Shaggy

Due to the recent media hype it was bound to happen! Fox News reported that it's going for a vote TONIGHT!
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Troopers target unsafe bikers
Chicago helmet law also suggested

By Rachel Osterman and Gary Washburn
Tribune staff reporters
Published September 30, 2004

Reacting to a recent increase in fatal motorcycle crashes, Illinois State Police said Wednesday they are starting to keep closer tabs on speedy riders, and a Chicago alderman has proposed requiring city motorcyclists to wear helmets.

"We're going to start specifically going out looking for this unsafe motorcycle driving," said Sgt. Brian Windle, supervisor of the state police's aggressive-driving unit.

Windle spoke at a news conference Wednesday, two days after a fatal crash on Interstate Highway 90 left a 20-year-old Harwood Heights woman dead and a Des Plaines man in critical condition. Police said the man was wearing a helmet, but the woman, his passenger, was not.

Illinois requires safety courses only for motorcycle drivers younger than 18 and is one of three states that don't require riders to wear helmets. At the news conference police said protective gear and safety classes could help prevent fatalities, but such steps are recommendations and can't be enforced.

In Chicago, Ald. Edward Burke (14th) introduced an ordinance that would require helmets for motorcyclists and their passengers, a proposal that won immediate support from Mayor Richard Daley.

Under Burke's measure, violators would face a $100 fine for a first offense and $200 for subsequent violations.

"Maybe if Chicago does it, it will show legislators in Springfield that the time has come for the legislature to mandate a helmet law in Illinois," Burke said.

City Law Department spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyle said the department had not yet reviewed Burke's proposal to see whether it conflicted with state codes, which do not require helmets.

Motorcycle deaths have been climbing steadily during the last six years, increasing 10.7 percent between 2002 and 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In Illinois, 130 bikers have been killed as of Monday, up from 119 during the same period last year, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation said. Side note added by Shaggy - Bike deaths have gone up 10.7% between '02 and '03 .... but bike ridership has risen too. If ridership went up 15% then technically deaths are down 4.3%! In the samw aspect if ridership went up say 7% a year then fataliteis technically are only up 3.7%. In either case the media doesn't factor that in!

Windle said the growing number of riders who zip through highway lanes in packs are challenging to catch. When bikers flee police, troopers can chase them only if the chase doesn't threaten public safety, he said.

Now police plan to target the parts of the Dan Ryan, Kennedy and Eisenhower Expressways where Windle said riders frequently race.

When troopers decide not to chase the motorcyclists, Windle said, they can tell local police departments to intercept them when they get off the expressways. If troopers record license plate numbers, they also can have other authorities track the bikers down.

At Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the driver in Monday's crash was recuperating from 13 hours of surgery and preparing for a five-hour procedure to help repair his arm and shoulder, said Ilaz Kadriu, his man's father.

Mentor Kadriu, 26, has been riding since his late teens. His father said Kadriu took up the activity because "his friends are bikers."

Kadriu said his son was a leader of a riding group and drove safely.A SAFE drunk driver?!?!?!? Gimme a funking break!!!!!!

Police said the son had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10, which is above the legal limit, and was driving at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash. He could be charged with reckless homicide, said State Trooper Angelo Mollo.


Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune

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NickIF

doesn't bother me I always wear my helmet anyways, if we get off with just that law being passed due to recent events I'd say we are getting off easy

Papa Kev

yup, doesn't effect me at all either. Harley riders are gonna be pissed!

929NUT

although it doesn't effect me(i wear mine 99.9% of the time) I still think it should be an option. But beliefs like that are fading fast. Safety is becoming more of a concern in so many things, not just bikes. And whether the accident % is climbing or not. the fact is they ARE getting more publicity, which is only giving more fuel to the helmet issue. So I think it will only be a matter of time before Illiniois has a state law on helmets.

As for the cops enforcing reckless driving. Those of you who chose to run are going to be decreasing your chances of getting away or getting hurt. Seems like the law is finally starting to catch up!!!

Shaggy

Ya know, 90% of the time I wear mine also. If I'm running to the gas station to fill up while waiting for peeps to meet up at my house or running down the street for smokes I don't wear one. I like having the option.

Just because you ALWAYS wear your helmet 100% of the time and NEVER EVER even consider not wearing one, it is still booolshit to take the "Well, it doesn't effect me" attitude. You need to stand for something. If you want to take that attitude you are letting the NON-RIDING politicians rule your life. I've seen EVERY PERSON I KNOW ride occasionally, if not at least once, without their helmet.... so it effects EVERYONE. You let this law pass then what is next?!?!? You let them pass this law without even trying to stand up for your rights it will make it easier to pass future anti-motorcycle laws!

If they ever try to pass a law that says popping a wheelie will become a felony and automatic revokation of your license - hell, it doesn't effect me so maybe I'll just sit on my hands on not stick up for my freedoms. I'll take the "well it doesn't effect me attitude" like you guys are doing right now. Hell, I almost hope they do pass something like that just so I can watch you guys b!tch and I can sit back and say I told you so.

Keep sitting on your hands and let these laws pass and watch your freedoms disappear one by one. Welcome to America kids where the rich phucksticks that have no clue make laws to "protect" you. Abate and the A.M.A. are all over this booolshit law, I bet they would love to thank you for your support .... oh wait, no they wouldn't, the politicians would though. Silence from you are their greatest support.

If Chicago passes the law then I garauntee Naperville will be next. If Naperville passes it then you'll b!tch. If you've had a couple beers and are SITTING in your car with it PARKED, you can still get a DUI if the keys are in the ignition, wheather the car is running or not. So technically, if your sitting on your bike without a helmet, if the keys are in the ignition you'll get a ticket. If politicians mandate helmets then they are supposedly making us "safer" .... are we going to get insurance breaks because of it? Hell no we aren't.

How can we sit back and watch individual towns pass laws that go against state laws. An individual can't keep track of every individual town that has a helmet law. At that point Illinois might as well have a helmet law because you can't ride without one since you don't know which towns have passed the law. This is booolshit people and if you can't smell it then there is something seriously lacking in you sense of right and wrong. Sign away another freedom by doing nothing - I for one choose to do my part wether it's signing a petition or writing my congressman or senator.

Politicians love sheeple like you guys. Half person, half sheep. Just follow the heard, follow it right into the slaughter house if that's where they go. Baaaaaaaaaa Baaaaaaaa

929NUT

To catorgorize everyone who doesn't speak up as "sheeple" is a childish statement. Some people can honestly not give a **** whether there is a law or not. So calling them names because they are not taking your side doesnt make sense. If it doesnt bother me. I dont give a ****! Tell me why I should take a stand on your side of this issue, and not there's. They aren't resorting to name calling. But once again. I dont give a **** whether the law is passed or not. Call me a sheeple if you will, but your not going to get people on yourside with that atttitude.

Robbie

I would vote YES for helmet law.

Funny story for you guys who say...
"i dont wear it for the 2 block ride, im not going to crash"

2 weeks ago for my very 1st time this year i didnt wear my helmet.
i road less that a block to relocate my parking space at SOW....
I was doing about 10-15mph in the parking lot when some lady decided to pull out FAST...this caused me to roll my only decent endo of the year...and i crashed it cuz it kicked out sideways...poor breaking sure...i just had 1 second to decide what to do...hit the car (brand new 745 BMW) or hard breaking. i got some rash and few brusies....but becasue i didnt have my helmet on it got rash ($600 bucket)...if i was just wearing my helmet it would still be minty...

but for real...things happen and it dont take over 5mph to die.

Juice

if i want to jump on my bike with no helmet and ride a ****in power weelie at 100 mph into a gaurdrail head first, that should be my choice.

Shaggy

My point is if you believe that there SHOULD be a helmet law - then fine, your perogative.

If you beleive there should NOT be a helmet law - again fine. Just beleive in SOMETHING.

It just seems to me that nobody wants to stand for anything anymore. Seatbelts become required, Guns get banned, helemets become mandatory, what's next? People just let laws pass without even questioning them and that's how we lose our rights. Maybe I thought I could at least raise the collective concience around here and someone .... anyone would actually give some sort of thought to the B.S. law.

For the record Josh - I never had a problem with your statement, you said you were AGAINST the law. Hell, that's all I wanted to hear ... someone basically saying "No, it doesn't really effect me but I don't want a law passed" that's it. Or hell, I would've even appreciated someone pointing out reasons there SHOULD be a helmet law. Anything!

Everyone is so complacant about laws being passed and freedoms taken away. It's a joke anymore. I never said people had to agree with ME. I just would like people to have some sort of position on a topic that effects them.


Hell look at Rob's statement - he thinks there SHOULD be a helmet law. I can disagree with him on his stance - but at least he has an opinion on something that can effect us all. I appreciate his honesty. If he wants a helmet law for his own reasons , GREAT!

Maybe it doesn't effect you NOW, but what if they decide next that we don't need a 200+mph bike and start putting restrictions on the manufacturers. What if they decide to start enforcing the laws regarding ALL OF OUT AFTREMARKET exhaust. ALL of our pipes say on them "For off road use" or "For track use only". It starts with the helmet law and goes from there.

A buddy of mine said "Oh don't worry, Abate and the AMA won't let it pass. They'll be all over this!" Yeah, well ABATE and the AMA have lost 47 states already. There are only 3 states in the entire US without some sort of helmet law - Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa. There are many other states that have helmet laws that are for people under a certain age - some 17, some 18, some 20 but to have NO laws, it's down to 3 states. It's just a matter of time.

And I'm sorry for name calling..... I should've said you are all just too d@mn complacent (contented to a fault)..... which I'd like to point out is pretty much the same damn thing. For some reason people get their panties in a twist when you use terms that mean the same thing. If I would've replaced the word Sheeple with COMPLACENT .... nothing would've even been said. I was calling PapaKev and NickIF COMPLACENT .... and it appears that they understood and didn't take offense to it ....if so, I appologize ... but by definition they are complacent.

Proscribed$tyle

Word to that!!!

Everyone is just too lazy to vote so some beatoffs in office just make this $hit up for whatever reason then all the sudden its a law.

I think you should always wear a helmet on a Crotch Rocket, but a harley??? that just doesn't look right. I dont think you can ride hard without a helmet you cant see for ****. The only reason i'm alive today (not that i really care) is because i was wearing a helmet when i crashed!! Fact. And it was in Oregon where Helmets are required. Good great im alive but i always figured if i crashed bad enough to get hauled to the hospital i would die and stay dead so i never had insurance, sure enough they saved me and I'm still $20,000 in debt because of it....

Helmets good???
Helmets bad???

Its a personal preference therefore the people riding should be able to decide. If someone wants to die...let em

kc50

I for one do not want a helmet law, I wear mine all the damn time, but I don't think we need another law to protect me...from me! the above post reminded me of a common statement I hear from idiots. Personally, I get upset when someone says, "I don't where a helmet cuz if I crash I don't want to be paralyzed I'd rather be dead." Yeah well tell it to the guy I used to bullshit with at the dealership. He decided he didn't want to wear his shiny new bucket because it was expensive and he didn't want it to get scratched. So he goes out and loses control at a low speed, around 25 mph, and knocks his skull on the pavement. Would've walked away but instead they had to perform brain surgery to relieve swelling and some other **** and then piece his busted-*** dome back together. Only took a couple years to recover, no biggy. Stupid? yes. But he made his bed and now he has to lay in it. We should all have that opportunity.

The only helmet law I would consider supporting is one for minors, at least passengers under the age of 16. Kids should be protected from their dim-witted parents/relatives/friends until old enough to make an educated decision for themselves. The focus shouldn't necessarily be on helmet laws, but maybe some kind of law or incentive for rider education. The problem with all the recent crashes wasn't safety gear, it was lack of training and experience for the most part. Becoming a competent rider is a process, you don't become one when you pick up your permit, or when you finish the MSF course (if you could get in), but at least the latter is a good start. ****, sorry bout the book

Kev900RR

Did you guys hear the way that woody, tony, and ravey on Q101, were talking about anyone that rides a "crotch rockets" I tried to call and talk **** to them but I couldn't get through to the studio. those people are a bunch of idiots. Just because a few people fu(k up the rest of us gotta suffer the bad pr for it. I wear my lid 99.9% of the time too but it wold still suck to be forced to wear one.

CatWLights

Its my body, its my choice.

I choose to wear a helmet all the time. But, I have ridden my bike though the hood w/no helmet, giving rides to neighbor kids at 10mph, or when working on my bike. I don't want to have to worry about cops all the damn time! Its bad enough that I have to wear my seat belt and that I will get a ticket if I can't make my passenger wear a seatbelt. I can not control what someone else does.

Freedom of Choice must be valued by all Americans. There are so many people around the world who have little choices in life. We will never know what that is like as long as we make sure that we stand up for our freedoms.

Please realize that every little bit of proposed changes - as minor as it may seem - will set in stone the foundation for future changes. And sometimes we don't even hear about them or see them coming before our reps make the changes.

If this is passed. Think about what could be next. What other safety gear will you be required to wear as part of a law? Jacket requirements? Boot requirements? Hand protection? What safety modifications will be required on bikes due to new laws? Governors? Cosmetic restrictions?

Don't you want to choose all of these things rather then fearing being ticketed and fined only for enjoying what you love most?

It is so important for everyone to pay attention. ..... and to vote.

When the majority ignores what is going on... those who are passionate - even the minor groups - will rally together and make those changes for you.

SuzukiJoe

Anyone that doesn't wear a helmet while riding is fuking nuts!!! Think about anytime when you have bumped your head on something. Now imagine bumping your head at 50mph.....

Kev900RR

and thats why I wear mine :YEAH