Dear Editor,
Sunday’s motorcycle accident in which footballer Sheldon Levi and his wife were killed draws attention to the importance of wearing proper headgear when riding bikes, especially those that can reach speeds of 180 miles per hour.
There needs to be a realisation that a certified motorcycle helmet – properly worn – offers protection from severe head injury in case of an accident. But nearly as bad as not wearing a helmet is wearing an inadequate one, which offers insufficient protection to its user in case of an accident.
Some riders see wearing a helmet only as a means of avoiding police harassment, but not for their own safety. It amazes me to see people – who boast no real rider skill or talent – riding bikes that could be the death of them and not even bothering to be safe.
Motorcycling is and will always be a dangerous undertaking and those who choose this form of transportation/pastime should at least know the dangers. Unlike driving, the rider is totally exposed and in many instances suffers immensely from even the most minor of mishaps (loss of front-end, improper braking or collision). For their own safety, I encourage all motorcyclists to wear proper DOT/SNELL certified helmets, properly fitted to the size of their heads, with the chin-strap snugly fastened.
A proper certified helmet (Arai, Shoei, HJC or AGV etc) will cost about US $300 but in the end, isn’t life and good health worth it? If someone can own such a prohibitively expensive ‘big bike’, then he or she should be able to afford adequate helmets not only for himself/herself, but also for the pillion passenger.
Yours faithfully,
Johann Earle