OREGON - Viewers weigh in on House Bill 3141: Mandatory or optional helmet laws

OFF THE WIRE
EUGENE (KMTR) – House Bill 3141 is creating quite the discussion.
Yesterday , News Source 16 reported about the first public hearing regarding House Bill 3141, stating that while the bill proposes wearing a helmet on a motorcycle for those 21 and older would be optional under some stipulations, the majority of bikers believe they should in fact have the option. Others think allowing room for choice is taking away safety precautions and that it is the responsibility of law enforcement and government to focus on the precautionary measures.
Sandra McMillin has been riding on the streets and drag racing for 45 years. Her husband, Jimmy, also rode bikes until he passed away in 2006. Jimmy died in a motorcycle accident, after he ran head on with another vehicle. He was wearing a helmet, but the injuries from his neck and below were too severe.
Sandra’s story, however, is one of persistence. Still an avid biker, she is limited in multiple aspects of her life – not able to shower by herself, dress herself, and clean her house and etcetera – all due to not one but three accidents that now restrain her movement and memory.
In each instance, she says she was wearing a helmet. The first accident she was in, she had a helmet on referred to as a ‘shorty’ helmet. A shorty helmet does not protect the rider’s face, but rather just the posterior head. According to her, this protection does not do a rider justice if traveling at a high rate of speed (similar to a speed one would do on the highway). Her helmet flew off once she hit the ground. It was after that that Sandra started wearing a full-facial helmet. Had she not been wearing this during her two other incidents, she says she would not be alive. Twenty years ago, she says she would have been one of the “it’s my choice to ride, let me decide” people, but now that she knows what could happen while not wearing a helmet, she says those who want the choice should still make the knowledgeable one.
While Sandra’s accidents were caused by different reasons and occurred in different locations, she has spent significantly more than $200,000 dollars in rehabilitation and recovery. A number of injuries to her ear, knees, head and shoulder have now scarred over – but have also scarred her everyday life. Her sister, Kathy, is her full-time care-keeper.
Because her life is so limited, the one thing she can still do that she loves is ride. Since her accidents, she uses a three-wheel bike and wears a large amount of riding gear, even if she is not traveling far. She says she can still ride her motorcycle because it is something she did for so long prior to her extreme accidents.
The take-away in speaking to Sandra is that although an option could become available if House Bill 3141 were to pass, bikers need to make sound decisions based on what is knowledgeable.
On the other side of the issue, legislators supporting the choice were not available to comment. A majority of the Facebook posts agreed that helmets need to be mandatory. However a few people, like Brian White, say they are against wearing helmets at all.
“I don't need any law to tell me what is or is not safe. I have been riding motorcycles all my life. To see and to hear is safer than some big lumpy thing on my head. I am from Florida and have unfortunately wrecked two motorcycles due what? People pulling in front of me. I was not wearing a helmet either time. I suffered a broken leg once and bruising and lacerations the other time. Had I been wearing a helmet there's a good chance I would not have seen the cars in time to react and there would have been another statistic to ignore. So if you ride a motorcycle and want to wear a helmet, fine. Just don't put it on me.”
Other comments that share a similar perspective include Bill Vincent’s post, which said, “I've always been of the opinion that so long as the only life a person is endangering is their own, they should be free to do what they want.”
The bill has no timeline but legislators currently remain in Salem in session. A similar motion was put into play in the 1980s, but it was vetoed. Some believe if House Bill 3141 passes through the house and senate this time, it will eventually be vetoed again.
http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/Viewers-weigh-in-on-House-Bill-3141-Mandatory-or/KwAPULlokEmv3VP6PIztfA.cspx