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Motorcycle riders without helmets
By Melissa Martin, PhD
I’m going to be blunt. Motorcycle riders not wearing helmets give me
acid indigestion. Frustration comes before the acid reflux when I spy
no helmet, short sleeves, bare legs and a backseat rider with sandals.
AND NO HELMETS.
People! Do you not like skin on your body? Because you won’t have skin
if you skid out of control and eat the pavement. And road rash is not
attractive.
People! Do you not like your brain? Because you won’t have much of one
left when your skull meets the back of a semi. Concussions R US.
People! Potholes in Ohio are a reality. A Harley hog hitting a hole is
not pretty. Where and when did you lose that part of your mind that
uses logical?
Okay, I’m breathing in and out and calming down. And imagining fluffy puppies.
More than 80 percent of all reported motorcycle crashes result in
injury or death to the motorcyclist. The motorcycle itself provides no
head injury protection to the rider or passenger. Ejection from the
motorcycle is a common injury pathway. If a motorcycle comes to a
sudden stop and the rider is ejected from the motorcycle, the rider
will forcibly strike objects in the path as well as the ground.
www.nhtsa.gov.
After your diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, your mom will be
compelled to say to her friends at the weekend Flea market, “His father
and I told him umpteen times to wear a helmet, but he just wouldn’t
listen.” Your granny will spoon-feed you tapioca pudding—you hated it
as a toddler and you hate it now. Your annoying younger brother will
borrow (and never return) all your cool motorcycle garb because you
will never wear it again because you wrecked while not protecting your
cranium with a helmet.
Ohio Revised Code: 4511.53 Operation of motorcycles. Ohio law requires
a motorcyclist to wear a helmet if he or she is under 18 years of age
or if he or she is within the first year of getting a motorcycle
license or driving with a temporary permit.
Universal helmet law repealed 1978. What rocket scientist was in charge of this legislation?
In Ohio, there were 133 motorcycle fatalities in 2013 and 200 deaths in
2016, but that number fell to 157 in 2017, with 144 deaths in 2018,
according to the State Highway Patrol crash statistics.
From 2005 through 2007, there were 15,467 motorcycle riders involved in
a crash in Ohio—79 percent experienced an injury and 440 died at the
scene or after arrival to the hospital. There were 1,561 injured riders
who sustained a motorcycle crash-related traumatic brain injury (TBI),
and 73 percent were not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Brain injury is the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes.
www.injurycenter.org.
I can hear naysayers now, “It’s freedom of choice whether I choose to
wear a helmet or not. It’s my choice whether my skull hits a wall and
fractures into 101 pieces.” Well, how’s that work’n for ya in the
emergency room after a crash?
The helmet at work. The single most important safety device a
motorcyclist can have is a helmet. Motorcycle helmets have a hard outer
shell that distributes the force of an impact to protect the skull and
prevents objects from piercing it. The crushable inner liner limits the
force of impacts by absorbing a portion of the energy that would
otherwise reach the head and brain. As the helmet does its job, the
number and severity of head injuries are significantly reduced.
www.nhtsa.gov.
Motor Cycle Ohio program: Section 4508.08 of the Ohio Revised Code,
requires that a motorcycle safety and education program be established
within the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS). Additionally,
O.R.C. Section 4507.21 requires 15 1⁄2 and 17-year old’s to complete a
motorcycle safety and education course to be eligible to receive a
license or endorsement to operate a motorcycle. Funding for the program
is established under O.R.C. Section 4501.13 which requires that $6.00
from each annual motorcycle registration fee be deposited into the
Motorcycle Safety and Education Fund to support the operations of the
program.
The “Saved by the Helmet” Club increases awareness about the
life-saving value of motorcycle helmets by recognizing individuals who
survive serious crashes while wearing a helmet.
Ah, my esophagus is neutralizing. Kudos to the Motor Cycle Ohio program.
And reinstate the Universal Helmet Law in Ohio. Duh.
Please note that this column is my attempt at penning sarcastic humor
about a serious topic. Are you chuckling? Or grabbing something for
your own heartburn.
Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an author, columnist, educator, and therapist. She lives in Ohio.
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