership has next time we're in town". That day never came.

It's up to the individual if they wear a helmet or not. I'm not going argue about it with them but only suggest it. I now have two very good reasons on why I wear a full face helmet all the time. Might not save my life if I'm in a accident but at least I gave it a shot.

I'm very sorry for your losses, and you're right: most fatalities are due to head injuries. It's like driving without a seatbelt if you don't have one.
Personally I think it's completely reasonable to force people to wear one, but I'm a liberal pinko who likes preserving life

 

[Joesmoe]

Well we know you're smarter than the average bear -- you have a ROCKET.

 

[sonny]

There is not enough room on this forum for two liberals.

 

[Joesmoe]

Here is a link to the original study, thanks to @baadactor

https://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/msf100_2016/Risk_Factors_From_MSF_100_Study_Paper.pdf

 

[TriumPhil]

I pity the fool!

Hey, that's my line, Norman! (kindly refer to just below my avatar)

 

[Ishrub]

Hey, that's my line, Norman! (kindly refer to just below my avatar)

Seems like it could be time to re-enrol at kindy pre-school TriumPhil, for a remedial 'sharing' class!

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Wow that is really some dry reading. Almost as hard to read as my Wife's Doctoral Dissertation about Russian business ethics.

So will one of you learned fellows write a simple summary ... Please ?

 

[Ishrub]

Wow that is really some dry reading. Almost as hard to read as my Wife's Doctoral Dissertation about Russian business ethics.

So will one of you learned fellows write a simple summary ... Please ?

See RevZilla's summary (link #1 from OP) . Any simpler and it would be on a cereal box

What Virginia Tech learned about how and why we crash our motorcycles

Here's the link to the actual 20 page report. Joesmoe prompted me to add the actual study.

https://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/msf100_2016/Risk_Factors_From_MSF_100_Study_Paper.pdf

 

[ThePhoinix]

Wow that is really some dry reading. Almost as hard to read as my Wife's Doctoral Dissertation about Russian business ethics.

So will one of you learned fellows write a simple summary ... Please ?

They said, we lie about what happens and ride into the backs of cars with troubling frequency. That is, when we don't just tip over from being stopped in a parking lot