I don't get too wrapped up over the stats and I don't fall into any false sense of security of thinking I'm good to go just because I wear protective gear. Bottom line, if you crash into another object (cars are the most obvious for us street riders) at any kind of speed, odds are good you're going to die regardless of your gear, or lack thereof. The folks that choose not to wear gear use that as their rationale, and they're correct. Those of us that choose to wear gear believe that there is value in wearing the gear even though it likely doesn't increase our odds a whole lot. And, we can all point to anecdotal evidence to support our point of view on the subject. Here are a couple:
- A 40 year old man was killed on his sport bike a couple of months ago because an SUV turned left right into his path. The biker was in full protective gear and was not speeding. This happened in a 45 mph zone.
- A middle aged man was taken to the hospital a couple of days ago in critical condition and his passenger was pronounced dead at the scene when a van turned left into the path of the biker's Suzuki Boulevard. Both were wearing helmets.
- A good friend of mine, which is a deputy sheriff, and his girlfriend were returning from a day ride about a year ago with a group of bikes (Harley crowd) and a car came from their rear at a high speed in the left lane. There was a sharp lefthand curve ahead and the car was traveling too fast to make the curve and drifted over and clipped my friend's Road King. He went down and him and his girlfriend were both ejected from the bike and bounced down the road like rag dolls (I wasn't there but another friend that was saw the whole thing).
The car never even stopped. My friend wasn't wearing a helmet. He did have a leather coat (typical black leather jacket the Harley dudes wear) and chaps on. He was uninjured other than a bruised shoulder from tumbling down the road. His girlfriend suffered a broken foot and a few scrapes and bruises. She had surgery to repair the break, but other than that was fine. She also was not wearing a helmet.
Guess what, his bike was totaled and he now has a new Street Glide. He still doesn't wear a helmet and neither does his girlfriend. Go figure.
I think it just boils down to what your comfort level is. Personally, I feel vulnerable if I don't have gear on and, yes, I've ridden without a helmet before just to see what all the buzz was about. I was nervous the whole time and the liklihood of me doing it again is slim to none. Also, I've been hit by a car. The car was traveling 65 mph on impact according to the Highway Patrolman's calculations (he measured skid marks). I was wearing protective gear and my head smacked the pavement hard enough that it cracked the helmet and still managed to give me a concussion. I KNOW the gear at least saved me from major head trauma in that particular circumstance. But, I also know I could be killed the next time I ride regardless of what I wear.
We all know the risk and we all deal with it differently and in whatever way makes us be able to enjoy ourselves. For me, that means wearing protective gear. YMMV
