On a NY ride with 550 other motorcycles, he fishtailed and flipped over the handlebars of his 1983 Harley Davidson. His head hit the pavement:

“The medical expert we discussed the case with who pronounced him deceased stated that he would’ve no doubt survived the accident had he been wearing a helmet,” state Trooper Jack Keller told ABC News 9 in Syracuse.

James Joyner is “skeptical about both helmet and seatbelt laws, given that the negative externalities are incredibly limited.”

Susie Madrak says, “the rationale behind helmet laws is that head injuries are very expensive to treat. Even victims with insurance often end up on Medicaid after they’re tapped out, and that means taxpayers are picking up the rest of the tab.”

A scooter-rider, I’m glad for the law. I wiped out in my driveway at 7 mph over a year ago and continue to feel it. Still, I’d be inclined to hop on and run a quick errand without a helmet… if the law didn’t make me think twice. The same goes for seat belts.

The Helmet Law Defense League calls helmet laws “discrimination against the class of people known as ‘bikers.'”

What say you TMVers?

Helmet Dummy Image from a lawyer representing motorcycle injury victims in a post opposing helmet laws. How do you spell self interest?