Motorcyclist dies in crash while protesting helmet laws
Philip Contos liked to ride his motorcycle and he liked to ride his motorcycle without wearing helmet. In the pursuit of his passion, he joined a protest ride of other motorcyclists who also don't like wearing helmets when they ride.
I wonder if they like to wear helmets when they crash? Because Philip crashed, smacked his head on the ground and punched out of this mortal coil.
I am a motorcyclist (and cyclist). I've been doing both for well more than 20 years now. I've crashed on both, three times on my motorcycles and too many times to count on my bikes. And you know what? I've been wearing my helmet in each and every one of them. If I'd gone down on my motorcycles without my helmet then there is zero chance I'm sitting here typing this.
People who protest helmet laws have a point but its not a very good one. Motorcycles are big, fast, heavy and dangerous machines. You may like the feeling of the wind in your hair and feeling like a badass chewing up tarmac. But when (note, not IF) you go down, if you're not protected then you are ended. Simple as that.
An easy way to think about this is to consider your skull an eggshell. At the speeds you crash on a motorcycle (or bicycle as I've hit 45+ on my mountain bike) your skull presents about the same protection on its own. Remember those high school science projects where you have to construct a way to drop an egg from the second story safely? Yeah, your head is the egg, your helmet is your protection. Use it and have a much, much better chance of living. Don't use it and, well, splat.
Sorry to Philip's family for his loss. It very obviously could have been avoided.
Rule #350 is Do Not Become an Ironic Footnote
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