Mandate the use of Helmets? - Provincial legislation required?

[Badass69]

. Less government, more common sense. You get hurt for not wearing a helmet, well, maybe you deserve it, but we also live in a society that takes care of all it's idiots. I pay for it. You pay for it. Most of us pay for it.

And therein lies the problem. Just because you are a knuckle dragging retard why do I have to be constantly punished for your stupidity? Hell we should get rid of some rules and laws thus allowing these morons to thin themselves out. Natural selection is a wonderful tool but our dumbed down make it safe for the mental degenerate society gets in the way of it. It wouldn't hurt for some more of these morons to quit breathing air on this planet. This just doesn't apply to quads and helmets but every faction in life you can think of. From safety garbage on job sites to rules of the road....

But no, let's create and enforce more laws so little Jonny fencepost doesn't hurt himself.......

Here's an idea...... Let's mandate the use of the brain in your head...... or mandate "common sense" because we all know it is no longer common...... That couldn't hurt now could it.

 

[meatbag]

We actually need less laws, more responsible people and common sense. Every year how many "new" laws come out, it's hard to keep track of all the insanity. Just coming back from Thailand I see how regulated we really are. No one mention horse riders. They have far more head injuries than atv's...it's a long way to fall!

 

[X-it]

Push a helmet law through where 12.7% of the people have head injuries 40% of them being drunks ....chest injuries and deaths are at 26.3%......really smart don't you think.... How do you fix stupid thinking

 

[tukernater]

The old saying; I'm not saying let kill all the stupid people. I'm saying lets remove all the warning decals and let things work them self out. I do wear a helmet allways.

 

[CUSO]

you hear about it too often unfortunately, in the news.... Quadding fatality, because of head injury.

Everywhere you go along the countryside, you see kids ripping around on quads without helmets. I would say under 18 years old, it should be mandatory.

As for the horse back riding, there are more that wear a helmet than not these days.

It all rests upon what situation you put yourself in. If it goes faster than 50 kph, it should be law under 18 years old.

 

[imdoo'n]

New online petition to mandate the use of helmets for ATV riding.

Excerpt from the petition:
"In Alberta over the past 10 years ATVs have been the cause of over 145 deaths, and 5,238 emergency room visits. Costs to the healthcare system have been over 6.5 million dollars and are increasing every year. Head injuries are the leading cause of death in ATV accidents, with 77% of the deceased not wearing a helmet. Helmets can decrease the risk of death in ATV accidents by 42%. This is why we believe that helmets should be mandatory when riding an ATV."

Petition | Government of Alberta: Mandate the use of helmets for all ATV riders | Change.org

I'm sure there are going to be strong opinions on this item, some of which I've considered:

1. We should mandate that people ride safely and provide education as to why it's important
2. We should not be telling people that they HAVE to do something like wear a helmet. People should be responsible and accountable for themselves
3. Would this apply to people using around their farm / acreage?
4. How would you enforce it to make it worthwhile to legislate

Would you support this petition?

NO!!!!!!


no more stupid laws and no more asinine petitions. period

 

[whoDEANie]

Push a helmet law through where 12.7% of the people have head injuries 40% of them being drunks ....chest injuries and deaths are at 26.3%......really smart don't you think.... How do you fix stupid thinking

I'd like to think that's becuase most people wear helmits already. I don't know a ton of people who wear chest protectors. But you do have a pretty good point about the booze since half of the less trivial accidents I've seen were arguable booze related.

I've changed my tune a little since the last big arguement we've had. Although I have strong feelings that everyone should be wearing them, making it law doesn't seem worth while to me. In the end half the people getting dinged by the po-op would probably be caught tooling around their yard or running to the corner store for ice cream. BTW, I still believe that the rider should probably be wearing a helmit in both of those situation but am hipocritical in that respect since I often won't when just tooling around.

Manditory training would probably be of more value, but I'm not sure I'd get behind that one either since it would probably end up meaning that our kids would no longer be permitted to ride.

 

[250mark1]

chest protectors are designed to protect you from roost not crashes

 

[capercal]

Sorry having problems. Hear it goes, do u want to duck tape a freind , riding parteners head back together on the trail. No Our riding group insists on it had some close calls. My kids have 4point harnesses and roll cages helmets and neck thingys undner helmets. Should b on the honor system.

 

[X-it]

Smart thinking neck thingy under the helmet. Those helmets really amplify neck injuries although they are developing helmets that lesser this injury. As far as you would like to think head injuries are lower because of helmet use....well you would be suprised to know 19% where wearing helmets to get these stats.

 

[Bisch]

I'd like to think that's becuase most people wear helmits already. I don't know a ton of people who wear chest protectors. But you do have a pretty good point about the booze since half of the less trivial accidents I've seen were arguable booze related.

I've changed my tune a little since the last big arguement we've had. Although I have strong feelings that everyone should be wearing them, making it law doesn't seem worth while to me. In the end half the people getting dinged by the po-op would probably be caught tooling around their yard or running to the corner store for ice cream. BTW, I still believe that the rider should probably be wearing a helmit in both of those situation but am hipocritical in that respect since I often won't when just tooling around.

Manditory training would probably be of more value, but I'm not sure I'd get behind that one either since it would probably end up meaning that our kids would no longer be permitted to ride.

My thoughts have gone to where is the biggest bang for the buck. Do you invest in enforcement to reduce the numbers of frailties and major injury, or do you invest in educating people as to why its important.

If we start from the goal of reducing pressure on the health care system and reduction of injury, will legislation and enforce,net do a better job? Not so sure.

Make legislation without the investment in enforcement will just make another piece of paper no will follow.

We make is mandatory for motorcycles to wear helmets. Applying the same thing to ATV/other powers ports is not a big stretch. But will it solve them problem?

The alcohol argument is also there right now. It's already just a illegal to drink and ride an ATV as it is a car. Same law. No enforcement means people will continue. When is the last time you saw a checkstop for ATV's trails?

 

[X-it]

One thing that should be mandatory is accurate stats keeping, it would be usefull for everybody involved including industry. Maybe atving should be banned? how would you do gooders that like to pass laws like that one?

 

[Badass69]

You can't educate those that are unwilling..... and unless you blatantly can't read, the 25 stickers plastered on every new ATV already advise you to wear a helmet. So pleading ignorance in this day and age is absolutely moot. It's more because the rider without feels he doesn't need a helmet, and is afflicted with the "it won't happen to me" syndrome. Or.... are just so bloody dumb it wouldn't matter what you did.. which more and more people fall under the category as well. This overprotective BS mindset has already sent our race well on its way to idiocracy.

I think it's great to teach atv safety to children and maybe some focus should be put towards that instead of mulling another useless law. That would include classroom instruction including proper handling techniques and actual hands on riding. Not some joke of a course where you sit there not really listening to some instructor drone on with a projector full of photos and videos. That is another waste of time.

I agree alcohol and atv's have no business together and some of these preaching fools should get a DUI charge while on their atv. They will scream bloddy murder when someone drinks and drives a car.. but slamming a 6 pack on the trail is okay.... Get a life you hypochrite pos.

Enforcement is an issue as who is going to go sit on remote trails and pull people over all day? It happens to a certain degree now but I don't think it will solve much. People know it's bad to drink and drive.. there is enforcement for it.... but tons of people still dye every year because of it. And that is on public highways/roads.... Good luck with that kind of enforcement on trails.... and as a taxpayer I quite frankly don't want to pay some power trip meat monkey to patrol the trails either thanks.

How to you change a mindset..... you more or less can't because the individual has too. I guess physics don't apply to a lot of these heroes, and physics alone should help convince them to wear a helmet. But maybe grabbing some of them at a young enough age and showing them the proper and safe way to handle something may alter those stats. Once they are of adult age you aren't going to change their thoughts on the subject much anymore.

You can regulate things to death and still achieve absolutely nothing except pissing off the already law abiding riders.....

 

[arcticdodge]

Don't need a law, but everyone o. Here say they wear a helmet but it keeps happening. There is a law for motorbike helmets on the highway why doesn't that cover off road vehicles. If you are on a bicycle there is a law.

 

[arcticdodge]

They should be mandatory. And sorry when I'm out riding I don't carry my first aid kit so I got no rubber gloves to put on to scoop your brains up so sorry I wouldn't be much help to anybody injured.

 

[crisscross1]

I like my freedom no more laws please, saying that, I do wear a helmet and so does my riding partners. You can't fix stupidity. If you don't have common sense, then the fools die. Next thing there will be laws that you can't have aggressive tire because you are tearing up the ground. We are not on highways and we are trying to enjoy mother nature as we see fit. It is easy don't let the fools with out helmets ride with you. We humans are evolving and the others are extinct, give them the knowledge. Other than that let them die.

 

[moyiesledhead]

Regulation actually does make a difference for SOME people. Quite a few around here that never wore helmets are now wearing them since it became mandatory on a Forest Service Road in BC and enforcement started happening. They're wearing them for the wrong reason....to avoid getting fined, but whatever. At least they're wearing them.

 

[powderhoundbrr]

People should be able to make their own decisions. Less laws and government interference in our lives is a good thing. Wear one if you want or not that is your own call.

 

[TheMuffinMan]

Just imagine how much lower the sticker price on these machines could be if the manufacturers weren't wasting millions of dollars a year to defend themselves against these idiots who wreck themselves because they were not wearing a helmet then sue the builder for designing and selling an "unsafe" machine...

 

[moyiesledhead]

People should be able to make their own decisions. Less laws and government interference in our lives is a good thing. Wear one if you want or not that is your own call.

I kind of agree with this if you're only affecting yourself, but when it comes to public safety and maybe more importantly a public health care system funded by tax payers then individuals aren't always the best ones to be making the decisions. I do fear the slippery slope that can be caused by regulation though. Where do we draw the line? I really don't know.