Why you should wear a m/c helmet.

[FolkGuitar]

Comparing apples with apples is difficult enough but road fatality stats are more difficult due to different vehicle types and road rules. Eg: Western nanny states have far fewer scooters and high standards of driver training.

Thailand should ban the carrying of passengers in the back of pick-ups and tighten helmet safety laws for m/c's. Perhaps impound offenders m/c's for a month .... Driver education is more difficult to improve upon and will take decades.

The highway code for Guam has a section just for 'the correct way to ride in the back of a pickup truck.' Regular vehicle seats must be bolted to the truck bed, and seat belts must be used.

[garryjohns]

It would be foolish not to wear a helmet. Not only during Songkran but all the time!

IMO totally up to the individual, whether to wear a helmet or not.

Daily life is dangerous even if not riding a motorbike.

The biggest killer by far is coronary heart disease.

Thailand has something like 2.6 times more deaths due to coronary heart disease caused by simply bad diet and sedentary lifestyle [individual choices] alone than total road deaths.

Add in stokes and lung disease [again , mostly individual choices] and these two take triple the roadtoll.

Just saying.

EDIT: the ever increasing obvious trend towards obesity in Thai people is going to add to the number of deaths by bad diet etc is a far bigger issue in future than the oft talk of road toll.

[thrilled]

I have seen it both ways.People not wearing a helmet everyone lives.I have seen it everyone wearing a helmet everyone dies.

I have also seen it where he was wearing a helmet and is brain dead.There are a lot of factors involved.Experience or lack there of is

Something to consider.If I rode A motorcycle in Bangkok I would always wear A helmet,boots,gloves,long sleeve shirt etc.In small

Towns in Thailand I don't wear the brain bucket unless I hear the police are checking.

Started riding motorcycles in 1967 I have never been in a serious motorcycle accident.Every car,truck,motorcycle,perdestrian is my enemy.

[elektrified]

The BBC ran a short TV news item last night highlighting Thailand as the second highest accident rated country in the world ,behind Libya.

The on the spot footage included the fantastic work volunteers do in fully equipped vans, expecially in Bangkok.With a population, including outer suburbs you are looking at 15 m people.I doubt hospitals alone could handle the volume. One medical worker even remarked if you are too drunk to drive we will give you a ride home and someone will bring your bike to you.

The road carnage here never ceases to amaze me remembering for every single accident the consequences for family and friends are devestating

It would be likely that these voluneers are not Government funded,there's an intersting story there.

Personally I think those people are amazing and I was rescued by one after an accident. In Bangkok, some of them spend up to one million Baht of their own money to modify and outfit their ambulances with defibrillators, oxygen, telecommunications, computers linked to hospitals, etc. They receive no government funding. Many are 2nd and 3rd generation; beginning at 16 years of age. Many even travel abroad to further their education/training, using their own funds.

[MadMac]

Yeah, that's good. It's a job to make a living but it may also be a compassion. If you want to succeed you have to be competitive. Educating yourself certainly helps.

1669 is commercial, not volunteers. But the only thing that matters is if they can make it in time.

[rodcourt49]

Buy a good quality helmet and always wear it - even for short trips.

Broken limbs can be "fixed" but bust brains never !

The link contains some convincing evidence.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6123a1.htm

I will never understand why people choose not to wear helmet.

...because it will never happen to them!

[FolkGuitar]

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

I will NEVER ride without a helmet. My choice.

Not because there is some 'law' about it. But because my shoulder healed up. My ribs knitted back together. I doubt my brain would.

I do not LIKE wearing a helmet. Even with the best of the best, they are hot, limit vision, and generally not fun to wear. But I'll always wear one when riding.

What you do it entirely up to you.

[amexpat]

^

What you do it entirely up to you.

And the law of the land.

[pattjock]

Comments like these don’t make any sense at all:

"IMO totally up to the individual, whether to wear a helmet or not".

"I believe it's everybody's choice to wear one or not"

Most motorbike accidents also involve someone else. If I’m involved in an accident, guilty or not, the repercussions will be totally different if the motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet and only needed a couple of band-aides or not wearing a helmet and died.

The difference to me could be a few hundred baht for a brief visit at the local clinic or millions of baht and a prison sentence just because some idiot did not wear a helmet that could have saved his life.

Not wearing a helmet will not only destroy the drivers life but the life of anyone he have an accident with and any dependants he might have.

Punishment for not wearing a helmet should be much more severe, at least confiscation of the motorbike.

[flare]

Comments like these dont make any sense at all:

"IMO totally up to the individual, whether to wear a helmet or not".

"I believe it's everybody's choice to wear one or not"

Most motorbike accidents also involve someone else. If Im involved in an accident, guilty or not, the repercussions will be totally different if the motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet and only needed a couple of band-aides or not wearing a helmet and died.

The difference to me could be a few hundred baht for a brief visit at the local clinic or millions of baht and a prison sentence just because some idiot did not wear a helmet that could have saved his life.

Not wearing a helmet will not only destroy the drivers life but the life of anyone he have an accident with and any dependants he might have.

Punishment for not wearing a helmet should be much more severe, at least confiscation of the motorbike.

Yup, I agree with this- if someone gets killed on their bike as the result of not wearing a helmet, fine, they made their choice- as a fellow rider it's sad to hear about, but, in the end (beyond examining the circumstances in the hope of learning something useful), it doesn't really mean anything to me if it happened to a stranger and I wasn't in any way involved. That said, if I end up hitting someone on a bike (my fault or theirs), I would hope they were geared-up as well as possible, with a decent helmet being the minimum requirement, and I favor strongly-enforced laws regarding helmet use as they might indeed affect me even if I'm not riding. The less someone gets hurt, the better it is for all involved. While a helmet (and other gear) isn't a guarantee of anything, it does help your chances in a get-off.

I haven't ridden in anything less than high-end helmet, full leathers, boots, and gloves for years (though I don't use my bike for errands or short trips, nor do I ride a scooter- I understand that full gear isn't always practical, but a helmet is easy enough to deal with), and if I'm involved in an accident the repercussions will hopefully be minimal for all concerned, not just me. The 'it's a personal choice and doesn't affect anyone but me' argument doesn't really hold water when you're riding on a public road with potential negative interaction with other riders/motorists.

[garryjohns]

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

I will NEVER ride without a helmet. My choice.

Not because there is some 'law' about it. But because my shoulder healed up. My ribs knitted back together. I doubt my brain would.

I do not LIKE wearing a helmet. Even with the best of the best, they are hot, limit vision, and generally not fun to wear. But I'll always wear one when riding.

What you do it entirely up to you.

With a BMI guestimate of 37 one should be more concerned with one of the major death causing diseases caused by lifestyle choices that cause such high BMI than falling over with your bike.

As you say tho', it is entirely up to you.

The hysteria generated on every "helmet choice" thread is ridiculous ,when you consider the multitude of other daily lifestyle choices made by individuals that take far more lives day in day out .. ..# 32

[connda]

Comments like these don’t make any sense at all:

"IMO totally up to the individual, whether to wear a helmet or not".

"I believe it's everybody's choice to wear one or not"

Most motorbike accidents also involve someone else. If I’m involved in an accident, guilty or not, the repercussions will be totally different if the motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet and only needed a couple of band-aides or not wearing a helmet and died.

The difference to me could be a few hundred baht for a brief visit at the local clinic or millions of baht and a prison sentence just because some idiot did not wear a helmet that could have saved his life.

Not wearing a helmet will not only destroy the drivers life but the life of anyone he have an accident with and any dependants he might have.

Punishment for not wearing a helmet should be much more severe, at least confiscation of the motorbike.

The difference is people like you who advocate that it's the government's job to enforce safety regulations on people who don't wish to comply, and folks like myself who believe that government should relegate it's activities to maintaining infrastructure and the like, and stay completely out of the affairs of individuals who, imho, are capable of making rational decisions for themselves and their families and accept the consequences of their actions. You like big, intrusive government, I (and others like me) prefer small, unobtrusive government. You probably like socialism; I prefer individualism. In the current world, most governments are trending toward centralized power and projecting their will on their citizenry, ."for your own good and the good of 'society' as a whole".

You should be happy! My side simply voices our opinions; your side is winning global control. My only advice - be careful what you wish for - once that genie is out of the bottle it's gonna be difficult to rein it in, no less stuff it back in the bottle. You or your children may find out someday that they are required to wear a helmet and protective clothing simply to take a walk outside (the government regulates what to eat, what to wear, when to get up, when to go to bed, what gets injected into your body, what you learn, what you don't learn, what you say, what you can't say, and so on..."for your own good and the good of 'society' as a whole"). I don't particularly wish to live in that dystopian future, nor do others like me. Your mileage may vary.

[amexpat]

Maybe the previous two posters have already taken a few hits to their heads.

[pattjock]

Comments like these don’t make any sense at all:

"IMO totally up to the individual, whether to wear a helmet or not".

"I believe it's everybody's choice to wear one or not"

Most motorbike accidents also involve someone else. If I’m involved in an accident, guilty or not, the repercussions will be totally different if the motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet and only needed a couple of band-aides or not wearing a helmet and died.

The difference to me could be a few hundred baht for a brief visit at the local clinic or millions of baht and a prison sentence just because some idiot did not wear a helmet that could have saved his life.

Not wearing a helmet will not only destroy the drivers life but the life of anyone he have an accident with and any dependants he might have.

Punishment for not wearing a helmet should be much more severe, at least confiscation of the motorbike.

The difference is people like you who advocate that it's the government's job to enforce safety regulations on people who don't wish to comply, and folks like myself who believe that government should relegate it's activities to maintaining infrastructure and the like, and stay completely out of the affairs of individuals who, imho, are capable of making rational decisions for themselves and their families and accept the consequences of their actions. You like big, intrusive government, I (and others like me) prefer small, unobtrusive government. You probably like socialism; I prefer individualism. In the current world, most governments are trending toward centralized power and projecting their will on their citizenry, ."for your own good and the good of 'society' as a whole".

You should be happy! My side simply voices our opinions; your side is winning global control. My only advice - be careful what you wish for - once that genie is out of the bottle it's gonna be difficult to rein it in, no less stuff it back in the bottle. You or your children may find out someday that they are required to wear a helmet and protective clothing simply to take a walk outside (the government regulates what to eat, what to wear, when to get up, when to go to bed, what gets injected into your body, what you learn, what you don't learn, what you say, what you can't say, and so on..."for your own good and the good of 'society' as a whole"). I don't particularly wish to live in that dystopian future, nor do others like me. Your mileage may vary.

I could not care less if you drive without helmet on private property only putting yourself at risk.

When driving on public roads, involving the rest of the public, you should follow the rules set by the government that was elected by this public. Your death will affect many others on many different ways.

And your comment that “individuals who, imho, are capable of making rational decisions for themselves and their families and accept the consequences of their actions” is completely wrong as you cannot accept ANY consequences when you are dead.

[Trujillo]

The BBC ran a short TV news item last night highlighting Thailand as the second highest accident rated country in the world ,behind Libya.

Link? Nothing on their site relating to this.

[FolkGuitar]

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

I will NEVER ride without a helmet. My choice.

Not because there is some 'law' about it. But because my shoulder healed up. My ribs knitted back together. I doubt my brain would.

I do not LIKE wearing a helmet. Even with the best of the best, they are hot, limit vision, and generally not fun to wear. But I'll always wear one when riding.

What you do it entirely up to you.

With a BMI guestimate of 37 one should be more concerned with one of the major death causing diseases caused by lifestyle choices that cause such high BMI than falling over with your bike.

As you say tho', it is entirely up to you.

The hysteria generated on every "helmet choice" thread is ridiculous ,when you consider the multitude of other daily lifestyle choices made by individuals that take far more lives day in day out .. ..# 32

Good grief! If your BMI is 37, you seriously need to get some regular exercise, man! That is really dangerously overweight! Frankly, I'm surprised that you'd even tell us about it! I can't even imagine how a mentally stable individual would let themselves get to that point...

But this thread is really about helmet wearing and choices. And as I said, my choice is to wear a helmet.

I am not in favor of helmet laws, but I would prefer to see all riders wearing one, and a good one, at that. These 200 baht plastic ones sold here offer absolutely no protection at all. I don't think it's the business of government to interfere with an individual's personal decision-making. While I can understand, from a rider's point of view, that I'd prefer that all parties in an accident have equal protection, there is no equal protection for someone wearing a plastic cup on their head just to satisfy the law.

[garryjohns]

Maybe the previous two posters have already taken a few hits to their heads.

Wow, you are right as I, one of the previous two you mention certainly have done...is that funny in your opinion?

Recently i copped hairline skull fracture, broken cheekbone,torn ear, black eye broken eye socket, all because i wasn't wearing a helmet.

[FolkGuitar]

Maybe the previous two posters have already taken a few hits to their heads.

If they have, it's been their choice to wear or not wear a helmet. If they've paid the price, let's hope they learned from it,

Unfortunately, no matter how often some people stumble over 'smart,' they seem to just pick themselves up again as if nothing has happened, ignore it, and go on being stupid.

[garryjohns]

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

I will NEVER ride without a helmet. My choice.

Not because there is some 'law' about it. But because my shoulder healed up. My ribs knitted back together. I doubt my brain would.

I do not LIKE wearing a helmet. Even with the best of the best, they are hot, limit vision, and generally not fun to wear. But I'll always wear one when riding.

What you do it entirely up to you.

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

Here is a good example where training wheels should be made mandatory!

Unfortunately, no matter how often some people stumble over 'smart,' they seem to just pick themselves up again as if nothing has happened, ignore it, and go on being stupid.

[FolkGuitar]

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

I will NEVER ride without a helmet. My choice.

Not because there is some 'law' about it. But because my shoulder healed up. My ribs knitted back together. I doubt my brain would.

I do not LIKE wearing a helmet. Even with the best of the best, they are hot, limit vision, and generally not fun to wear. But I'll always wear one when riding.

What you do it entirely up to you.

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

Here is a good example where training wheels should be made mandatory!

Unfortunately, no matter how often some people stumble over 'smart,' they seem to just pick themselves up again as if nothing has happened, ignore it, and go on being stupid.

They would certainly help me! But then, I'm not the one with the hairline skull fracture, broken cheekbone,torn ear, black eye broken eye socket, am I?

Do you still ride without a helmet?

[garryjohns]

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

I will NEVER ride without a helmet. My choice.

Not because there is some 'law' about it. But because my shoulder healed up. My ribs knitted back together. I doubt my brain would.

I do not LIKE wearing a helmet. Even with the best of the best, they are hot, limit vision, and generally not fun to wear. But I'll always wear one when riding.

What you do it entirely up to you.

I put on my helmet just to move my bike from one side of the parking lot to the other...

I've gone down at 2 kph while sitting on and 'walking' my bike...

... a puppy ran in front of my tire and I hit the brake and turned the handlebar, and went down and tore out the rotator cuff in my shoulder.

I've had wheels slide out on an icy patch when the engine wasn't even turned on, and busted my ribs.

I've had a truck back into me while I was just getting on my bike, and broke some bones...

Either not moving at all, or just barely moving, and got busted up badly.

Yet at the same time, I've gone down at over 60mph several times (black ice, gravel, stupidity?) and never got a scratch. You just never know... That's why we wear protection.

Here is a good example where training wheels should be made mandatory!

Unfortunately, no matter how often some people stumble over 'smart,' they seem to just pick themselves up again as if nothing has happened, ignore it, and go on being stupid.

They would certainly help me! But then, I'm not the one with the hairline skull fracture, broken cheekbone,torn ear, black eye broken eye socket, am I?

Do you still ride without a helmet?

I always wear a helmet when riding, never said otherwise.

[cyberfarang]

Never understand why Thai and a lot of foreigners not wear a helmet.

They only wear in areas where they think there might bye a police check point.

How much was the police check point?

[augustwest]

Just natural selection

[BritManToo]

Recently i copped hairline skull fracture, broken cheekbone,torn ear, black eye broken eye socket, all because i wasn't wearing a helmet.

Bad luck, hope you have recovered from that.

I always wear a full face, don't want to risk my teeth or my skull.

[anto]

Never understand why Thai and a lot of foreigners not wear a helmet.

They only wear in areas where they think there might bye a police check point.

How much was the police check point?

B400 for no helmet plus other things they find .

[Sydneycraig]

Keeps your head safe in a crash, but also keeps you from getting sunburnt face (with uv visor) and flies and dirt from your face... it's a no brainer really

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

[CMKiwi]

Good post by folkguitar, and I agree 100%. If you want to ride without then you do at your risk. If you injure you self as a result the don't demand sympathy or free help.

Sometimes people need to think of possible results from their actions.

Unfortunately the majority of young Thais (And young farangs) cannot look ahead.

[canthai55]

Maybe the previous two posters have already taken a few hits to their heads.

If they have, it's been their choice to wear or not wear a helmet. If they've paid the price, let's hope they learned from it,

Unfortunately, no matter how often some people stumble over 'smart,' they seem to just pick themselves up again as if nothing has happened, ignore it, and go on being stupid.

No need to insult people. You think it is stupid, does not mean everyone else does. Live your life. Let me live mine. And yes, I wear a helmet. Blew a tire, Ides of March 1972, rode off a 40 foot cliff. broke left leg in 3 places, split the fibreglass 3/4 helmet from brow to neck roll. Crawled away.

[Jdiddy]

Might go for a cruise on the Yamaha TZM with no helmet

[Gonsalviz]

Also saw a guy wearing a quality helmet,literally cut in half and totally conscious of his situation.. Very sad.

How does that work, medically?

He is conscious until his brain stops getting oxygen and then he dies.