Importance of Helmets for Safe Motorcycling

In the state of Colorado, I am a licensed driver and the granddaughter of an impaired past motorcyclist. I drive almost every day, going from my house to work, or to school, and for the most part, I see roughly about 10 motorcyclists a day during the fall and winter seasons. In the summer/spring months especially, I see on average about 25-50 motorcycle drivers in a single day. Although, the population of drivers isn’t my point in theory. Some percentage of those riders choose not to wear a helmet while riding on a motorbike. Driving in general has many risks, and when driving a regular vehicle, people take the safety precaution of wearing a seatbelt. Not just because it's a Colorado state law, but because it has been proven to save people's lives every day. As do helmets because it is also a safety measure that saves lives. As a granddaughter of a past motorcyclist who has personally been involved in an accident, I find it very important to consider the safety mechanisms to avoid traumatic injuries. My grandfather was in an accident over 20 years ago with no helmet on. Some of the injuries and deficits he experiences every day are ones we never hope to go through as individuals. In all, I argue that Colorado should enforce a state law to have all motorcyclists wear a helmet because it would be safer for riders and can decrease the number of fatalities, despite the fact that motorcyclists find it uncomfortable and distracting.

Implementation for safe driving is already in place, such as traffic laws, and enforcement rules. This holds restrictions for all drivers, including both motorcyclists and regular vehicular drivers. All licensed drivers must follow the laws of driving such as traffic lights and the speed limits to fully enact safe driving habits. This helps keep yourself and others from experiencing any accidents. New drivers also go through educational programs and testing to ensure they are ready to take on the road. This also includes older or recent drivers too because they've had to ensure the state that they were also prepared to legally drive. Some places, such as high schools, put together campaigns to encourage safe driving, which is another way that safety is in place. Narrowing it down to specifically motorcycle drivers, there are many programs that support and train motorcyclists. According to the Colorado State Patrol Department, they have a course called Motorcycle Safety Training, also known as MOST. The operator training program promotes motorcycle safety awareness and supports courses to develop the knowledge, attitudes, habits, and skills necessary for the safe operation of a motorcycle. Meaning they provide training and licensing educational processes to earn a license to drive a motorcycle. Although it has been scientifically proven, that state motorcycle helmet laws reduce the number of motorcycle crashes, which means it has been demonstrated to be effective in several scientific evaluations with consistent results, even though it’s not enforced in Colorado. A legal and safe helmet to wear is one that is DOT approved because it follows guidelines to try and improve safety levels. This specific helmet includes a thick inner liner and sturdy chin strap, weighs 1 pound or less, and follows the style/design of a helmet. This makes it out to be the most efficient and protective wear when riding a motorcycle. Helmets are a safety precaution that can be taken to enhance safe driving and reduce fatalities.

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When motorcyclists don’t practice the safety mechanisms provided for them, they tend to undergo extensive injuries. Generally, when riding a motorbike you have less visibility, and less protection because it’s lacking the surrounding materials, they do not have seat belts and most lack airbags. Motorcycle drivers are already at more risk, which can lead to worse injury cases from an accident. Some of the regions that could be harmed involve the face, skin, bones, and most commonly the brain. Whilst all four regions have different effects and injury cases. Such as the leading cause of death, also known as traumatic brain injury. Among non-helmeted riders younger than 40, the most serious injury usually was a head injury (34%). Exactly, this injury case leads to either death or long-term disability. Facial injuries are more likely to occur by 19% when not wearing a helmet and are also similar to head trauma because of the severity of the injuries, due to serious accidents still often resulting in broken jaws and serious facial disfigurement. Other areas can also experience injury when involved in a car accident, like skin and bones. Some accidents may cause skin abrasions (road rash) and often occur when the cyclist is thrown off of the bike and skids on the pavement, and fractured bones can result in disfigurement or permanent nerve damage if severe enough. Emotional trauma may also occur because of physical injuries happening, and some may need to seek counseling and psychological help. A specific example is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may also happen as a result of a very stressful situation such as a motorcycle collision. Comparing helmeted and non-helmeted riders related injuries will make motorcyclists more aware of the causes and the results of an injury from an accident and can help prevent the actions of unsafe driving and could possibly promote wearing a helmet.

After a serious motorcycle accident, some may happen to experience extreme deficits for the rest of their lives. For one, I have seen this very clearly myself. I am the granddaughter of a past motorcyclist who has been in an accident while riding a motorbike. One of the deficits he experiences daily is the loss of limbs. My grandfather, 20 years ago was taken by an ambulance from a serious accident. As he said: “I don’t remember a lot while I was there, because I was falling in and out of consciousness. What I do remember, was when the doctors and my ex-wife were deciding to save my life”. He had to go through the traumatic decision of losing both his right arm and left leg. “I wished for years I wouldn’t have lived because I was in so much pain after the accident. Now I have learned how to cope with my physical problems and have kicked life back in the butt. But I would rather live with all my limbs”, he added. Even though the deficiencies are extreme in this case, other extensive impairments could take place as well. Riders in an accident can have signs following physical and behavioral deficits due to traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Survivors of a brain injury may struggle with the loss of basic functions. The loss of basic movement functions can be your lower extremities (knee, ankle) and/or upper extremities (shoulder and arm). However, the most extreme loss of movement can include parallelism, which is an impairment to your sensory and motor skills and even death. Besides just the utmost symptoms experienced by a TBI, there are more impacts. For instance, impaired thinking, decision-making and reasoning, concentration, memory, vision, or hearing, and cause emotional problems (personality changes, impulsivity, anxiety, and depression) and epilepsy. Less severe symptoms consist of headaches and confusion but will fix eventually. Another claim was emotional problems. Symptoms for this incorporate frustration, irritability, and other changes, which may conclude in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety that need to be treated in the long term. Most commonly, PTSD is a recurring emotional deficiency with TBI that have signs of re-experiencing thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks of the accident. Also, avoiding the situation, and feeling guilty or encountering depression. Some may undergo hyperarousal, which is having difficulty sleeping, being easily scared, and having anger issues. These extreme deficits are ones people hope to never have to experience. To avoid the terminal effects and deficits from an accident, professionals recommend following the safety measures of wearing a helmet when riding a motorbike.

The Colorado law for drivers has restrictions. You must follow traffic laws, road signs, and speed limits. This involves all drivers, ranging from any type of vehicle, such as motorcycles, buses, officers, and regular vehicles. However, while driving/riding in a motor vehicle, there are ranging rules. As a driver and passenger sitting in the front seat for Colorado, riding in a regular vehicle you must wear a seatbelt. Just like when riding on a bus, you don’t have to wear a seatbelt, but you have to sit down at all times when the bus is moving. When riding a motorcycle, you have the choice of wearing a helmet or not. Statistics from the emergency ward, which is a trauma hospital in Kerman, said that during one month, 93 people came in due to a motorcycle accident, and 53 people were not wearing a helmet, and here's why. They took a sample size of 377 people, and according to their statistical studies, periodically the sample said they don't wear a helmet because of the heavy weight of the helmet (77%), feeling of heat (71.4%), pain in the neck (69.4%), the feeling of suffocation (67.7%), and limitation of head and neck movements (59.6%). This states that people choose not to wear helmets because of physical discomfort and the choice to not wear one. Drivers’ concern for the discomfort is valid because it limits availability when riding on a motorbike. However, it has been proven by professionals that wearing a helmet does save lives more commonly than not. Despite the physical discomfort, it is safer for the riders to wear a helmet when riding on a motorbike due to the lack of protection when riding one.

As expressed, I believe that Colorado should pass a law to have all motorcyclists wear a helmet because it would increase safety measures and decrease worsened injuries, and emotional/physical deficits. It is significant to do so because it has been proven that state motorcycle helmet laws reduce the number of motorcycle crashes. It is efficient because it holds restrictions encouraging safety mechanisms for all motorcyclists. Also, most accidents result in some sort of injury. On a scale from minor to major. The injuries and impairments experienced can lead to abiding deficits due to TBIs. To decrease the number of head injuries, Colorado needs to pursue a new law following limitations to helmet wear when riding a motorcycle and make it effective. For this reason, in 2017, 101 people died when riding a motorcycle with no helmet on. The overall number of deaths has gone up 29% since 2014. Making a law in Colorado that motorcyclists must wear a helmet, will save lives, decrease injuries and deficits, and we will see the statistics drop.