Cuomo pondering mandatory car occupant helmet law

[Wise_A]

No less retarded than other traffic safety laws. Hell, they made a law stating that school buses have to have seatbelts. There's just a couple problems:

(1) The seats themselves are designed to cushion impacts and prevent injuries
(2) Lap belts cause more injuries than they prevent on a bus
(3) In the event of an evacuation, you've got one driver, and 60-77 kids. How in the actual fuck do you think that driver is going to extricate 77 panicked kids from their belts in case of a fire?

So instead we've got belts on buses--the kids trip over them every day, belt them across the aisle and cause other kids and staff to fall, and regularly bash each other in the head and face with the buckles. Pro move, thanks lawmakers, for making another law you know fuck-all about.

EDIT: I think NY Gov Andrew Cuomo should be required to wear a helmet all the time.

[BehindBlueI's]

In know of a certain police department that had to wear helmets in their patrol cars in the 70s when a uptick in crashes irritated the Chief...

[Totem Polar]

In know of a certain police department that had to wear helmets in their patrol cars in the 70s when a uptick in crashes irritated the Chief...

NFW. You can’t be serious.

The chief was just busting people’s balls, yes?

[paherne]

NFW. You can’t be serious.

The chief was just busting people’s balls, yes?

IN the late 1960's/early 1970's it was SOP for many police departments in my county to roll with riot helmets on, all the time, in the car, etc.

[blues]

IN the late 1960's/early 1970's it was SOP for many police departments in my county to roll with riot helmets on, all the time, in the car, etc.

When we were high school age we used to terrorize the poor NYPD cops that wore helmets and rode around on Cushman scooters. Fortunately, they never caught us and kicked our asses.

[whomever]

I dimly recall reading once that the fraction of fatalities due to head injuries (about half) was similar for both motorcycle and car fatalities (which isn't surprising; heads are fragile things). Of course the fatalities per mile are a lot higher for motorcycles.

But if you were an engineer from Alpha Centauri looking to reduce traffic fatalities, helmet laws for cars aren't that odd an idea. Race car drivers wear them for a reason, after all.

But while many states require motorcycle helmets, some actually forbid helmets for auto drivers. I think the notion is that no one is going to wear a helmet in a car unless they are a street racer.

It's always struck me as one of those ways where our response to risk management isn't always very logical (see also: a lot of gun control).

[BehindBlueI's]

NFW. You can’t be serious.

The chief was just busting people’s balls, yes?

I was an unsworn employee looking for a sworn position and was meeting with the Assistant Chief and I noticed his helmet on a book shelf. I knew that department didn't have any motorcycle officers and didn't remember a time when they did, so I asked him about it. He told me the story that for about 3 years they had to wear helmets in the car because the Chief at the time decided to make a rule after a couple crashes with injuries. The rule lasted until they got a new Chief, who rescinded the order.

Ball busting may have been part of it, but it appears from the version I was told that the Chief did appear to believe in the safety benefits and enforced it. Of course late shift guys being late shift guys "forgot" a lot.

[blues]

I dimly recall reading once that the fraction of fatalities due to head injuries (about half) was similar for both motorcycle and car fatalities (which isn't surprising; heads are fragile things). Of course the fatalities per mile are a lot higher for motorcycles.

But if you were an engineer from Alpha Centauri looking to reduce traffic fatalities, helmet laws for cars aren't that odd an idea. Race car drivers wear them for a reason, after all.

But while many states require motorcycle helmets, some actually forbid helmets for auto drivers. I think the notion is that no one is going to wear a helmet in a car unless they are a street racer.

It's always struck me as one of those ways where our response to risk management isn't always very logical (see also: a lot of gun control).

I think people should be able to choose. Granted, I didn't grow up with it so maybe I'd feel differently if I had, but I rode far and wide on my bikes, (the pedal sort), without a helmet and can't imagine "having to" do so. I've also ridden from FL to MT on motorcycles and wore a helmet most all of the time, but when in states where it wasn't required, it was a breath of fresh air to go without for a while.

If I had to wear a helmet when I was into rock climbing and mountaineering it would have put me off that as well.

Safety is good, I just don't want to be nannied into the decision and accept responsibility for my poor choices.

I don't want a world where you can't drink, can't smoke, can't take risks even if I choose not to do them personally.

[whomever]

I think people should be able to choose.

FWIW, I concur. I was just highlighting the disconnect between requiring them for some activities and forbidding them for others.

Similarly, the annual deaths from mass shootings and collisions with deer are about the same, but one is a crisis and the other is 'meh'. That wouldn't make sense to an engineer from Alpha Centauri.

[FNFAN]

I think all these new leftist tactics are facinating. Will be interesting to find out who has the propensity for being an outlaw. Probably larger percentage of folks than they plan on.