ATV, jetski, and convertible owners...

steveinaz

Do you wear a helmet when you ride your ATV, jetski, or convertible?

maggiefan

I wear one when I open my sunroof, sure get some funny looks.....:p

Burnzy

Don't own an ATV but do own a Jet Ski. Although I have thought about wearing one but don't.

audiobliss

Don't own any of the above but I love riding ATV's whenever I get a chance. And I always wear a helmet.

PolkThug

I don't own any, so I didn't vote. I've never worn a helmet in any of those situations. I do wear a helmet when I race my Stang.

faster100

isn't wearing a helmet in a race car without a roll cage like wearing flip flops on a bike..

dkg999

No Jetski or convertible (unless you count John Deere tractors without a cab!), however always wear a helmet on the ATV and motorcycle.

Skynut

Never on a jet ski or in a convertable but sometimes on an atv, it depends on weather I plan to play hard or not.

Edit: I am the first sometimes.

Demiurge

I've never seen anyone wear a helmet in a convertible. Who are the ones answering yes to that? I'd imagine out of the 3 you mentioned ATVs would be the least owned. I can say I never wear a helmet on the Kodiak, but I am never ripping it up, and it's land riding.

Ricardo

Never wore a helmet on a jetski.....

Oh, and I also wear a helmet when I open the sunroof....but only if there's hail in the forecast.

Holydoc

Never wear a helmet in the convertible. With seatbelts, four wheels, a large wheel base, and a huge window to protect you from bugs, a helmet is not necessary in a convertible. The weight of the car crushing your head into your body during a roll-over negates any benefit you would get from a helmet in a convertible.

Never wear a helmet for the waverunner (different than jetski) except during competitions. For amatuers and strickly pleasure boaters, a helmet on a waverunner or jetski can be more harmful than protective. Most of these vehicles stay below 60mph and have a cushioned (though it seems hard) impact service called water. The basic problem with water is that it also serves as a good braking surface. This is the main reason I recommend not wearing a helmet unless in competition since a helmet quickly fills with water adding considerable weight and drag on your neck giving the opportunity for a serious spinal injury. In competition a full face specially designed helmet is necessary to keep you from getting injury from the competition clipping your noggin while still letting water reasonably escape from the helmet.

I wear a helmet on the ATV if I am out pleasure riding. I do not wear one if I am using it at low speeds to lug game like deer or birds. Personally I see pleasure riding in an ATV as dangerous as dirt biking.

Now what is the purpose of this survey? It appears just like a discontented street biker is feeling a bit intimidated and looking for excuses why they think they are not part of Darwin's theory because other people don't wear helmets in other situations.

Personally, if you do not want to wear a helmet on a street bike and you do not expect me to pay to have you fed through a tube the rest of your life, then go for it!

TroyD

I follow Steve's logic but it doesn't hold water, IMHO.

I am in favor of requiring safety precautions against likely dangers. ATV riders should be mandated to wear helmets as jetski'ers should be required to wear lifejackets. Wearing a helmet in a convertible? IF rolling over were a LIKELY or PROBABLE consequence to riding in one. I'd be all for it.

Actually, scratch the lifejacket law. If your dumb **** drowns because you aren't wearing one, the only real issue is recovering the body. That's not that big of a problem, unless like me, you have the bouyancy (sp) of a Coke machine.

I'm also all for signing a statement that a person doesn't have to wear safety gear so long as they are personally responsible (on a pay-as-you-go basis) for any injury incurred as a result of not wearing the safety gear. So, you wanna ride free? Go ahead, but you are truly responsible for the consequences.

I've YET to hear a logical argument against mandated safety gear other thanfreedom and the intrusive nature of gov't (which is a THIN and constitutionally unsupported line of reasoning).

BDT

Demiurge

All about the ole pocketbook. Lets at least admit this hasn't a thing to do with safety.

Fireman32

If your wearing a helmet while riding in a convertable then you must have rode the short bus to school.

dylan

TroyD wrote:

I'm also all for signing a statement that a person doesn't have to wear safety gear so long as they are personally responsible (on a pay-as-you-go basis) for any injury incurred as a result of not wearing the safety gear. So, you wanna ride free? Go ahead, but you are truly responsible for the consequences.
BDT

I agree. I'm an ATV owner (Polaris 700), and wear a helmet, almost all the time. Sometimes I do putt around my property at low speeds without one. The beer in my hand necessitates me going slow, so as not to spill. Really, its about protecting the rights, and safety, of my beer.

Its also practicality as much as safety, have you ever gone through a swarm of ladybugs at 50 mph (seriously)? Its painful on anything exposed.

TroyD

I do care about safety.

My dad was in a bad motorcyle wreck in 1979. I saw it happen a few yards in front of our house. The neighbors dog ran out chasing a squirrel and actually got between the front fork of the bike and the motor. The bike went over and he landed head first. Now, my father NEVER wore a helmet, however, this particular day my father DID have a helmet on because my mother made him do it. The only reason that he is alive today is that helment, it's the only thing that kept his skull together. His right shoulder was destroyed, which is now just a series of steel rods and pins. He also fractured a few vertebrae, ribs and a few other issues. Now, he was MAYBE going 30mph.

Now, if you think my ONLY issue is money, please, go screw yourself.

My issue isn't about money but, as you said, it's about being responsible. My father had a responsibility to four children between the ages of 6-11 at the time. I think it's the most ridiculous thing in the world for someone to say, I won't wear a helmet because I am responsible for me. YOU don't exist in a vacuum. As I said, people have a responsibility to scrape your **** off the sidewalk and put you together again. What about the children/families and other responsibilities that the rider may have? See where I'm going with this? There are a lot of people who have a stake in the outcome that don't neccesarily have a 'say' in what you do. THAT is the point of the legislation is to give a voice to those who should but don't.

Now, I REALLY don't give a rats **** if you ride off into the sunset sans helmet and end up as road pizza. I DO give a rats **** about those who are effected/affected through no fault of thier own.

BDT

PolkThug

TroyD wrote:

I've YET to hear a logical argument against mandated safety gear other thanfreedom and the intrusive nature of gov't (which is a THIN and constitutionally unsupported line of reasoning).
BDT

The only problem I have with mandated requirements, is where do you draw the line? When will they stop adding new requirements?

I'm sure if the insurance companies could design their perfect car that we are all mandated to drive, and we we all had to wear mandated safety clothing and gear, driving would no longer be fun.

TroyD

I'll agree, in theory to that. However, you will NEVER convince me that wearing a motorcycle helmet is in any fashion, an extreme or terribly intrusive law.

BDT

Demiurge

Of course I think money is the issue, as it's the one constantly citied. In the other thread I noted it would be interesting to see who is behind this argument based solely on personal emotion with a tragedy. This seems to be your connection to it. There's just no reason to support it beyond those 2 things.

If a person cared to a great degree about their safety they would know to put a helmet on their noggin without having the government tell them to do it. Better yet, they wouldn't even get on the bike to begin with. Thank God, your mother, or whomever that day that your dad was wearing a helmet.

PolkThug

Its also a GREAT idea to wear a neck brace cushion so when the helmet snaps back, it crushes the foam and not your vertebra, BUT I wouldn't want the government to force me to wear one.

One of my good friends makes his living scraping up bodies, and he's living good, its very expensive to completely clean up that type of mess. If you don't wear a helmet and splatter yourself on the ground, part of your insurance check that was meant to support your family, goes to my friend.

Regards

TroyD

Of course, I'm emotional about it. However, that doesn't change the fact that no one has offered a logically sound argument against a helmet law, and that's the fact jack. You don't have a leg to stand on other than personal preference.


BDT

Demiurge

TroyD wrote:

Of course, I'm emotional about it. However, that doesn't change the fact that no one has offered a logically sound argument against a helmet law, and that's the fact jack. You don't have a leg to stand on other than personal preference.

BDT

Sure do, Troy. The logic is that in America freedom to make good and bad choices that physically impact the victim or benefactor who made the particular choice is something we need to cherish. That's what sets us apart from socialist governments, which is where we're slowly slipping towards.

What's no big deal to you is a big deal to a lot of people who see where it's all going.

From a cost perspective seatbelts and helmets have no bearing on insurance costs beyond the lawsuits, which is really where we should all be focused.

We're a society becoming completely devoid of personal responsibilty, and as a result we're slowly becoming devoid of personal freedom.

There's nothing wrong with the law itself, but rather what it means, which is the point you've chosen not to grasp over and over again.

Skynut

PolkThug wrote:

The only problem I have with mandated requirements, is where do you draw the line? When will they stop adding new requirements?

I'm sure if the insurance companies could design their perfect car that we are all mandated to drive, and we we all had to wear mandated safety clothing and gear, driving would no longer be fun.

+1

What if we had to don our suit of armor before we can ride?
I mean really where does it end?

law writing schmuk...
If everyone who rides wore this steel suit with airbags they would be as safe as being in a car. It only weighs 120# and while you are actually sitting on the bike you barely notice it is on.
It comes off easily in 20 min. with the help of two friend and a cresent wrench. Everyone who rides should wear one of these to be safe.

Bungie jumping is also dangerous as is jumping from an aeroplane, since people die this way it should be better regulated or made impossible to do here in the states.

My point is we could all be made to be safer than we already are and most of us would not like it.

What if you had to go to a class and obtain a permit to ride your mountain bike?
Or pass a health education class before you can go to a restraunt; this will help you live longer by eating right.
What if restraunts get closed down because the food is not as healthy as it could be. ie: fat content too high or not enough nutritional value.
These may sound rediculous (sp) but not really.

steveinaz

TroyD wrote:

Of course, I'm emotional about it. However, that doesn't change the fact that no one has offered a logically sound argument against a helmet law, and that's the fact jack. You don't have a leg to stand on other than personal preference.


BDT

No one has given me a logically sound argument against wearing a helmet in a convertible either, or a Jetski/Watercraft---water is like concrete at 40mph...you know why? Because it spoils the enjoyment of doing the activity. It's just that simple.

and that's a fact jack. Last time I checked, I was paying my own insurance premiums.

madmax

Roll bars in a car should be mandatory too, especially convertibles.

steveinaz

The safety zealots keep this up, in 10 years we'll all be walking around in **** bullet-proof plastic bubbles...

this country used to be fun.

God Bless Arizona. Peace, out.

TroyD

Helmet on the water poses more of a risk as has been noted. Now, if it is documented that wearing a helmet may save lives, than cool.

Same thing with a convertible, if rolling them was a likely and probable cause of injury, sure, I'd support it.

STILL no credible argument other than it's not fun. EXPLAIN how wearing a helmet or a flotation device is that much of an inconvenience or the cost outweighs the benefit.

Far as your insurance premiums, you couldn't PAY enough in premiums to cover the expense of putting your melon back together.

Again, if showing off your dew rag or avoiding helmet hair is more important than being around for your kids, rock on.

I wonder how folks would feel if thier employers were let off the hook on all the federal safety regulations.

BDT

Skynut

IIRC
When the helmet law was passed in Cali some protestors went out and wore full face helmets while driving.

They were cited for driving with an obstructed view.

They went to court and were not fined but tried to get the cop or the judge to explain how a helmet in a car was an obstruction but on a bike it was required?
I believe the reply had to do with combining blindspots.

audiobliss

Skynut wrote:

IIRC
When the helmet law was passed in Cali some protestors went out and wore full face helmets while driving.

They were cited for driving with an obstructed view.

They went to court and were not fined but tried to get the cop or the judge to explain how a helmet in a car was an obstruction but on a bike it was required?
I believe the reply had to do with combining blindspots.

That is very interesting. I would think that demonstration makes for a good point, too.

Interesting thread.

Polkitup2

I wear my helmet on my ATV. Having rolled it climbing a hill once and seeing others roll them you'd be nuts not to.

heiney9

Helmet for ATV and motorcycle. I've never seen anyone wear a helmet w/ a personal watercraft. I suppose if you were racing the old style stand-up jetski perhaps a helmet would be in order.

I've been on very fast jetski's (sit down) going close to 70 mph and never felt a need for a helmet.

Are you talking for adults or kids? Kids might need to wear a helmet.

H9