The Standard Examiner of Utah quoted me today in an article titled "Motorcycle Fatalities Prompt New Focus On Safety." I do believe that instead of spending tax payer dollars to lobbyists on the national and state level to push helmet laws that money would be better spent to encourage all new motorcycle license applicants to take a motorcycle rider education course. Furthermore, I think a motorcycle rider education class should be mandatory before a license is issued.

Contrary to the article stating that "... many head impact crashes destroy helmets anyway..." was not what I was trying to get across. What I did say is that it is very difficult to determine in death cases where a helmet was not worn whether a helmet would have saved the person's life. This is so because the injuries may be multiple in number meaning that the person might have internal injury and brain injury but it is impossible to say which injury actually killed or whether a helmet would have prevented death.

In the article Representative Neil Hansen (D) was quoted as saying "I'm very much for personal freedoms, but there comes a time when you draw a line," he said. "We don't send astronauts into space without a space suit." This is a very curious statement to me. If one were guaranteed certain death if you did not wear a motorcycle helmet when riding like astronauts are if they do not wear a space suit I bet all motorcycle riders would wear helmets. However that is not the case - you are guaranteed death if you do not wear a helmet when riding. Wearing a helmet is not the answer - it may be part of the answer - but it is not a panacea.

What is needed is rider education - mandatory education - of both motorcycle riders and motor vehicle drivers.

What do you think? Take the helmet poll.

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