Talk about helmets always incites vehement disagreement between folks that believe in their value and those that don’t. In Arizona only riders between the age of 16 and 18 are required to wear a helmet. When I was in college I had a Honda 500 and never had an accident. I had a good helmet on and I was able ride safely.
My father was broadsided at an intersection in Chicago back about 1973. He was thrown from his motorcycle, about forty feet or so, and landed on his head. His helmet (a Bell Shorty) saved his life, but he got a concussion that laid him up for a few weeks.

The numbers who died in motorcycle accidents within Arizona, increased 5.3 percent, from 132 in 2011 to 139 in 2012. Those injured in such biker crashes similarly increased over 6 percent, from 2,562 to 2,717.

A helmet is not a cure-all—no safety device is. I know that in any collision with a four-wheeler, I on my motorcycle am going to be the loser. What would be a “fender bender” for an auto is often death for a biker. We can easily lose a leg, have our organs destroyed, and/or suffer paralysis. We slide across asphalt grinding rocks, glass and who-knows-what-else into our flesh, all of which must then be scraped out by a big strong medical professional who uses sharp pointy objects and no anesthesia to dull the pain.

Since I love to ride, and cannot quit, I have a responsibility to protect myself as much as possible—I wear a good helmet (with both Federal Department of Transportation and Snell Foundation certification), eye protection, ear protection, protective clothing, and good boots. Knowing what I know, not doing this just doesn’t make sense.

If you do get a ticket come to our defensive driving class. 2passdd.com