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Fewer helmets, more deaths



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 3rd 05, 09:32 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Fewer helmets, more deaths

Frank Lodge wrote:
> LeMod Pol wrote:
> > Fewer helmets, more deaths
> > Fatalities have doubled since state eased law
> > By Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
> > Posted March 3, 2005
> >
> > Ed Dow, retired firefighter and avid biker, has seen
> > the deadly consequences when a motorcyclist crashes
> > without a helmet.
> >
> > But don't tell Dow there should be a law forcing bikers
> > to wear the headgear.
> >
> > "The way it is now is a good way: Let he who rides
> > decide," said Dow, who dons a helmet whenever he hops
> > onto his Honda Gold Wing. "But I also think everybody
> > who rides should wear a helmet. After 30-some years in
> > the Fire Department, I've seen a lot of smashed-up heads."
> >
> > Since Florida relaxed its law, making helmets optional
> > for riders 21 and older, Florida's roads have gotten
> > more dangerous. At the same time, the popularity of
> > motorcycles has exploded -- and so has Florida's
> > motorcyclist death toll.
> >
> > An Orlando Sentinel analysis of federal crash data
> > reveals the number of motorcycle deaths has more than
> > doubled since 1999, the last full year that all Florida
> > riders were required to wear helmets.
> >
> > In 2003, the most recent year for which data are
> > available, 365 people, including passengers, were
> > killed on motorcycles in Florida, compared with 178 in 1999.
> >
> > In 1999, as many as 156 riders wearing helmets died,
> > and in 2003, 142 did. Yet 10 times as many riders died
> > without helmets in 2003 -- 223 -- as in 1999, when
> > there were 21 such deaths, according to federal data.
> >
> > Yet even as the deaths go up, many motorcycle riders
> > like Dow stand by their right.
> >
> > With the coming of Bike Week, which begins Friday in
> > Daytona Beach and runs through March 13, Central
> > Florida prepares for an invasion of bikers riding
> > countless safe miles and espousing freedom. The area
> > also braces, inevitably, for a few tragedies.
> >
> > James "Doc" Reichenbach, president of bikers' rights
> > group ABATE of Florida, insists the rise in deaths
> > since June 30, 2000, the last day Florida required
> > helmets, is mainly because there are far more
> > motorcycle riders, and they're cruising far more miles.
> >
> > There were 38 percent more licensed riders and 62
> > percent more motorcycles registered in Florida in 2003
> > than in 1999, according to state figures.
> >
> > Road-safety advocates say the sharp increase in
> > motorcycle deaths happens in every state that decides
> > to make helmets optional, making some minor crashes deadly.
> >
> > Rae Tyson, a rider and helmet wearer who is the
> > spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety
> > Administration, said when bikers crash, they inevitably
> > make contact with some hard surface.
> >
> > "It may be a guardrail. It might be a tree. It might be
> > with another vehicle. It might be with a road. If you
> > get real lucky, it won't be with your head. But chances
> > are it will be your head, and all bets are off."
> >
> > 'The throttle just stuck'
> >
> > That's what happened to Rufus Williams, 34, of Daytona
> > Beach on Jan. 19. According to police reports, Williams
> > had just stopped at a stop sign on a residential street
> > and then turned right, quickly lost control of his 1997
> > Suzuki and went down.
> >
> > Williams was not wearing a helmet. He died six days
> > later without regaining consciousness.
> >
> > "They say he wasn't going but about 15 mph. He wasn't
> > going real fast on the motorcycle. The throttle just
> > stuck; that caused the bike to flip over on him. Some
> > of the witnesses took the bike off him," said his
> > mother, Betty Davenport of Daytona Beach.
> >
> > The age group that saw the biggest increase in
> > motorcycle deaths in Florida between 1999 and 2003 is
> > riders younger than 21. Deaths in that group more than
> > tripled, federal data show. By law they are supposed to
> > always wear helmets, but 20 of the 48 young riders who
> > died in 2003 were not, according to the data.
> >
> > Law-enforcement officials say they have a hard time
> > enforcing the age limit. The Florida Highway Patrol
> > only enforces the younger-than-21 helmet rule after
> > troopers pull the rider over for some other traffic
> > violation -- unless there is "reasonable suspicion" the
> > driver is younger than 21.
> >
> > "Sometimes they whiz by you so fast you can't tell if
> > they're male or female, let alone how old they are,"
> > said Trooper Kim Miller, spokeswoman for the patrol's
> > Troop D, which covers most of Central Florida.
> >
> > Reichenbach, whose group lobbied hard for the 2000 law
> > change, said the risks must be balanced against
> > personal freedom. He added that helmets make it harder
> > to see and hear, and the weight can cause neck injuries.
> >
> > "I'm an adult. I'm 56 years old. I believe I have the
> > right to decide for myself what's best for me," he
> > said. "I don't need the government coming into my life
> > telling me what's right for me."
> >
> > That argument troubles many helmet-law advocates, such
> > as Allan Williams, retired chief scientist at the
> > Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who says too
> > many crash victims don't have enough insurance to pay
> > hospital bills.
> >
> > Under Florida's current law, helmetless riders need to
> > have at least $10,000 in injury insurance. Riders who
> > wear helmets do not need insurance.
> >
> > "To some extent it's not an individual's choice if it
> > is costing citizens money," Williams said.
> >
> > A 2002 survey of three trauma-center hospitals in
> > Florida found average medical costs ranged from $32,426
> > to $44,053 for riders who suffered head injuries while
> > not wearing helmets, and $28,602 to $31,437 for those
> > who wore helmets.
> >
> > Not surprisingly, Florida's deadliest times for
> > motorcyclists are in March -- during Bike Week -- and
> > October, when Biketoberfest comes to Daytona Beach.
> >
> > Since 1999, about half the motorcycle deaths in Volusia
> > County occurred either during the first two weeks of
> > March or the last two weeks of October, according to
> > federal data. During those four weeks from 1999 through
> > 2003, 46 riders died in Volusia County. An additional
> > 48 died during the other 48 weeks of the year.
> >
> > Of the 27 who died in Volusia during early March or
> > late October since the helmet law changed on July 1,
> > 2000, all but three were not wearing helmets, according
> > to federal data.
> >
> > State, federal discrepancy
> >
> > State and federal reports disagree about how many
> > Florida riders died with or without their helmets on.
> > Federal data analyzed by the Sentinel show at least 61
> > percent died without helmets in 2003. The state
> > contends 52 percent died without helmets on. Neither
> > government is clear on why the numbers are so
> > different. But both agree the percentage of helmetless
> > deaths has skyrocketed since 1999.
> >
> > Generally, riders are evenly split between those who
> > wear helmets and those who don't, a 2002 survey found.
> >
> > The state-sponsored survey of 3,001 riders in 13
> > counties, including Orange, Brevard and Volusia,
> > observed 47 percent who were wearing
> > government-approved helmets, 47 percent who weren't
> > wearing any helmets, and 6 percent who were wearing
> > nonapproved helmets.
> >
> > Previous studies found 59 percent of riders wore
> > approved helmets in 1998, and 84 percent in 1993, and
> > almost all the others wore nonapproved helmets. Less
> > than 1 percent were seen wearing no helmets in either year.
> >
> > The risks of riding motorcycles are no secret to
> > experienced bikers such as Russ Birkett, 57, of
> > Christmas. A tree farmer who also owns a trucking
> > company, Birkett says anyone who rides will crash
> > sooner or later. He said most riders accept that.
> >
> > Still, he prefers not to wear a helmet on his Harley-Davidson.
> >
> > "Not that it's safer to ride without a helmet than with
> > a helmet, but it's my choice," he said.
> >
> > David Albershardt, 40, of Altamonte Springs wasn't
> > wearing a helmet the November night that a deer dashed
> > in front of him on State Road 46 just outside of Geneva
> > in Seminole County. His family is convinced a helmet
> > wouldn't have saved him.
> >
> > Albershardt saw his Harley-Davidson as much as an
> > extension of his lifestyle as a way of getting around,
> > family members said. He loved thrills, freedom,
> > individual expression, a big machine and an open road.
> >
> > "The minute they lifted that law, off came the helmet,"
> > said his father, Dick Albershardt of Altamonte Springs.
> >
> > Albershardt's older brother, Mark, used to ride with
> > his helmet off. But he doesn't anymore.
> >
> > "I really miss him," said Albershardt, 44. "After the
> > accident, I've been wearing mine every time I ride."
> >
> >

> Motorbikes are routinely referred to by Emergency Room
> physicians and nurses as "donor cycles".


But skis, trains, knives, movies, and parachutes, are also
called donar cycles by ER physicians.
So are medical to all them has always:

ER physicians should really live in Chicago
and die with their fellow Taxi morons.




>
> Would anybody care to guess why?
> > --
> > LP
> >
> > "We are fighting today for security, for progress,
> > and for peace, not only for ourselves but for all
> > men, not only for one generation but for all
> > generations. We are fighting to cleanse the world
> > of ancient evils, ancient ills."
> >
> > Franklin Delano Roosevelt
> > State of the Union Address - 1942
> >
> > ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure

Usenet News==----
> > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!

120,000+ Newsgroups
> > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via

Encryption =----

Ads
  #2  
Old March 3rd 05, 09:32 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Frank Lodge wrote:
> LeMod Pol wrote:
> > Fewer helmets, more deaths
> > Fatalities have doubled since state eased law
> > By Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
> > Posted March 3, 2005
> >
> > Ed Dow, retired firefighter and avid biker, has seen
> > the deadly consequences when a motorcyclist crashes
> > without a helmet.
> >
> > But don't tell Dow there should be a law forcing bikers
> > to wear the headgear.
> >
> > "The way it is now is a good way: Let he who rides
> > decide," said Dow, who dons a helmet whenever he hops
> > onto his Honda Gold Wing. "But I also think everybody
> > who rides should wear a helmet. After 30-some years in
> > the Fire Department, I've seen a lot of smashed-up heads."
> >
> > Since Florida relaxed its law, making helmets optional
> > for riders 21 and older, Florida's roads have gotten
> > more dangerous. At the same time, the popularity of
> > motorcycles has exploded -- and so has Florida's
> > motorcyclist death toll.
> >
> > An Orlando Sentinel analysis of federal crash data
> > reveals the number of motorcycle deaths has more than
> > doubled since 1999, the last full year that all Florida
> > riders were required to wear helmets.
> >
> > In 2003, the most recent year for which data are
> > available, 365 people, including passengers, were
> > killed on motorcycles in Florida, compared with 178 in 1999.
> >
> > In 1999, as many as 156 riders wearing helmets died,
> > and in 2003, 142 did. Yet 10 times as many riders died
> > without helmets in 2003 -- 223 -- as in 1999, when
> > there were 21 such deaths, according to federal data.
> >
> > Yet even as the deaths go up, many motorcycle riders
> > like Dow stand by their right.
> >
> > With the coming of Bike Week, which begins Friday in
> > Daytona Beach and runs through March 13, Central
> > Florida prepares for an invasion of bikers riding
> > countless safe miles and espousing freedom. The area
> > also braces, inevitably, for a few tragedies.
> >
> > James "Doc" Reichenbach, president of bikers' rights
> > group ABATE of Florida, insists the rise in deaths
> > since June 30, 2000, the last day Florida required
> > helmets, is mainly because there are far more
> > motorcycle riders, and they're cruising far more miles.
> >
> > There were 38 percent more licensed riders and 62
> > percent more motorcycles registered in Florida in 2003
> > than in 1999, according to state figures.
> >
> > Road-safety advocates say the sharp increase in
> > motorcycle deaths happens in every state that decides
> > to make helmets optional, making some minor crashes deadly.
> >
> > Rae Tyson, a rider and helmet wearer who is the
> > spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety
> > Administration, said when bikers crash, they inevitably
> > make contact with some hard surface.
> >
> > "It may be a guardrail. It might be a tree. It might be
> > with another vehicle. It might be with a road. If you
> > get real lucky, it won't be with your head. But chances
> > are it will be your head, and all bets are off."
> >
> > 'The throttle just stuck'
> >
> > That's what happened to Rufus Williams, 34, of Daytona
> > Beach on Jan. 19. According to police reports, Williams
> > had just stopped at a stop sign on a residential street
> > and then turned right, quickly lost control of his 1997
> > Suzuki and went down.
> >
> > Williams was not wearing a helmet. He died six days
> > later without regaining consciousness.
> >
> > "They say he wasn't going but about 15 mph. He wasn't
> > going real fast on the motorcycle. The throttle just
> > stuck; that caused the bike to flip over on him. Some
> > of the witnesses took the bike off him," said his
> > mother, Betty Davenport of Daytona Beach.
> >
> > The age group that saw the biggest increase in
> > motorcycle deaths in Florida between 1999 and 2003 is
> > riders younger than 21. Deaths in that group more than
> > tripled, federal data show. By law they are supposed to
> > always wear helmets, but 20 of the 48 young riders who
> > died in 2003 were not, according to the data.
> >
> > Law-enforcement officials say they have a hard time
> > enforcing the age limit. The Florida Highway Patrol
> > only enforces the younger-than-21 helmet rule after
> > troopers pull the rider over for some other traffic
> > violation -- unless there is "reasonable suspicion" the
> > driver is younger than 21.
> >
> > "Sometimes they whiz by you so fast you can't tell if
> > they're male or female, let alone how old they are,"
> > said Trooper Kim Miller, spokeswoman for the patrol's
> > Troop D, which covers most of Central Florida.
> >
> > Reichenbach, whose group lobbied hard for the 2000 law
> > change, said the risks must be balanced against
> > personal freedom. He added that helmets make it harder
> > to see and hear, and the weight can cause neck injuries.
> >
> > "I'm an adult. I'm 56 years old. I believe I have the
> > right to decide for myself what's best for me," he
> > said. "I don't need the government coming into my life
> > telling me what's right for me."
> >
> > That argument troubles many helmet-law advocates, such
> > as Allan Williams, retired chief scientist at the
> > Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who says too
> > many crash victims don't have enough insurance to pay
> > hospital bills.
> >
> > Under Florida's current law, helmetless riders need to
> > have at least $10,000 in injury insurance. Riders who
> > wear helmets do not need insurance.
> >
> > "To some extent it's not an individual's choice if it
> > is costing citizens money," Williams said.
> >
> > A 2002 survey of three trauma-center hospitals in
> > Florida found average medical costs ranged from $32,426
> > to $44,053 for riders who suffered head injuries while
> > not wearing helmets, and $28,602 to $31,437 for those
> > who wore helmets.
> >
> > Not surprisingly, Florida's deadliest times for
> > motorcyclists are in March -- during Bike Week -- and
> > October, when Biketoberfest comes to Daytona Beach.
> >
> > Since 1999, about half the motorcycle deaths in Volusia
> > County occurred either during the first two weeks of
> > March or the last two weeks of October, according to
> > federal data. During those four weeks from 1999 through
> > 2003, 46 riders died in Volusia County. An additional
> > 48 died during the other 48 weeks of the year.
> >
> > Of the 27 who died in Volusia during early March or
> > late October since the helmet law changed on July 1,
> > 2000, all but three were not wearing helmets, according
> > to federal data.
> >
> > State, federal discrepancy
> >
> > State and federal reports disagree about how many
> > Florida riders died with or without their helmets on.
> > Federal data analyzed by the Sentinel show at least 61
> > percent died without helmets in 2003. The state
> > contends 52 percent died without helmets on. Neither
> > government is clear on why the numbers are so
> > different. But both agree the percentage of helmetless
> > deaths has skyrocketed since 1999.
> >
> > Generally, riders are evenly split between those who
> > wear helmets and those who don't, a 2002 survey found.
> >
> > The state-sponsored survey of 3,001 riders in 13
> > counties, including Orange, Brevard and Volusia,
> > observed 47 percent who were wearing
> > government-approved helmets, 47 percent who weren't
> > wearing any helmets, and 6 percent who were wearing
> > nonapproved helmets.
> >
> > Previous studies found 59 percent of riders wore
> > approved helmets in 1998, and 84 percent in 1993, and
> > almost all the others wore nonapproved helmets. Less
> > than 1 percent were seen wearing no helmets in either year.
> >
> > The risks of riding motorcycles are no secret to
> > experienced bikers such as Russ Birkett, 57, of
> > Christmas. A tree farmer who also owns a trucking
> > company, Birkett says anyone who rides will crash
> > sooner or later. He said most riders accept that.
> >
> > Still, he prefers not to wear a helmet on his Harley-Davidson.
> >
> > "Not that it's safer to ride without a helmet than with
> > a helmet, but it's my choice," he said.
> >
> > David Albershardt, 40, of Altamonte Springs wasn't
> > wearing a helmet the November night that a deer dashed
> > in front of him on State Road 46 just outside of Geneva
> > in Seminole County. His family is convinced a helmet
> > wouldn't have saved him.
> >
> > Albershardt saw his Harley-Davidson as much as an
> > extension of his lifestyle as a way of getting around,
> > family members said. He loved thrills, freedom,
> > individual expression, a big machine and an open road.
> >
> > "The minute they lifted that law, off came the helmet,"
> > said his father, Dick Albershardt of Altamonte Springs.
> >
> > Albershardt's older brother, Mark, used to ride with
> > his helmet off. But he doesn't anymore.
> >
> > "I really miss him," said Albershardt, 44. "After the
> > accident, I've been wearing mine every time I ride."
> >
> >

> Motorbikes are routinely referred to by Emergency Room
> physicians and nurses as "donor cycles".


But skis, trains, knives, movies, and parachutes, are also
called donar cycles by ER physicians.
So are medical to all them has always:

ER physicians should really live in Chicago
and die with their fellow Taxi morons.




>
> Would anybody care to guess why?
> > --
> > LP
> >
> > "We are fighting today for security, for progress,
> > and for peace, not only for ourselves but for all
> > men, not only for one generation but for all
> > generations. We are fighting to cleanse the world
> > of ancient evils, ancient ills."
> >
> > Franklin Delano Roosevelt
> > State of the Union Address - 1942
> >
> > ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure

Usenet News==----
> > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!

120,000+ Newsgroups
> > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via

Encryption =----

  #3  
Old March 3rd 05, 11:40 PM
Tim Kreitz
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

LeMod Pol wrote:

> You cannot argue with the statistics.


Is that so? Alright, then. Over the course of the past ten years in
America, vehicle fatalities have decreased while cell phone usage by
drivers has increased. Therefore, I concluded that talking on the phone
while driving has made the practice of driving safer.

I know it sounds crazy, but remember, it's a statistic. Statistics
cannot be argued with. You said so yourself.

__
Tim Kreitz
2003 ZX7R
2000 ZX6R
DoD #2184
http://www.timkreitz.com

  #4  
Old March 4th 05, 02:47 AM
texdays
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Tim Kreitz" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> LeMod Pol wrote:
>
>> You cannot argue with the statistics.

>
> Is that so? Alright, then. Over the course of the past ten years in
> America, vehicle fatalities have decreased while cell phone usage by
> drivers has increased. Therefore, I concluded that talking on the phone
> while driving has made the practice of driving safer.
>
> I know it sounds crazy, but remember, it's a statistic. Statistics
> cannot be argued with. You said so yourself.
>
> __
> Tim Kreitz
> 2003 ZX7R
> 2000 ZX6R
> DoD #2184
> http://www.timkreitz.com


Its also a statistic that as outdoor temperature increases, ice cream
consumption increases. Therefore, eating Ice cream causes the temperature
to rise.


  #5  
Old March 4th 05, 02:50 AM
Keith Schiffner
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


> wrote in message
ps.com...
> Frank Lodge wrote:
>> LeMod Pol wrote:
>> > Fewer helmets, more deaths
>> > Fatalities have doubled since state eased law
>> > By Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
>> > Posted March 3, 2005
>> >
>> > Ed Dow, retired firefighter and avid biker,
>> > has seen
>> > the deadly consequences when a motorcyclist
>> > crashes
>> > without a helmet.
>> >
>> > But don't tell Dow there should be a law
>> > forcing bikers
>> > to wear the headgear.
>> >
>> > "The way it is now is a good way: Let he who
>> > rides
>> > decide," said Dow, who dons a helmet whenever
>> > he hops
>> > onto his Honda Gold Wing. "But I also think
>> > everybody
>> > who rides should wear a helmet. After 30-some
>> > years in
>> > the Fire Department, I've seen a lot of
>> > smashed-up heads."
>> >
>> > Since Florida relaxed its law, making helmets
>> > optional
>> > for riders 21 and older, Florida's roads have
>> > gotten
>> > more dangerous. At the same time, the
>> > popularity of
>> > motorcycles has exploded -- and so has
>> > Florida's
>> > motorcyclist death toll.
>> >
>> > An Orlando Sentinel analysis of federal crash
>> > data
>> > reveals the number of motorcycle deaths has
>> > more than
>> > doubled since 1999, the last full year that
>> > all Florida
>> > riders were required to wear helmets.
>> >
>> > In 2003, the most recent year for which data
>> > are
>> > available, 365 people, including passengers,
>> > were
>> > killed on motorcycles in Florida, compared
>> > with 178 in 1999.
>> >
>> > In 1999, as many as 156 riders wearing
>> > helmets died,
>> > and in 2003, 142 did. Yet 10 times as many
>> > riders died
>> > without helmets in 2003 -- 223 -- as in 1999,
>> > when
>> > there were 21 such deaths, according to
>> > federal data.
>> >
>> > Yet even as the deaths go up, many motorcycle
>> > riders
>> > like Dow stand by their right.
>> >
>> > With the coming of Bike Week, which begins
>> > Friday in
>> > Daytona Beach and runs through March 13,
>> > Central
>> > Florida prepares for an invasion of bikers
>> > riding
>> > countless safe miles and espousing freedom.
>> > The area
>> > also braces, inevitably, for a few tragedies.
>> >
>> > James "Doc" Reichenbach, president of bikers'
>> > rights
>> > group ABATE of Florida, insists the rise in
>> > deaths
>> > since June 30, 2000, the last day Florida
>> > required
>> > helmets, is mainly because there are far more
>> > motorcycle riders, and they're cruising far
>> > more miles.
>> >
>> > There were 38 percent more licensed riders
>> > and 62
>> > percent more motorcycles registered in
>> > Florida in 2003
>> > than in 1999, according to state figures.
>> >
>> > Road-safety advocates say the sharp increase
>> > in
>> > motorcycle deaths happens in every state that
>> > decides
>> > to make helmets optional, making some minor
>> > crashes deadly.
>> >
>> > Rae Tyson, a rider and helmet wearer who is
>> > the
>> > spokesman for the National Highway Traffic
>> > Safety
>> > Administration, said when bikers crash, they
>> > inevitably
>> > make contact with some hard surface.
>> >
>> > "It may be a guardrail. It might be a tree.
>> > It might be
>> > with another vehicle. It might be with a
>> > road. If you
>> > get real lucky, it won't be with your head.
>> > But chances
>> > are it will be your head, and all bets are
>> > off."
>> >
>> > 'The throttle just stuck'
>> >
>> > That's what happened to Rufus Williams, 34,
>> > of Daytona
>> > Beach on Jan. 19. According to police
>> > reports, Williams
>> > had just stopped at a stop sign on a
>> > residential street
>> > and then turned right, quickly lost control
>> > of his 1997
>> > Suzuki and went down.
>> >
>> > Williams was not wearing a helmet. He died
>> > six days
>> > later without regaining consciousness.
>> >
>> > "They say he wasn't going but about 15 mph.
>> > He wasn't
>> > going real fast on the motorcycle. The
>> > throttle just
>> > stuck; that caused the bike to flip over on
>> > him. Some
>> > of the witnesses took the bike off him," said
>> > his
>> > mother, Betty Davenport of Daytona Beach.
>> >
>> > The age group that saw the biggest increase
>> > in
>> > motorcycle deaths in Florida between 1999 and
>> > 2003 is
>> > riders younger than 21. Deaths in that group
>> > more than
>> > tripled, federal data show. By law they are
>> > supposed to
>> > always wear helmets, but 20 of the 48 young
>> > riders who
>> > died in 2003 were not, according to the data.
>> >
>> > Law-enforcement officials say they have a
>> > hard time
>> > enforcing the age limit. The Florida Highway
>> > Patrol
>> > only enforces the younger-than-21 helmet rule
>> > after
>> > troopers pull the rider over for some other
>> > traffic
>> > violation -- unless there is "reasonable
>> > suspicion" the
>> > driver is younger than 21.
>> >
>> > "Sometimes they whiz by you so fast you can't
>> > tell if
>> > they're male or female, let alone how old
>> > they are,"
>> > said Trooper Kim Miller, spokeswoman for the
>> > patrol's
>> > Troop D, which covers most of Central
>> > Florida.
>> >
>> > Reichenbach, whose group lobbied hard for the
>> > 2000 law
>> > change, said the risks must be balanced
>> > against
>> > personal freedom. He added that helmets make
>> > it harder
>> > to see and hear, and the weight can cause
>> > neck injuries.
>> >
>> > "I'm an adult. I'm 56 years old. I believe I
>> > have the
>> > right to decide for myself what's best for
>> > me," he
>> > said. "I don't need the government coming
>> > into my life
>> > telling me what's right for me."
>> >
>> > That argument troubles many helmet-law
>> > advocates, such
>> > as Allan Williams, retired chief scientist at
>> > the
>> > Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who
>> > says too
>> > many crash victims don't have enough
>> > insurance to pay
>> > hospital bills.
>> >
>> > Under Florida's current law, helmetless
>> > riders need to
>> > have at least $10,000 in injury insurance.
>> > Riders who
>> > wear helmets do not need insurance.
>> >
>> > "To some extent it's not an individual's
>> > choice if it
>> > is costing citizens money," Williams said.
>> >
>> > A 2002 survey of three trauma-center
>> > hospitals in
>> > Florida found average medical costs ranged
>> > from $32,426
>> > to $44,053 for riders who suffered head
>> > injuries while
>> > not wearing helmets, and $28,602 to $31,437
>> > for those
>> > who wore helmets.
>> >
>> > Not surprisingly, Florida's deadliest times
>> > for
>> > motorcyclists are in March -- during Bike
>> > Week -- and
>> > October, when Biketoberfest comes to Daytona
>> > Beach.
>> >
>> > Since 1999, about half the motorcycle deaths
>> > in Volusia
>> > County occurred either during the first two
>> > weeks of
>> > March or the last two weeks of October,
>> > according to
>> > federal data. During those four weeks from
>> > 1999 through
>> > 2003, 46 riders died in Volusia County. An
>> > additional
>> > 48 died during the other 48 weeks of the
>> > year.
>> >
>> > Of the 27 who died in Volusia during early
>> > March or
>> > late October since the helmet law changed on
>> > July 1,
>> > 2000, all but three were not wearing helmets,
>> > according
>> > to federal data.
>> >
>> > State, federal discrepancy
>> >
>> > State and federal reports disagree about how
>> > many
>> > Florida riders died with or without their
>> > helmets on.
>> > Federal data analyzed by the Sentinel show at
>> > least 61
>> > percent died without helmets in 2003. The
>> > state
>> > contends 52 percent died without helmets on.
>> > Neither
>> > government is clear on why the numbers are so
>> > different. But both agree the percentage of
>> > helmetless
>> > deaths has skyrocketed since 1999.
>> >
>> > Generally, riders are evenly split between
>> > those who
>> > wear helmets and those who don't, a 2002
>> > survey found.
>> >
>> > The state-sponsored survey of 3,001 riders in
>> > 13
>> > counties, including Orange, Brevard and
>> > Volusia,
>> > observed 47 percent who were wearing
>> > government-approved helmets, 47 percent who
>> > weren't
>> > wearing any helmets, and 6 percent who were
>> > wearing
>> > nonapproved helmets.
>> >
>> > Previous studies found 59 percent of riders
>> > wore
>> > approved helmets in 1998, and 84 percent in
>> > 1993, and
>> > almost all the others wore nonapproved
>> > helmets. Less
>> > than 1 percent were seen wearing no helmets
>> > in either year.
>> >
>> > The risks of riding motorcycles are no secret
>> > to
>> > experienced bikers such as Russ Birkett, 57,
>> > of
>> > Christmas. A tree farmer who also owns a
>> > trucking
>> > company, Birkett says anyone who rides will
>> > crash
>> > sooner or later. He said most riders accept
>> > that.
>> >
>> > Still, he prefers not to wear a helmet on his
>> > Harley-Davidson.
>> >
>> > "Not that it's safer to ride without a helmet
>> > than with
>> > a helmet, but it's my choice," he said.
>> >
>> > David Albershardt, 40, of Altamonte Springs
>> > wasn't
>> > wearing a helmet the November night that a
>> > deer dashed
>> > in front of him on State Road 46 just outside
>> > of Geneva
>> > in Seminole County. His family is convinced a
>> > helmet
>> > wouldn't have saved him.
>> >
>> > Albershardt saw his Harley-Davidson as much
>> > as an
>> > extension of his lifestyle as a way of
>> > getting around,
>> > family members said. He loved thrills,
>> > freedom,
>> > individual expression, a big machine and an
>> > open road.
>> >
>> > "The minute they lifted that law, off came
>> > the helmet,"
>> > said his father, Dick Albershardt of
>> > Altamonte Springs.
>> >
>> > Albershardt's older brother, Mark, used to
>> > ride with
>> > his helmet off. But he doesn't anymore.
>> >
>> > "I really miss him," said Albershardt, 44.
>> > "After the
>> > accident, I've been wearing mine every time I
>> > ride."
>> >
>> >

>> Motorbikes are routinely referred to by
>> Emergency Room
>> physicians and nurses as "donor cycles".

>
> But skis, trains, knives, movies, and
> parachutes, are also
> called donar cycles by ER physicians.
> So are medical to all them has always:
>
> ER physicians should really live in Chicago
> and die with their fellow Taxi morons.


Still more proof that people who do not ride
regularly SHOULDN'T breed. Good you people are
stupid, learn to trim a post...morons in cars. WHY
does it NOT surprise me that all the sheeple who
are stuck in their cages on wheels do these stupid
things? Please if you can't trim a post...KILL
YOUR SELF! You'll be doing the gene pool a favour
and freeing up resources for those of us who DO
matter.

--
Nefarious Necrologist 42nd Degree
Some people ride, some just like to show off their
butt
jewelry once in a while.
Dum vivimus, vivamus
<3 )3~ <3 )3~ <3 )~ <3 )~


  #6  
Old March 4th 05, 03:51 AM
C.H.
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 18:50:05 -0700, Keith Schiffner wrote:

[snip - 361 lines]

> Still more proof that people who do not ride
> regularly SHOULDN'T breed. Good you people are
> stupid, learn to trim a post...morons in cars. WHY
> does it NOT surprise me that all the sheeple who
> are stuck in their cages on wheels do these stupid
> things? Please if you can't trim a post...KILL
> YOUR SELF! You'll be doing the gene pool a favour
> and freeing up resources for those of us who DO
> matter.


You best start with killing yourself, then. You didn't trim either. And
no, you don't matter.

Chris
  #7  
Old March 4th 05, 03:58 AM
Keith Schiffner
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"C.H."

SNIP


> You best start with killing yourself, then. You
> didn't trim either. And
> no, you don't matter.



100% correct sir. I did SCREW UP...honest I swear
to Honda I trimmed that **** poor biased article
to nothing. Oh well I'll just do like everyone
else and blame society and the government for my
mistakes.

If I hear "it's for the children one more time..."

p.s. or MAYBE I was making a sarcastic editorial
comment? No one will ever know as I'm sworn to
secrecy.
--
Keith Schiffner
Assistant to the Assistant Undersecretary of the
Ministry of Silly Walks.
"terrorist organization" is a redundancy


  #8  
Old March 4th 05, 05:32 AM
Tim
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Tim Kreitz wrote:
>
> LeMod Pol wrote:
>
> > You cannot argue with the statistics.

>
> Is that so? Alright, then. Over the course of the past ten years in
> America, vehicle fatalities have decreased while cell phone usage by
> drivers has increased. Therefore, I concluded that talking on the phone
> while driving has made the practice of driving safer.
>
> I know it sounds crazy, but remember, it's a statistic. Statistics
> cannot be argued with. You said so yourself.


Yeah! He also said that it's tough to manipulate just two numbers, so you MUST
be right, Tim!
  #9  
Old March 4th 05, 05:51 AM
Tim
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"C.H." wrote:

> You best start with killing yourself, then. You didn't trim either. And
> no, you don't matter.
>
> Chris


Chris:

if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman
your wife!

Tim
  #10  
Old March 4th 05, 05:52 AM
Tim
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Keith Schiffner wrote:

> No one will ever know as I'm sworn to secrecy.


You've missplet "stinkracy."
 




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