#350 Do Not Become an Ironic Footnote

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

#337 Respect Even the Pocket Bike

Teens on pocket motorcycle injured in suspected DUI crash - Santa Cruz Sentinel

For those aren't aware of what a pocket bike is, its a tiny gas-powered motorcycle sized for a five year old. Some grown ups have figured out how to ride them with their knees going way out to the sides. I've even seen a racing league on Recreation Nation.

They are toys but they are also toys that can get you going fast enough to get you into real trouble. And two teens, who'd been drinking, riding one in traffic is a recipe for pain.

Keep in mind that these bikes are small enough to be completely below your line of sight from behind the wheel of a car. These teens were being incredibly reckless (and ironically wrecked) and the combination of alcohol on the driver's part did not help. Apparently, DUI is almost like a hobby for some people.

The end result of this sad little episode is that two teen boys got seriously busted up, neither was wearing a helmet and both had to get helicopted to hospitals over the hill.

Rule #337 is Respect Even the Pocket Bike or Your Head Is Not as Hard as the Ground or a Car's Bumper

#142 Speed + Two Wheels + Dirt = Death

Motorcyclist speeding up to 130 mph killed in Solano County while he tried to pass cars by going on the median divide. There was dirt there and he lost control, flew off his bike and hit his head hard enough to knock it off (which is almost certainly what killed him).

I don't know if he was a new biker or just a bad biker but Yamaha R-1's are, effectively, racing motorcycles. They are insanely fast and pretty incredibly dangerous is misused, as this unidentified rider found out.

I would wager a few bucks that he wasn't older than 25.

Rule #142 is Speed + Two Wheels + Dirt = Death

#98 Wear a Helmet!

Motorcyclist killed in Solano County

It is shocking to me that people are willing to get on a motorcycle and ride it around without any protective gear. Motorcycles are inherently dangerous machines and no helmet means you are, at best, in grave condition should you get into an accident.

I'm reminded of an old saying, "If you've got a five dollar head, get a five dollar helmet." I wonder how much this woman's head was worth to her? Apparently nothing at all.

You won't find me on my motorcycle or mountain bike without a helmet. It is just too easy to get badly hurt and the helmet is just a little insurance against catastrophic damage.

Rule #98 is Wear a Helmet!

Rule #70 Don't Ride Above Your Skill Level

Motorcyclist dies in weekend wreck near the Summit

I get speed, I love speed and I understand how much fun it is to get out on the roads above Boulder Creek and tear them up. Believe me, I know this.

But I also know that there's a speed at which my skill and my bike's ability to respond are surpassed by road conditions, speed and other variables (like other cars). Knowing when to throttle back a bit and cruise rather than burn it up all the time is one of the reasons that I'm still around.

Rule #70 is Don't Ride Above Your Skill Level