Man dies protesting helmet law

[Lionsfan]

I don't see the big deal about wearing a helmet, it can save you're life in cases like this. What's more important? "Being Free" by not wearing a helmet and possibly dying? Or wearing a helmet that could save your life?

I mean I understand where he's coming from, but I think that position is stupid

 

[justnotcricket]

Just wear a helmet for goodness sake. Is there a reason not to?

Poor silly man.

I mean, on the surface I'd agree with helmets not being *mandatory* (i.e. if you're smart you'll wear one, if you're not smart enough to wear one, then Darwin will sort you out eventually?), but a the same time, it just doesn't seem like something worth fighting over. It's a safety measure. Like seatbelts. And hard hats on construction sites.

I suppose it depends for me on what the legal punishment for being caught without one would be if they were mandatory. I suspect that is where the heart of the problem is...

 

[Bags159]

He was stupid; purposefully riding without a helmet was pretty dumb. But I actually agree with him. The problem with both the helmet and seat belt laws is that the only person at risk is the one not wearing one of the aforementioned equipment. American government is intended to allow freedom, essentially meaning that you can do whatever idiotic thing you want as long as it's not going to hurt someone else, which is why things like murder and theft are illegal but licking a spark plug is not. Laws are not supposed to keep us safe from ourselves, they're supposed to keep us safe from others and others safe from us.

Issue being, sometimes we forget to put on a seatbelt. Or perhaps we lost our helmet. And we end up needing to pay a ticket because we had the audacity to put ourselves, and no one else, at risk, probably just because of forgetfulness or something. I don't see that as in line with the constitution or generally okay on principle for a country that was formed specifically with freedom in mind.

Not wearing a seat belt begins inconveniencing others when they have to scrape your bloody corpse that sailed through the windshield off of the road.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

...and that's why you should wear a helmet.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

 

[Grospoliner]

It is a crime because the dead man illegally dumped a corpse on city property, his own. It obviously should be as much a law as wearing a seat belt. There is no such thing as a victimless crime after all, somewhere along the way, someone gets hurt, resources are expended, traffic is delayed, money and manpower are lost. Drive all you want as recklessly as you desire on your own private property. Take it public and you follow the rules. After all the street doesn't belong to the individual.

 

[Zeema]

think of it this way he was protesting his own safety

Blame Darwin

 

[Zhukov]

Huh.

All you kids out there, always remember: irony kills.

...

And no, I really shouldn't be joking about this. But hey, he made his choice.

 

[Charisma]

Hey, look at that. That Darwin guy was right.

 

[Bags159]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

Are you really complaining that you can't smoke (read: annoy and potentially harm others) in a public area packed with people?

 

[DudeistBelieve]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

Are you really complaining that you can't smoke (read: annoy and potentially harm others) in a public area packed with people?

That one can not smoke, OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.

I'm not even a smoker but all these laws make me feel like 1984

 

[Bags159]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

Are you really complaining that you can't smoke (read: annoy and potentially harm others) in a public area packed with people?

That one can not smoke, OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.

I'm not even a smoker but all these laws make me feel like 1984

I don't see how the fact that it is "OUT IN THE OPEN AIR" makes any difference.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

Are you really complaining that you can't smoke (read: annoy and potentially harm others) in a public area packed with people?

That one can not smoke, OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.

I'm not even a smoker but all these laws make me feel like 1984

I don't see how the fact that it is "OUT IN THE OPEN AIR" makes any difference.

That a person has a right to choose what enters their body so long as it's not harming anyone else, thusly it being out in the air limits 2nd hand smoke intake. Duh.

 

[Bags159]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

Are you really complaining that you can't smoke (read: annoy and potentially harm others) in a public area packed with people?

That one can not smoke, OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.

I'm not even a smoker but all these laws make me feel like 1984

I don't see how the fact that it is "OUT IN THE OPEN AIR" makes any difference.

That a person has a right to choose what enters their body so long as it's not harming anyone else, thusly it being out in the air limits 2nd hand smoke intake. Duh.

It still smells like crap regardless of whether or not it is harmful when diluted.

 

[TheLoneBeet]

Ironic...

Anyways. I always wear my helmet when I ride my motorcycle because my dad had a friend die due to lack of a helmet while on one. I don't like the idea of giving him more of a reason to hate motorcycles.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

Are you really complaining that you can't smoke (read: annoy and potentially harm others) in a public area packed with people?

That one can not smoke, OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.

I'm not even a smoker but all these laws make me feel like 1984

I don't see how the fact that it is "OUT IN THE OPEN AIR" makes any difference.

That a person has a right to choose what enters their body so long as it's not harming anyone else, thusly it being out in the air limits 2nd hand smoke intake. Duh.

It still smells like crap regardless of whether or not it is harmful when diluted.

then you take 5 steps away. Dude I can understand the laws against smoking indoors, in bars (even that killed the bar economy), taxing the hell out of cigs the way New York does but their getting ridiculous. I feel like any moment Bloomberg is going to declare we have to live in plastic bubbles.

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

My dad was a State Trooper for 25 years (the first fatality he ever worked was a motorcycle accident, actually), and he always said "Do you know what's the difference between wearing a helmet and not wearing one? Open casket or closed casket."

I don't know whether the helmet would have made a difference in the end, but if there's even the slightest chance that something could save your life, don't you think it's worth it? Or is it more important to look cool?

 

[RJ Dalton]

That's very tragic.
But the irony is so delicious.

 

[Rabish Bini]

It's sad. I hope his death will teach other anti-helmet activist the true cost of abstaining.

Dude, my state of New York is the biggest fucking nanny state in the U.S. It sucks. Can't even smoke on a train platform, over tax us for cola, the only legal weapon your allowed to carry is pepper spray, amongst other things.

Fuck the laws, helmets shouldn't be mandatory.

Are you really complaining that you can't smoke (read: annoy and potentially harm others) in a public area packed with people?

That one can not smoke, OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.

I'm not even a smoker but all these laws make me feel like 1984

I don't see how the fact that it is "OUT IN THE OPEN AIR" makes any difference.

That a person has a right to choose what enters their body so long as it's not harming anyone else, thusly it being out in the air limits 2nd hand smoke intake. Duh.

It still smells like crap regardless of whether or not it is harmful when diluted.

So we should ban it because it smells like crap?

Interesting idea, shall farts be banned too?