If it's my fault that someone died, like they were obeying the law and I was changing 8-track tapes in my ride and ran them over, it wouldn't matter if they had a helmet or not, i'd feel like shite forever. But, if mr crotch rocket doesn't have on his helmet and runs a red light and plows into the side of me then no i really wouldn't feel too bad at all except for my ride being all bent in. I can actually say this with a bit of experience, as I once pulled out to pass two drugged or drunk dudes on a scooter only to have them make a sudden left turn right in front of me. I did everything I could to avoid collission, but wound up hitting them pretty hard. My first thought was fack i've kilt them or at least busted them up pretty bad, but luckily they only had a little road rash, and one of them was in mild shock for a minute or so before coming to his senses and immediately demanding a cash on the spot settlement. I was on vacation at the time, and it was quite a bringdown for a week or so, to realize that something like that can happen so out of the blue, but I didn't have to go to a shrink over it and the rental car company didn't even charge me any extra even though the plastic bumper and one fender were gerfached.
As for worrying about everyones family, lol you're a nutter. Let's ban alcohol again, because some people can't handle it, and mess up there lives, and there family feels bad. All drugs, kaboom them because, some people mess up there lives and the family feels bad. We've already gotten rid of lawn darts so never again will a family have to feel bad after someone is killed by them, so we superglue helmets on everyones head, and then we can get on to other scenarios where the family might feel bad, like swimming pools, people drown in them and people feel bad, let's fill them in. Yes fill them in, don't just drain them because them some skateboarder would kill himself, even with his superglued on helmet, and the family would feel bad, so fill em in.
Basically, and you missed this in my first post, people should take responsibility for their own actions. Mr. helmetless rider has to weigh the increased odds of dying and see if the hurt his family would be left with, the non-living of the rest of his own life, etc. is worth it compared to feeling great with their mug out in the wind for a few hours. If they feel the risk is worth it, then God bless em, it's a free country, at least in some places, and they should be able to be stupid like that. They're the ones that have to worry about the family, not me.
Anecdote time. I was recently in Pamplona during San Fermin, and had no intention of running with the bulls, but once there I really started to think about it. Not really running per se, it's way too crowded with drunk frat boy types to run the way Hemingway wrote of, but there's plenty of places to stand in a doorway where there's little chance of being gored but still being very close to these animals. My girlfriend was deadset against me doing it, but honestly that had zero to do with my not doing it, already having balcony viewing spaces paid for did. When I go back I will stand out there in a doorway and be very close to possible death. I still love my girlfriend, but she has to understand that this is who I am, and I hope that she loves me for that, hell it would be even better if she would say, you big pussy, go get between the horns, don't stand in a doorway, but I can't expect miracles. On our balcony was a woman and two kids and her husband was out on the street running. He had ran 10 years before, and promised himself he would come back and do it again in 10 years and he did. I can respect him for that and his wife understood and was supportive, even though he took off a good 30 seconds before the bulls got there.
Personally people that always wear there helmet, people that don't ever do anything because it's not 100% safe just bore the hell out of me. I'm no adrenaline junky, I do some stuff others would think is too dangerous, and I see people do stuff that I think is stupid risky, but I don't think let's ban it, let's think about there family. I think either man they're braver than me, or man they're stupider than me, depending on just how miniscule the odds of success look to me. |
