Hands up front for protection
By: Web Editor
Dear MSL,
Despite early protests we all accept the absolute need to wear a crash helmet.
A fully protected pillion. Fully protected.
You could live with a damaged face providing no brain injuries, you could live with a broken arm or leg too. Indeed, even neck and back problems if not too severe. But can you imagine life without usable hands? What is the first natural action in any accident or fall? Be it on a bike or just in everyday life, out go the hands.
How many times do you see riders not wearing gloves? Especially youngsters on their first bikes and scooters, but also too often experienced riders. And the number of times you see the biker with full protective clothing and the pillion often female in little more than she would wear for a trip to the shops.
I hate the nanny state with a vengeance. But maybe just maybe helmet law applied to protective clothing would save a lot more lives than all the speed cameras and police activities put together! Is insisting on a minimum degree of protection really any more discriminatory than the helmet or seat belt law?
I suspect the doctors in A&E would support it and who better to know? If a law is too draconian then how about a campaign? The statistics for people who die or are badly injured through lack of protection could be easily gathered and more believable than the constant blaming of speed and the saving of time and money in care and benefits may outweigh all the revenues associated with cameras.
John Balshaw
email
Now that’s an area of legislation that a Government could be roundly applauded for initiating. I wonder if they ever would though, John. TC
2 Responses to “Hands up front for protection”
Mutch Says:
June, 28th 2010 at 09:10 am
I don’t know whether I am more alarmed by the sentiments of your reader John Balshaw on mandatory clothing standards or the editorial comment on his letter. As with helmets, recognising the good sense of taking a precaution is a far cry from criminalizing those who do not observe it. It is this distinction that John breezes over as if it is inconsequential which makes me question if he has thought this through.
John asks, “Is insisting on a minimum degree of protection really any more discriminatory than the helmet or seat belt law?”
This is an odd question as it suggests that if people can accept one injustice they should be able to accept any, though I doubt that discriminatory is the right word.
“The statistics for people who die or are badly injured through lack of protection could be easily gathered.”
Could they? Analysing cause of death and specifically linking it to factors such as clothing is far from easy. To infer from the examination of a corpse that a totally different outcome might have ensued had a specified item of kit been worn is destined to lie forever in the realms of speculation I would suggest.
The racetrack provides ample evidence of the effectiveness of protective kit in that environment but racetracks are not littered with lampposts and trees. It is dangerous to place faith in tactics which are appropriate to an environment other than the one to which you seek to apply them.
This aside, do we seriously want to see bikers routinely pulled over for inspections of their clothing by police officers ‘patting us down’ in search of CE labels? Imagine it. Levi jeans, ho ho ho that’s £100 an old pre-standards Barbour jacket, another £100, oh and you took your gloves off because you wanted maximum dexterity in town traffic, another £100 old son – please! Have we not got enough legislation already without asking Government to invent more sticks to beat us with? For 37 years MAG has strived with great success to protect us from the draconian regulation which motorcycling’s enemies have concocted. Let us not throw away what areas of free choice remain.
The greatest safety aid we have is what lies inside our skulls not what we wrap around them or any other part of our body. Hazard recognition and defensive riding pave the path to survival not the adoption of gimmicks let alone the invitation of more powers to criminalise us.
John says he hates the nanny state with a vengeance. With views like his let’s hope he doesn’t grow to like it.
Ian Mutch
MAG President
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Dave Ryan Says:
June, 29th 2010 at 04:39 pm
I am 46 and did my DAS last October. I ride a Kawasaki W650. I'm not going to set the world on fire on a bike ! I ride with an open faced helmet and goggles, gloves, boots, jeans and a leather jacket in good weather. I ride within my limit on nice windy A and B roads. With the type of bike i have and my ability I probably get as much enjoyment at 50-65 mph as those with bigger bikes get on fast roads and much greater speeds. The survivability if I go down has got to be a lot higher than someone doing 100 mph + on a busy road. I ride with the thought in the back of my mind that IF I were to come off I would get hurt. I am happy with the level of risk I am taking. Sheathing people in armour etc seems to me to make people think they are much safer than they really are. This means higher speeds. Speeds where no amount of armour will aid you if you hit a tree or a car. Riding with a feeling of vulnerability is a good thing to me. I enjoy the risk in the way that I did until a few years ago with parachuting and climbing. It is part of motorcycling. One reason why I took it up in the first place.
Let's not encourage anyone to make any more safety equipment compulsory than we already have.
And, before anyone asks, yep, I have been in attendance at a number of fatal motorcycle accidents long before I took to biking. All were wearing the full kit and looked like GP heroes. All passed me minutes before they had their accidents riding irresponsibly. What a waste and what a loss.