CONNECTICUT: Helmet laws aren't the way to help safety..

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Helmet-laws-aren-t-the-way-to-help-safety-1369278.php Helmet laws aren't the way to help safety 

However neither personal loss nor personal opinion should be the basis for creating laws that compromise principles that most citizens in a democracy hold dear to their heart.
The Connecticut General Assembly governs with the consent of the governed. This is the cornerstone of our republic and our democratic means of governing. We have a seat belt law because a majority of those affected by this law were either willing to accept the government mandate or simply did not care. I can recall the circumstances very clearly having been one of a small number who spoke in opposition to the proposal back in the late 1980s before the Transportation Committee.
That is not the situation with respect to an adult helmet law. Most motorcycle riders, even many of those who voluntarily wear their helmets like the two gentlemen quoted by Ms. Love in her letter, understand and accept the trade-off between individual liberties and the risk/reward equation associated with riding a motorcycle. If we single out adult motorcyclists (not minors -- we have a mandatory helmet requirement for them) as requiring government intervention in their personal choice as to when and where to use a motorcycle helmet, we must also be willing to be consistent and do the same with those adults who also make other risky personal lifestyle choices. That would include prohibiting the use of tobacco products, regulating the use of alcohol and legislatively monitoring our diet and exercise to prevent obesity. The health care costs and personal suffering associated with the diseases originating from these behavioral choices far outweigh that created by motorcycle riders injured or killed solely because they were not wearing a helmet.
Ms. Love's situation is a tragic one but not one that is solved by another government mandate into our personal lives. This issue has been debated for over 35 years here in Connecticut since we repealed the law in 1976. The only real answer to achieving Ms. Love's goal of increased helmet usage is to educate and convince the individual rider that such a choice is the better choice. In my opinion and that of the CT Motorcycle Riders Association Inc., an even more important goal is to prioritize our highway safety efforts toward accident avoidance as opposed to injury reduction.
Richard Paukner
Legislative Chairman
CT Motorcycle Riders Association Inc.