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Below is an e-mail I sent to my state representives
Stay tuned and I'll post their replies (should I get any).
Subject: A request by a registered voter in your district.
Please excuse the many cc's but it looks like my zip code (36850) falls into several districts so I'm trying to save some time on my end by writing to everyone at once.
Since it is now not mandated to have airbags in automobiles because further testing ruled that it can be even more dangerous if they are left in tact and used by people below a certain height/weight or if used incorrectly. I was hoping that some further testing can be done on the use and safety of motorcycle helmets. Since the only real testing was done 30 years ago I think it might be due.
The present testing standard for motorcycle helmets (FMVSS-218) was created almost 30 years ago. The helmet manufacturer's are required to perform all motorcycle helmet testing in a laboratory on a headform. The result is a motorcycle helmet designed to pass the testing standard which is to protect a headform in a laboratory. The testing does not simulate what would happen to a motorcyclist wearing that helmet in the event of an actual accident. The present testing standard does not exceed a simulated impact speed of 13.66 mph, nor does it take into account the stresses that would be transferred to a motorcyclist's neck and spinal cord, the reduced vision and hearing, the effects of a chin strap around the throat, or the effect on the brain when the helmet bounces. As many State's (including Alabama) have enacted laws that mandate motorcyclist's wear a helmet (or become a criminal), the testing standards should reflect what, exactly a helmet will do to a motorcyclist in the event of an actual accident.
If the safety of the motorcyclist is the primary concern, then the testing standards should reflect that As it stands now, the safety Nazi's say that helmets are safe, when the real truth is that helmets can only be proven to protect a headform in a laboratory. Until the testing standards are designed with the motorcyclist's safety as the primary objective, motorcyclist's who ride in mandatory helmet law States will be required, by law, to wear a helmet that is designed to protect a headform, not a motorcyclist. If the testing used crash dummies with sensors (to detect possible injuries), in realistic accident situations (like a car turning left in front of the motorcyclist), we could determine if, in fact, helmets can actually cause injuries. The laws of physics state that a 4 pound helmet, at 50 mph, becomes 200 pounds upon impact. This is a law that cannot be repealed by anyone and it is an indication that the present motorcycle helmets are not as safe as some would claim. One of the requirements of FMVSS-218 is an impact test performed by dropping the helmet (and headform) onto an anvil from a height of no more than 72 inches which simulates an impact speed of 13.66 mph. Using a Newton equation' for a 170 pound rider, with deceleration of the brain being the controlling factor, the following helmet thicknesses would be required:
IMPACT VELOCITY HELMET THICKNESS 4 MPH 1" 10 MPH 1.8" 15 MPH 4" 20 MPH 6.5" 30 MPH 15" 40 MPH 29" The current 1" thick helmets weigh from 2 to 4.5 pounds. If the testing were done at an impact speed of 20 mph, the helmet would have to be at least 6" thick, and weigh 15 to 20 pounds in order to pass testing. The current 4 pound helmet puts a terrible strain on the neck without impacting anything And upon impact, the bending momentum to the neck will more than double. The neck is the weakest link, and FMVSS-218 does not take this into account (as the required headform has no "neck" at all, nor does it simulate a human body at all, as it's only a headform) There have been many motorcyclist's who have become a quadriplegic due to the effects of wearing a helmet. A female motorcyclist wearing a helmet is twice as likely to die as a male motorcyclist (this is probably due to the smaller, weaker neck of a female).
Another requirement of FMVSS-218 (S5.4) is that a helmet provides no less than 105 degrees peripheral vision. The Alabama drivers license test requires 140 degrees peripheral vision, and a motorcyclist with only 105 degrees peripheral vision is considered to be legally blind Also, when wearing a helmet, the acute decrease in hearing would prevent a person from receiving a drivers license. Therefore, according to Alabama DMV regulations, when wearing a helmet a motorcyclist is legally deaf & blind and subject to having their license revoked if taken to extremes!
Helmet's are not a safety device for motorcyclist's, and mandatory helmet laws are nothing more than a mandatory dress code with the ability to cause injury and death. But a helmet will protect a headform in a laboratory (up to 13.66 mph), unfortunately, headforms do not ride motorcycles.
Please understand, I am not trying to ask you to make helmets an option when I ride my motorcycle. I'm just asking that the tests (30 years old remember) that created the helmet laws be updated and even given a more realistic simulation. If it is proven with more real world style tests like they do with automobiles that helmets still offer the protection that we are led to believe then I will gladly don my helmet and smile. But should the tests prove as I presume they will, that you are risking more by riding with a helmet at normal real world speeds than you would be without, then maybe we can talk about either changing the testing required for helmet makers or possibly making helmet use by mature responsible riders in the state of Alabama optional.
I am a responsible rider with many years of riding motorcycle experience (in Alabama and also states with optional helmet laws such as South Carolina) and the last thing I want to do is put my life in jeopardy. I'm currently a spinal cord patient and have spent many months in hospitals because of it and have met with quite a few people who have suffered spinal cord injuries that they felt were due to their helmets. I'll admit my injury was not motorcycle related. If it can be shown to me by another standard other than the 30 year old flawed test (FMVSS-218) that I am much safer with a helmet than I would be without then you will never hear from me again and I'll gladly put an X next to your name come election time and thank you for helping. I'll even shout your name from the rooftops at every election bragging about how you really care about your constituents safety and concerns.
If your publics safety is really an issue for you then I ask that you please look into this matter. As of March of 2005 there were 50,040 motorcycles registered in the state of Alabama and that study is almost 2 years old. Since the popularity of motorcycles has risen in the past several years I can only assume that number is small compared to current stats.
Thank you for your time in reading my email.
Mike Mann
XXX XXXXXX Road (withheld for my privacy)
Camp Hill, AL 36950
256-675-XXXX (cell)
May 23rd, 07
Well it's now over 3 months later and I have not heard back from any of those stuff shirted goobers. Of course I really did not expect to hear back from them but a nice form mail letter asking me for at least a donation to their relection campaign might have been nice. Something to let me know they got my email.
So who am I going to vote for? Who knows, maybe who ever is running against these goof offs. I'll have to go back through my sent mail and find the original email and post all of their email addresses and names for you guys.
