Thoughts from an out of towner...

While driving back home to NY from PA, I observed a Pennsylvanian couple riding a Harley at 65 mph...neither of them were wearing a helmet.  Now I know the slogan "When you ride, you decide" but somehow it just seemed just a little too casual approach to riding.  Not that I believe that riding a motorcycle with a helmet on at 65 mph is going to do much to save the rest of your body.  It just seemed like the principle of giving yourself some sort of chance to survive a tragic accident on the highway is kind of lost.

I cannot and do not want to give the impression of someone who is judging those people who choose to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.  That's not what this observation is about.  I'm simply emoting, and I'm empathizing to all my friends who ride (and people that I don't even know) that I hope you will reconsider taking all possible safety precautions when you ride.  Again, I don't know if a helmet will make much of a difference at 65 mph, but it sure might make the difference of an open or closed casket.

None of us know when we could be in an accident and I really don't want to seem judgmental.  I know that there are truly some things in life that are out of our control.  In the past two years I have had a friend/co-worker who was riding her motorcycle down in North Carolina get hit by another motorcyclist, who was intoxicated.  Road rash and one surgically repaired ankle later, she can talk about it (yes, she was wearing a helmet).  In addition, I had a friend, who while driving his car, was struck by another car driver (possibly intoxicated or asleep).  The other car crossed the double line on a highway and slammed into him head on. Both drivers were killed instantly.  So I do understand that there are some things out of our control.  I just think about the things that are in our control and thought that wearing a helmet, at least as slower speeds, could be one of them.

I would love to hear some feedback by people who do chose to ride without a helmet, as well as from folks that do ride with helmets.  And do us all a favor...talk from the heart...not from the head to keep from coming across as judgemental.  

JS