That makes since to me.

 

I agree klier, in fact in Texas if you ride a street bike w/o a helmet you must show proof of medical insurance. I don't think anyone should be left footing the bill helmet or not. I feel that people should be responsible for themselves ,I'm not debating that point. As you stated I don't need a mom and dad when I log on here.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: hddoperator

I agree klier, in fact in Texas if you ride a street bike w/o a helmet you must show proof of medical insurance. I don't think anyone should be left footing the bill helmet or not. I feel that people should be responsible for themselves ,I'm not debating that point. As you stated I don't need a mom and dad when I log on here.</end quote></div>

Or you must have taken the motorcycle safety course. Even then, you have to send in a request (and 5 bucks) to get a sticker to place on the license plate or mounting bracket. And that is only good for 3 years.

 

I have a friend who was riding double with his daughter on his new Grizz with no helmets on a gravel road, and for some reason he couldn't make a long turn and hit a tree. He and his daughter got a few bumps and bruises and he broke a finger. Later that year we went out and he bought a Yamaha sled. We unloaded it from my trailer,he asked his wife to go for a spin (no experience) and within 100' she rolled it into a tree, no helmet again. He owns helmets and don't use them. My conclusion is that careless people do stupid things.

 

i ride about 4 hours every other week without a helmet on.... granted im just mowing my yard @ 3mph so i will take my chances but if i go for a ride anywhere else i wear mine. like others have said no point in fretting about what others are doing basically it all comes down to eventually somewhere down the line they will learn the lesson 1 way or another either thru their own stupidity or someone close to them. When it comes to others riding on my property or my daughter.... a couple simple rules NO HELMET NO RIDING, NO DRINKING, & TREAT MY PROPERTY WITH RESPECT! im not afraid to pull your handle bars off and paddle your lil @ss red with them.

 

Stupid people do stupid things all the time. And not just rednecks in case anyone was wondering about that. When kids look to adults as an example and the adults don't wear a helmet, do they let their kids go without one, or just say to them "do as I say, not as I do"? If kids need a helmet I don't see why adults don't need one too, unless they think their life isn't worth living. Or they welcome the chance to get more brain damage. I have plenty already so I wear a helmet when I ride. I should wear one when I drive a car too because I rolled a couple of them and had some other crashes too. I still have "temporary" amnesia from an accident I had walking around in my house. I wasn't wearing a helmet. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Accidents can happen when you really don't expect them, but they're more likely when you do stupid things on an ATV. If you want to be a brain-dead vegetable don't wear a helmet. I don't care. It's not my family that will be crying by your bed in the hospital.

 

It cracks me up that selfish people can sit there and say "why does everyone care what I do, who cares if I don't wear a helmet" or my favorite "street bike guys don't have to wear helmets why should I"

Well the reality is that states are looking for every excuse to close riding areas. Every and any excuse....

When morons with no helmets crash and crush their skulls, the papers are all over it, quick to say how dangerous ATVs are and how they should not be allowed on state lands..... do people not understand this concept? Has everyone forgotten that ATVs were nearly banned in the 1980s because they were deemed too unsafe for us? If we give them reasons they will take them, trust me. You want to gripe about me and call me "helmet police" well fine but when you cannot ride anymore on some piece of land because someone dies, or you cannot buy your favorite ATV because the government says they are too dangerous again don't come here crying about it......

It does affect everyone when your brains come leaking out of your skull....it gives a bad name to ATVs and forces everyone to start thinking that maybe they are too dangerous again. In the case of this video, a helmet was the difference between a non issue, and a trip to the emergency room, a story in the papers, and a police investigation. It was something ugly that should have been something you might laugh about in the future....

So a selfish choice to not wear a helmet affects more then just your friends and family, who all may be willing to take that calculated risk. It affects people you don't even know, when barriers start to get put up to keep you off certain trails because last year some dummy died while just playing around in the woods. Or when protests start up because now everyone in a small community is paying attention to the dangers of ATVs, it won't be fun for anyone.....

People on street bikes crash and die, but they don't close roads or kick other riders off because of it. It is not even close to the same concept........

People love to demonize ATVs, and they are constantly looking for reasons beat them down and hate us for riding them. So why give them such an easy target? I could care less what people want to do to themselves, but when their selfish choice has a negative impact on the sport I love I get annoyed.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: hddoperator

Why is it that everyone worries so much about what everyone else is doing? I'm not trying to start a war or anything but we never got to finish this conversation that was started on another thread.Now with that being said I can say I wear my helmet probably 80% of the time, I think it's a good idea. I don't wear it when I hunt or build fence and other times when I'm riding really slow and on and off the quad repeatedly. SS you claim that those non helmet wearers are what gives us a bad name and cause trails to be closed. Well guess what, any public trails I've EVER ridden it's a law that you wear it and if you don't you get kicked out along with a big fat ticket to boot. So that leaves private property and frankly what I do on my property is no ones damn business! I advocate safe and responsible riding and have picked up trash behind other riders that are pigs who don't deserve to ride. I also will not tresspass to ride and I won't stand for anyone in my party doing it either. I really agree with you that helmets should be worn but fact is that these people are adults and if they want to smash their heads it's their business. Now let me see a youngster on a machine without a helmet and I'll throw a fit but an adult will do what they want right or wrong and I just don't think that it's for me or you to say. I have pictures of me on my machine without a helmet that I've wanted to post in the past but won't because I know I'll get pounced on the second someone like you sees them. Well guess what I'm fully aware when my helmet is on my head and when it's not. I don't need to be told with some smart alleck comment like"nice helmet" or whatever. Like I said I'm not trying to get in some big argument with anyone here. There are a great bunch of folks on this forum with differing opinions....this opinion just happens to be mine!



Cheers![img][/img]</end quote></div>

I understand your stance, and believe me I'm not really one to tell anyone what to do..... If you are on my property your wear a helmet, but if you are on yours you can do what you want...

My original post was to ask WHY Ute riders seem to ride a lot without helmets. It was not to flame people for no reason, it was to find out why.

But people get defensive and assume it is a personal attack on them. I mow my lawn all the time with no helmet. But if I'm going to shift out of 1st gear I put the bucket on.

As you point out, some states will give tickets for riding with no helmet. That is fine with me. But I have seen first hand riding areas closed because someone got hurt. A moron without a helmet cracked his skull and almost died, and the next week the area was off limits for good.

I also hate to see stories on the front page of some dinky paper, about how ATVs are so deadly and dangerous. And incidents like the one in the video lead exactly to that.

When those people were cruising through the river at 5mph that was one thing. But in my experience people NEVER keep themselves under control. They always go for a little more and a little more, and this guy went for a little too much.

 

I hate to see anyone hurt too. My question of "why is everyone worried so much about what everyone else is doing" could also be aimed at the non atv'rs and alot of other groups too. I guess I'm just sick and tired of all of these people in all of these different groups worried about what you and I`are doing. I can promise you that the atv hater down the street could give a damn less if there is something that he does that you don't like. People are get increasingly bad about sticking their nose where it don't belong! The narrow minded haters are going to hate us and our machines no matter what . We can wear our helmets 100% of the time and they'll just find something else to bitch about. I think that they're unhappy people and when they see us having alittle fun they get jealous! Sorry for the mini rant but I feel very strongly that if persons actions do not endanger anyone else then let them do what they want! The world would be a better place if everyone had the same attitude.
Now back here in the real world you bring up some valid points ss. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

This whole thing was a recipie for disaster! You have ignorant hillbillie rednecks without helmets riding a big overweight utility quad....what different outcome did anybody expect????

Notice that the hill he went up wasn't that steep. Looks like he hit the gas, and wheelied it out from under himself. He could have leaned forward, or gone a little easier, and none of this would have ever happened....but, this also shows the inherent instability of the current crop of huge way overpowered utilities!

I think we are going to see a safety based backlash against these machines, just like we saw in the past against the 3-wheelers!!!