Road rage with no helmet...

[mugs]

Originally posted by: jumpr

So... people who die of head injuries in car accidents are stupid and ignorant as well for not wearing helmets when they're driving their car? Motorcycle helmets aren't required in Indiana (or most other states anymore). Granted you are more exposed to danger on a motorcycle, but motorcyclists are more attentive than most drivers because of that. The danger in riding a motorcycle is not your own bad driving, it is that of people around you. You can't start passing the blame to people just because they don't want to wear a helmet - put one on and see how you like it.

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Can't get any more objective than the MSF, can you?

[/quote]

Can't miss my point any worse, can you?

People die in car accidents all the time - many of them from head injuries. I know that, you know that, and yet neither of us wears a helmet when we get into a car. Are we stupid and ignorant for doing that? Is everyone else out there stupid and ignorant for driving cars without helmets? Cars have safety precautions like airbags and seatbelts, but I don't see many bikers driving as retardedly as I see automobile drivers driving every day. This guy might be alive still if he had been wearing a helmet. He might also be a vegetable if he was wearing a helmet. If the cab driver hadn't INTENTIONALLY caused the accident, I might have less sympathy for him. If he wasn't riding on CITY streets at relatively low speeds I might have less sympathy for him. But there is no reason this guy couldn't reasonably expect to be safe riding his motorcycle around Indianapolis.

Most states are repealing or have repealed their mandatory helmet laws - imagine that, the government taking the initiative in getting OUT of our business. Must be a reason...

 

[Murphyrulez]

Originally posted by: mugsywwiii

Originally posted by: jumpr

So... people who die of head injuries in car accidents are stupid and ignorant as well for not wearing helmets when they're driving their car? Motorcycle helmets aren't required in Indiana (or most other states anymore). Granted you are more exposed to danger on a motorcycle, but motorcyclists are more attentive than most drivers because of that. The danger in riding a motorcycle is not your own bad driving, it is that of people around you. You can't start passing the blame to people just because they don't want to wear a helmet - put one on and see how you like it.

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Can't get any more objective than the MSF, can you?

Can't miss my point any worse, can you?

People die in car accidents all the time - many of them from head injuries. I know that, you know that, and yet neither of us wears a helmet when we get into a car. Are we stupid and ignorant for doing that? Is everyone else out there stupid and ignorant for driving cars without helmets? Cars have safety precautions like airbags and seatbelts, but I don't see many bikers driving as retardedly as I see automobile drivers driving every day. This guy might be alive still if he had been wearing a helmet. He might also be a vegetable if he was wearing a helmet. If the cab driver hadn't INTENTIONALLY caused the accident, I might have less sympathy for him. If he wasn't riding on CITY streets at relatively low speeds I might have less sympathy for him. But there is no reason this guy couldn't reasonably expect to be safe riding his motorcycle around Indianapolis.

Most states are repealing or have repealed their mandatory helmet laws - imagine that, the government taking the initiative in getting OUT of our business. Must be a reason...[/quote]

You are missing the point... When I get into a car accident, there is probably a 10% chance that my head is going to hit the ground, or even something hard inside the car. When you get into an accident, there is a 99% chance that your head is going to hit the ground. Probably concrete or pavement.

You do the math.

 

[glugglug]

Originally posted by: Murphyrulez
You are missing the point... When I get into a car accident, there is probably a 10% chance that my head is going to hit the ground, or even something hard inside the car. When you get into an accident, there is a 99% chance that your head is going to hit the ground. Probably concrete or pavement.

You do the math.

WRONG. When sitting relaxed in a car if you come to a sudden stop (from a crash), your body will naturally keep moving forward inside the car and you have a pretty good chance of hitting your head on the windshield or steering wheel (leaning forward with seatbelt keeping your waist in place). When a motorcyclist/bicyclist is thrown from the bike after they were actively balancing, the reflex reaction is to put your arms out and try to break your fall with them.

 

[AgentBehemoth]

So am i to understand that these two are at a light with the biker in front and for whatever reason the cabbie honked at the biker in what I take to be a "Hey buddy lets get going" type manner when this biker decides to give the cabbie the "fvck you" bird. So after leaving the light the cabbie passes the bike and applies the breaks so the bike has to take manuvers to avoid the cab and loses control and "bam".

For one thing it sounds like the biker needed to pay attention to his surroundings and take off from the light when it changed. As far as the cabbie not being patient, patience only goes so far and apparently the biker took it farther than it should have been. I know many times I've had to honk at others when they weren't paying attention at lights and didn't see it when it changed. Once the rider gigged the cabbie he had to expect the cabbie to get mad and when the cabbie passed him he should have been smart enough to know to back off but instead it sounds like he started tailgating the cab. When you are on a 500-600 pound bike and you are taking on a 4000 pound vehicle then you are a bumbling idiot and what ever happens to you is a minimum of 50% your fault.

Now did he deserve to die because he was an idiot? I don't know because "The Man" makes those calls. But when they have his memorial and talk about him I'm sure the words "It was his time" is gonna come up so I guess the argument could be made for yeah I guess he did.
This whole deal is less about bikes and cars and helmets than it is about people and the choices they make, each of these guys made choices and from those choices things happen.