We knew this statement was coming!!! NY

OFF THE WIRE
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2011/07/helmet_laws_death_of_protestin.html
Helmet Laws: Death of protesting motorcycle rider makes the case..
David Lassman/The Post-Standard BRIAN SNOOK and other members of ABATE (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education) picket in October 2008 outside the University Sheraton, where the New York State Police were conducting a safety conference. The protest was aimed at roadside checkpoints where police check lights, tires and helmets. The story reached from Canada to Ireland to Australia and New Zealand. The publicity was inevitable after a motorcyclist riding in ABATE’s 11th annual “Helmet Protest Run” Saturday in Central New York — without a helmet — lost control of his bike, was thrown to the pavement and suffered a fatal head injury. Inevitably, he will become an emblem in the long-running tussle between those who believe helmets infringe on freedom-loving motorcyclists, and those concerned about the social and financial costs of riding “bare.” The brother of Philip Contos, 55, of Parish, described him as a “rebel” who resisted government encroachment. A trucker and a veteran, Contos “protested everything,” his brother said, adding that he would join the rally all over again if he could.
Had Contos been wearing a helmet, he’d have the chance. Authorities said he probably would have survived if he was protected by state-approved headgear.
Instead, his family and friends will gather for calling hours from 4 to 7 tonight at Whelan Bros. & Hulchanski Funeral Home and for services at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph’s Church in Camillus. To them go our deepest sympathies.
Witnesses said Contos looked down to check his boot laces, then looked up to see traffic slowing. He braked, lost control and was thrown over the handlebars. Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime, to riders wearing helmets or not. What separates those last two categories is the consequences. Two recent studies concluded helmet use lowers the risk of head injuries by 69 percent and fatal head injuries by 42 percent.
State helmet laws began appearing in 1967, under federal pressure. By 1969, all but three states required helmets for all riders. Congress stepped in twice — once in 1976, again in 1995 — to ease the rules. Both times, states responded by weakening their laws — and the number of fatalities rose. In 2007 alone, the toll broke the 5,000 barrier.
Kentucky repealed its law in 1998 — and saw fatalities rise 50 percent; in Louisiana, fatalities increased 100 percent after repeal. (Louisiana reinstated its helmet law in 2004.) In contrast, after California adopted a universal law, helmet use went from 50 percent to 99 percent, and motorcycle fatalities dropped 37 percent.
No law forbids motorcyclists from wearing helmets. But use plummets when it is not mandatory. Even when young riders are covered, they stop wearing helmets when adults do. In Florida, the risk to under-21 riders skyrocketed after the helmet law was repealed for adult riders.
Christinea Rathbun, who heads Syracuse’s ABATE chapter, said the anti-helmet campaign will go on. “It’s your own risk,” she insisted.
True. But the risk is shared when taxpayers foot the bill for accidents. One study shows that of the $249 million required to treat injured motorcyclists in 2006 — $58 million of it for head injuries — more than one-third of the cost was not covered by insurance. Authorities estimate helmet laws saved $13.2 billion in health-related costs between 1984 and 1999.
There is strong evidence for safety devices, from seat belts to air bags to baseball batters’ helmets. Few cases are more compelling than the one for motorcycle helmets. The loss of Philip Contos makes that case even stronger.