Rep. Andy Olson (R)
Republican Rep. Andy Olson, a 29-year OSP veteran turned Albany lawmaker has a fatal flaw. He wants to be liked by motorcyclists.
It all started when he sponsored House Bill 3141 which allows Oregon motorcycle riders and passengers to ride without helmets if they’re 21 or older. The bill would amend the state motorcycle helmet law to say that only persons under 21 years of age are required to wear one. I’ve written previously HERE about helmet laws in Oregon.
But, what are the odds of newly re-elected Governor John Kitzhaber (D) approving a “threat to the health and safety of Oregonians” … that’s like Dick Cheney caring what the public thinks or like Sarah Palin suddenly saying Obama’s great or like Paul Krugman saying trickle-down economics work. A Leopard can’t change its spots and if anyone remotely believes that Doctor/Gov. Kitzhaber would allow it to become law, then they are ignoring history, evidence and logic! Gov. Kitzhaber had an opportunity to approve a similar bill (HB 2454) back in August 1997, but he vetoed it on the very last day before it would have become law.
With all due respect to Mr. Olson, this anti-helmet campaign is dumb given the Governors clear stance on the topic and because there are a lot of other campaigns more important (government intrusion on attire, noise, superbike legislation etc.) to riders, but Mr. Olson is committed and said the change would allow riders to hear better and see more. Huh? That’s the logic to influence the Governor?! Mr. Olson expects the measure to go to the House transportation panel and come up for a hearing in a week or so. Hey, Mr. Olson I have an idea… how about stop wasting tax dollars and work on how to generate jobs. You’d have a better chance of building a helmet factory in Oregon!
Looking for some balanced reporting on the helmet choice discussion? Here is some information that might cause a moment of pause…
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that helmets reduce crash-related head injuries, the leading cause of death among riders wearing no helmets. And, a recent study published online in the Journal of American College of Surgeons shows that riders who wore helmets were 22% less likely than non-helmeted riders to sustain a cervical spine injury after a motorcycle collision. I’m not a doctor, but basically they debunked a popular myth that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle can be detrimental during a motorcycle crash. They dispelled the hypothesis that helmet weight causes significant torque on the neck during motorcycle crashes which could contribute to spinal injuries.
Photo courtesy of Andy Olson’s Facebook page.
Well Mac, been a while. 🙂 Look, bottom line, hemets are a failure device. Myself, Bikepac, ABATE, and the MRF have said for years, helmets only come into play when rider education, training, and public awareness has failed. That’s the bottom line.
Helmets don’t reduce head injuries in crashes enough. How about reducing crashes period. How about more dollars for better (lets face it, Team Oregon is the best rider safety training in the country, but it still only qualifies people to go 25 miles per hour in a closed off parking lot) rider training, and vastly more public awareness campaigns. how about increasing the penalties for hitting those of us on motorcycles as well. Perhaps that would get the general public to be a bit more careful where we are concerned.
Of course, there will always be the stupid segment of the motorcycling population. Those that want to go 150 on I 5, Weave in and out of traffic at high speed and otherwise engage in totally unsafe operation of said motorcycle. Saving these types from head injury only encourages them to breed more dumbasses and that we certainly don’t need.
I don’t want to be forced to wear something that will reduce injury in an accident. I want to prevent the accidents to begin with. Guess what, that too will reduce not only head injuries, but all injuries.
Boy, I wish I could remember certain things. Like where the hell is that article I read many years ago that claimed that the study that most of the states based their helmet laws on, was based on SIX cherry-picked accidents. Not exactly a broad spectrum to choose from.
If I could find it (and I’ve been searching the interwebs fanatically for two days now), I’d post links to it like a crazy man.
I can’t expect anyone to take my word for it, so I won’t even try. But if anyone finds what I’m talking abou, it sure needs to see the light of day again.
Perhaps if our lawmakers were to see that report, we’d have a chance at getting at least one freedom restored…
Whatever they decide, Im wearing my helmet. I even wore one in Arizona. It wont prevent an accident if I go crazy and ride like an idiot, or if some nut hits me, but it wont hurt to have it on my head and might increase the chances of my head making it in one piece without my brains scrambled. Thats good enough for me.
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One has to love the logic of Windy Joe and Zopa who belong to the I am such a good rider that I won’t have an accident so I don’t need a helmet crowd. Apparently everyone on the roads they ride on are all expert drivers and there are never mechanical failures ……. wish I rode where they do!
Ummm, Brett…
Just where did I claim to be “such a good rider that I won’t have an accident so I don’t need a helmet”?
Like Windy Joe, If I’m forced to wear a helmet, so be it. But, I sure would like to be given the choice.
My point was this: The reportedly “expert” study was based on highly suspicious data. Unfortunately, I’m not able to find a copy of the refutation of that report.
Now. Go play…
Brett, Did I say everyone was expert riders or drivers? No! I said increased rider training and driver awareness and education would go vastly farther towards reducing accidents over all. That, I’m happy to say is a proven fact.
I’m not sure how many mechanical failures your bike has had that has caused accidents, if it is more than zero I think I’d be having words with whoever does my wrenching.
Fact, increased rider education and training reduces accidents single bike accidents. Fact, increase cage driver awareness of motorcycles reduces car on bike accidents. Fact, and this is one you really need to grasp. Helmets do very little in crashes were combined speeds are greater than 20 miles per hour. They do NOTHING to reduce neck injuries or spinal injuries. Unless you count making your face still pretty while you sit in your chair cause your neck or back was broken. (not the fault of the helmet, but broken necks and backs do happen in bike accidents just as do head injuries)
Everyone is so wound up about head injuries. Christopher Reeves didn’t have a head injury, he had a spine injury, after years in a motorized wheel chair he died, basically from complications of his condition. Head injuries are not the only thing those on two wheels have to worry about. Broken necks, broken backs, punctured lungs, ruptured spleens, lacerated livers, torn off limbs are all at risk and more. So, why all the focus on what’s on our heads when there is a host of horrible things that can happen.
Again, focus should be on reducing the over all number of collisions and accidents. Period. Less accidents and collisions, less injuries in general, head or otherwise.
Sorry you missed that point the first time Brett. Do I wear a helmet? Yep, I have to. Will I if it is ever left up to me? Dunno, maybe, maybe not. Maybe only around crowded towns and cities and not out on the open highway, maybe both. But, this is America after all, and a lot of us are tired of having our decisions made for us when it comes to things that should be a personal choice.
You want all your decisions made for you?
FAR OUT. Some actual conversation here on a blog subject for a change. I don’t argue that driver/rider training is a key to reduction of accidents, however, by the vary nature of an “accident” they will happen. Given that we can all agree that accidents will happen, I can’t see why anyone riding a motorcycle would argue in favor of riders not being required to wearing a helmet. What laws like helmet and car seat belt laws do is mandate common sense for those who can’t make wise decisions on their own.
Windy Joe, I have to admit that I really can’t follow your statement …”I don’t want to be forced to wear something that will reduce injury in an accident.” Why not?
Brett, Did our founding fathers protect people from themselves? No, I don’t think so. They allowed them to make their own choices in life. Tell me, why do so many other states no longer require helmets. Why is it that so many other states have gone to allowing riders over the age of 21 with a certain amount of insurance coverage to decide for themselves whether or not they will wear a helmet. And, why is it that when they are redirected money in those states to training and awareness the rates of injury have gone down? Why is it the mandatory helmet law people don’t want to address this?
Whats your stake in being told what to do Brett? You a sheep wants to go along with the flock. The main reason I don’t want them to be allowed to pass laws that dictate what I must do is because it will not stop there. WE have seen it time and again, First they started with helmets, then they go after pipes, then they go after engine modifications. Where does it stop Brett. Are you communist or socialist and like being dictated to? I’m not, I’m a free thinking American, capable of looking at the facts, the true facts and not just the ones that those with a horse in the race want to present. I do my own homework, I do my own research. I find out how many millions of dollars the emergency room phsycians donate to peoples campaigns. I look at who the sponsors of mandatory bills are, and who their contributors are and figure it out for myself.
Why Brett, when you are so willing to believe certain arguments about helmets being safer do you want to ignore numerous studies that say over 20 mph, a helmet is basically worthless. IT is worthless because over 20 mph, it doesnt matter if you have a head injury or not, the other injuries you WILL have are going to be either fatal or life altering, just like the head injury.
Riding motorcycles is dangerous. We all agree on that. And, while there are things that can be done to make it safer. Helmets is not one of them. Helmets only make it safer in certain types of crashes. Period. Helmets to not make the act of riding a motorcycle safer. And, if we can all agree that riding a motorcycle is dangerous, then we all agree if we make the concious choice to ride them, we are also making a concious choice to accept that level of danger and risk.
People, mostly democrats I’m sorry to say, like to, want to, and don’t mind having things dictated to them by the government. They think it is the governments job to make us safe. I think as adults, we need to weigh the actions against the potential for harm and make our own choices. I also believe in personal responsibility and living with our own choices.
Thinking that helmets make motorcycling safer is like thinking you can pick up a turd from the clean end. Just ain’t going to happen. If you ride a motorcycle, eventually you will go down. It is not about if, it is about when, how hard and where. It’s a given, if you ride long enough, your going to kiss pavement. If a person chooses to not wear a helmet, they should have the proper amount of insurance to offset any injuries. Many states do this already, and it works fine and is not a burden to anyone.
Windy Joe. Apparently we will just have to agree to disagree in regard to whether wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle provides the rider with added protection. I will close my end of this discussion with the following from the National Transportation Highway Safety Administration findings;
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published findings from a 2006 study reinforcing the commonly held belief that helmet use promotes increased survivability in a motorcycle accident. This study took crash information from the year and analyzed the injuries sustained by the riders involved, measuring both survived instances and fatal collisions. As a result, they were able to determine roughly how effective helmet use is.
According to the national figures, over 4,800 motorcycle riders died in 2006 from injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents. Additionally, the study determined that an additional one-third of riders in accidents, totaling over 1,600 people, would have died had they not been wearing a helmet. As fatalities are not solely caused by head injuries in motorcycle accidents, this figure is beyond impressive in terms of motorcycle helmets’ effectiveness.
In addition to these numbers, the study determined that a sizeable portion of the 4,800 deaths in 2006 could have been prevented with helmet use. Looking at the injuries linked to the accidents of that year, the study estimated that 752 individuals would have survived their collisions had they been wearing a helmet at the time.”
While there’s really no denying that helmets CAN save your life in an accident, none of these reports attempt to encourage DRIVER AWARENESS of motorcycles (or bicycles, for that matter).
Firstly, I’m not claiming to be able to avoid all situations, nor am I invulnerable to trauma. I know, and accept that there’s a risk. I know that just getting up out of bed everyday involves risk, but, generally, those are MY choices to make. Why, for the love of God, should this one be ANY DIFFERENT?
If, as the “Studies” claim, that one only needs to sustain an impact at 12 miles per hour to be considered potentially fatal, then why aren’t bicyclists all required to wear them? And skateboarders, too? Not only are they harder to see (“I didn’t see him, officer”), but I see them blowing stop signs & red lights with increasing regularity!
There’s always going to be the “what if” moments out there. But an accomplished motorcyclist will continue to practice their skills, and take the occasional advanced rider course. Doing this drastically reduces the likelihood of that rider being in a catastrophic crash. If driver awareness were added in, an even bigger drop in accidents would likely result.
If riders wish to wear a helmet, good for them. But if that same rider wishes not to, that choice should be considered to be just as valid.
If one has ever taken a statistics course in college they will know you can take the same figures and make them mean 20 different things. You can make numbers fit any argument you want.
What can not be argued, is that reducing accidents over all, will reduce injuries of any kind.
It boggles the mind why folks are so resistant to training, education and awareness efforts. Helmets is a bandaid on the problem. Frankly, if I’m paralized from the neck down but the helmet saved my life, I’m gonna be pissed, cause I’d surely rather be dead. I know millions of bikers that feel the same way.
Lets not worry about what is going to protect us in the case of a collision or accident and focus on reducing collisions and accidents.
Trust me, eventually they will be making those inflatable vests mandatory, and only DOT approved boots, and protective clothing. Then they will do like many other countries do and start dictating engine displacement. Or, requiring certain licensing for certain size engines.
You don’t think so? This is the government, and they are always looking for new studies to spend money on and pass laws on so they can claim to have our “best interests” at heart.
Leave me, my best interests and my choice of protective gear alone thank you very much!
First of all I would like to state that I have been riding motorcycles since I was 15, and I am now 44. I have ridden my bikes hundreds of thousands of miles across multiple states and I have never had an accident on my bikes, or even a close call. I have always realized that I was vulnerable and a prime candidate for being a grape, or roadkill pizza, so I have always been a very defensive rider. I believe it is up to our own selves to watch out for what’s best for us. I am a service connected Veteran and I have seen many things in my life, and it bothers me that people are so concerned about things like motorcycle helmet laws and how those helmets save lives, but then they send young men into combat with sub-standard gear to fight for our freedoms, which they constantly take away from us every chance they get. The problem is that many people believe that most people wouldn’t make what they feel is the “right” choice, so they believe that making a law to force them to do it will solve the problem. The only thing that does is curtail the very thing our soldiers have fought for in so many battles since the founding of our country, and that is the right to our own personal freedoms. I hear a lot about insurance rates going up, well…tell me of a time that insurance companies have ever said, “we are happy to announce that we don’t care about making money so we are lowering our rates”? Stupid people are allowed to drive cars, and I am not just talking about young drivers, what about the elderly? How many times have you said to yourself after seeing some old timer cause or nearly cause an accident, “How is it they are allowed to have a license”? I don’t see people forcing them to stay off the roads because of insurance rates, or making our young people go through more training and an evaluation before turning them loose on the world. What does freedom mean exactly? At what point are our civil liberties removed entirely? I know that wearing condoms significantly reduce the risk of STD’s, but do we really want the government dictating that we all must wear condoms any time we have sex, even with our own spouses to reduce the rising cost of health care? Where does it end? I believe that people skew the facts to fit thier own agenda, and I also believe that as American’s, it is our duty not to let that happen when it comes to the things that really only affect ourselves. If someone doesn’t want to wear a helmet, then it should be thier own choice, just like it is a person’s choice to smoke, or drink, or to eat high cholesterol foods. Would you want the government to regulate your weight, or how many calories you can have, or how often you have to exercise daily because it would reduce insurance costs? What about people that like to skydive, or climb mountains, or any dangerous sport or activity? Should all of these things be banned in the interest of someone else’s greater good? I thought this was America, the land of freedom and opportunity? Isn’t our motto, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?