Missouri Motorcycle Helmet Law Repealed

Do you know how many lives would be saved every year if everyone in autos & trucks wore helmets?
Also in golf carts, airplanes & forklifts.
Why pick on bikers?
Get the point?
Most of these lawmakers don't know their clutch lever from the brake lever.

First, those who say its all about our "freedom” not to wear a helmet are incorrect. Driving a car or riding a motorcycle has NEVER been a right/freedom, it's a PRIVILEGE.

Akin to your thinking, our law makers are never going to be able to legislate intelligence and I wish they would stop attempting to do so.

Stupidity and motorcycles don‘t go hand in hand. Novice and immature riders are going to have to overcome their thoughtless and haphazard behavior or they too will become a statistic.

Keep your knees in the breeze!!

shouldnt i have the right to get my head crushed if i so choose? why should the gov't get to make that choice? i choose not to wear a seat belt because in case of a crash i what to go flying through the windshield. dont i have the right as a human? the govt didnt create me, God gave me free will. and my free will says I will chose what happens and what i want to wear not some govt that doesnt care about the little person to begin with. more people should go without helmets and seatbelts, less population to worry bout.

If this passes, those of us who wear helmets and prefer to avoid brain damage and neurons which don't seem to connect right with our speech and other movements will have to pay much higher motorcycle insurance for those who are more cavalier with their attitudes toward themselves and road cleanup crews. This is ridicuous and part of the Republican b.s. that continues.

Larry wrote:

If this passes, those of us who wear helmets and prefer to avoid brain damage and neurons which don't seem to connect right with our speech and other movements will have to pay much higher motorcycle insurance for those who are more cavalier with their attitudes toward themselves and road cleanup crews. This is ridicuous and part of the Republican b.s. that continues.

The majority of MC accidents are caused by idiots in cars not paying attention.How many times have you heard of someone just FALLING off of their MC and crashing into someones windshield,or t-boning someone in a car at an intersection and killing the driver of the car?Thats what I thought! mind your business,and stay in your four-wheeled cage where it's safe if you dont know how to ride.As far as the taxpayers go,what about the millions(probably billions)spent on healthcare for illegal immigrants?!!They have better ins.than I do!

I say that its quality population control. Not wearing a helmet on Missouri roadways is stupid; so, if your stupid and you die, you will increase the average IQ for your sample population. Eventually we would have very few "stupid" people on MCs. Works for me, lol.

Do you know how much money missouri miises out on each year from motorcycle clubs and rallies avoid the state because of stupid helmet laws we are surrounded by states that do not require you to wear them , and besdes it should be our choice , on the highway yeah i prefer to wear a full face helmet some people dont but i do but cruising through town at 30 mph no i shouldnt have to wear a helmet if i dont want too

KKK lover wrote:

shouldnt i have the right to get my head crushed if i so choose? why should the gov't get to make that choice? i choose not to wear a seat belt because in case of a crash i what to go flying through the windshield. dont i have the right as a human? the govt didnt create me, God gave me free will.

The problem is not in "your freedom" as much as it is mine. I will be burdened with your hospital bills, rehab or funeral as a tax payer. You will likely counter with " I have private insurance" and again I say, the burden will be passed on to me. If your actions have no burden on me, then I support it however; in this case it does.

How stupid is this law? You must wear a helmet on the interstate, where it won't help when you crash but don't have to wear one in the city where cage drivers cut you off and helmet might actually save you? Idiots! I am split right down the middle on helmet laws, but will probably still use mine 80-90% of the time.

at5goat
ok, suppose you dont wear a helment and you crash and die or r seriously hurt, coma, etc... wether i have insurance or not, if its my fault i see no need for any tawpayer to bear the burden of my mistake, yes it is sad that this how it works sometimes, but why not change that also. if you dont wear a helment,seatbelt, or choose suicide, anything where it is my fault i die,and i dont have the money to pay..law should be...imediatly donate to a med school student for learning.that would take care of it, if im still alive...wait a few minutesfor me to die, then take me to that med student to cut up and learn something. taxpayers should not have to be the money behide all this. there are too many stupid people and not enough of them willing to donate their bodies to science anyway.

So very true that a majority of the head trauma accidents happen at slower speeds.It is ironic how the new law is written but what the hell Ill take it.When I raced bikes I wore a helmet but on the street in town I wont.

Speak Out wrote:

First, those who say its all about our "freedom” not to wear a helmet are incorrect. Driving a car or riding a motorcycle has NEVER been a right/freedom, it's a PRIVILEGE.
Akin to your thinking, our law makers are never going to be able to legislate intelligence and I wish they would stop attempting to do so.
Stupidity and motorcycles don‘t go hand in hand. Novice and immature riders are going to have to overcome their thoughtless and haphazard behavior or they too will become a statistic.
Keep your knees in the breeze!!

Well all are entitled to their opinion but regarding driving being a "PRIVILEGE", I realize that has been the prevailing wisdom in order to give government yet another hold on an individual's rights BUT, since paying taxes is NOT optional and those taxes are appropriated in part to pay for roads, consider that taxpayers then have a RIGHT to use what they are paying for. WHen the individual has the option to OPT out of paying taxes then I would consider driving a privelege, they same would go then for helmets..........I'm just saying

as a police officer along I-70 in a densely populated area I have this to offer. Someone commented about helmets don't help on the interstate. Well about once a month somebody on a motorcycle dumps it because he was driving over a hundred miles an hour and lost control when someone changed lanes that didn't see the motorcycle. That is not the cars fault it is the motorcycle rider. Each time the person was wearing a helmet they had some bad road rash,but they were ok. On the other hand I have seen the results motorcycle doing a wheelie at night at about 30 mile a car pulled out of a parking lot because they couldn't see the motorcycle coming because of no headlights and the motorcyclist ended up dead because he wasn't wearing a helmet.
So helmets do work.

Chad C wrote:

as a police officer along I-70 in a densely populated area I have this to offer. Someone commented about helmets don't help on the interstate. Well about once a month somebody on a motorcycle dumps it because he was driving over a hundred miles an hour and lost control when someone changed lanes that didn't see the motorcycle. That is not the cars fault it is the motorcycle rider. Each time the person was wearing a helmet they had some bad road rash,but they were ok. On the other hand I have seen the results motorcycle doing a wheelie at night at about 30 mile a car pulled out of a parking lot because they couldn't see the motorcycle coming because of no headlights and the motorcyclist ended up dead because he wasn't wearing a helmet.
So helmets do work.

My point was about rural Interstate crashes more than urban. You points are acknowledged, and appreciated.

There are many freedoms, rights, privileges, that we all enjoy. But we also have a moral duty to be responsible citizens.

It is a fact that wearing a helmet significantly decreases the risk of serious head injuries and/or death. And when that happens ALL citizens pay....for our insurance, for our medical care, for your children, your family. Is it really fair to ask others to take on that responsibility?

I'm an avid motorcyclist but I just can't see taking the risk of my head smashing against another vehicle, the pavement, etc. without a helmet. Wearing it is just too simple.

For all of those judgemental people out there complaining about the helmet repeal bill....If you dont ride why do you care? Pointing your fingers at bikers calling them names hoping they die if they crash without a helmet...FOR SHAME! The comments on the several ariticles surrounding this bill has brought out many people's true colors and it is pathetic! This helmet bill is about freedom its about my civil liberties as a an American. The government is slowly but surely taking away more and more and yet those of you out there complaining are not seeing it! You refer to us bikers that care about our civil liberties as organ donors and morons...what type of people are you? The helmet law was put into effect because a young man was killed on his motorcycle when a driver in a CAR wasnt paying attention and hit him on his bike; senior in High School dead because of a vehicle. Do your homework see how many motorcycle accidents/fatalities are due to cars/vehicles hitting them, cutting them off, pulling out in front of, and turning left in front of motorcycles....Helmet or no helmet if all you people driving cars would pay more attention, us bikers wouldnt have to worry so much about our safety!!!!We see you, take a second to see us...just because we ride doesnt make us less~We too have children, jobs, and lives!!!! LOOK TWICE SAVE A LIFE!!!! If Modot wants to throws stats and numbers around...Why is it such a big fine and pulled licesen to hit/kill an employee working on the road and yet if a vehicle (out of pure carelessness) hits and kills a biker its the bikers fault??

Heritage Rider in SGF MO wrote:

<quoted text>
My point was about rural Interstate crashes more than urban. You points are acknowledged, and appreciated.

And how many accidents involving motorcycles have you witnessed that it was the vehicles fault? Yes as in any "group" there are those that give it a bad name... When following EVERY traffic law at least once everytime we ride, my husband and I are cut off, turned in front off, nearly rear ended ect. its a terrible situation to think that I cant ride for fear of my safety because drivers simply DO NOT care enough about ours lives to pay attention. Pretty sure DOT approved helmets are only rated to 30 MPH so call me crazy even if I crashed doing 65 down the interstate DOT says that helmet isnt going to be very effective. Lost two of our own almost 3 years ago... she was wearing a DOT approved helmet traveling less then 60 mph and died from blunt force trama to the head.... she had a name a husband children a life. Her husband later died he also had a DOT approved helmet on. So to you and everyone reading... Only takes a second to LOOK and LISTEN! We have families too! So helmet or no helmet thats not the issue anymore its fighting for every right the goverment insists on taking away!

Chad C wrote:

as a police officer along I-70 in a densely populated area I have this to offer. Someone commented about helmets don't help on the interstate. Well about once a month somebody on a motorcycle dumps it because he was driving over a hundred miles an hour and lost control when someone changed lanes that didn't see the motorcycle. That is not the cars fault it is the motorcycle rider. Each time the person was wearing a helmet they had some bad road rash,but they were ok. On the other hand I have seen the results motorcycle doing a wheelie at night at about 30 mile a car pulled out of a parking lot because they couldn't see the motorcycle coming because of no headlights and the motorcyclist ended up dead because he wasn't wearing a helmet.
So helmets do work.

And how many accidents involving motorcycles have you witnessed that it was the vehicles fault? Yes as in any "group" there are those that give it a bad name... When following EVERY traffic law at least once everytime we ride, my husband and I are cut off, turned in front off, nearly rear ended ect. its a terrible situation to think that I cant ride for fear of my safety because drivers simply DO NOT care enough about ours lives to pay attention. Pretty sure DOT approved helmets are only rated to 30 MPH so call me crazy even if I crashed doing 65 down the interstate DOT says that helmet isnt going to be very effective. Lost two of our own almost 3 years ago... she was wearing a DOT approved helmet traveling less then 60 mph and died from blunt force trama to the head.... she had a name a husband children a life. Her husband later died he also had a DOT approved helmet on. So to you and everyone reading... Only takes a second to LOOK and LISTEN! We have families too! So helmet or no helmet thats not the issue anymore its fighting for every right the goverment insists on taking away!

Dear BobNLaura,

First off - Please accept my condolences on your losses. I can't imagine losing any of mine. Ever.

Secondly - I think that we are on the same side here. My point was either have a helmet law, or don't. They need to stop splitting hairs.

Both car/cycle acidents that I have witnessed involved a cage driver that "Didn't see the motorcycle." The problem isn't that the drivers you refer to are not concerned about cyclists. They are not concerned about ANYTHING outside of their vehicle! I got into a confrontation the other day after being used as an ashtray by some idiot flipping his ashes out of his sunroof. He had no idea that he was endangering someone elses safety, and didn't care.

If the state is at all interested in safety, banning cell phone use and texting while driving should be their next law. A $500.00 fine might get their attention.

Might.

Ride hard and ride safe.

i think it should be the riders choice i hate wearing a helmet it pulls on my head and neck and so what if my head gets crushed whats the difference if you die from a crushed head or a broken neck from that heavy ass helmet
RIDERS CHOICE THATS THE WAY TO GO