Helmets? Oh Yeah!!!

 As anyone who reads me knows I had a motorcycle accident three day ago on Saturday. And my body is letting me know today that it is not happy with me at this time. Somehow, every single muscle between my beltline and neck got strained, and aggravated.

And so sleeping is a new adventure. Getting from prone to sitting up is a new adventure in pain. Then standing up, same thing.

So my body has taken some abuse. And I am in constant, mostly, low level pain as my body lets me know it is not a fan.

So anyone who read my last knows that I was knocked unconscious during this accident. And thus, many of the details are unknown to me. I know that the clothes the first responders cut off me had a lot of signs of sliding on pavement. And my phone case is showing signs of sliding on pavement.

Well, let me show you my helmet, which I am really glad that I was wearing:




As you can see the impact cracked it and the dragging it along concrete scuffed the daylights out of it. Lot's and Lot's of Road Rash.

I had become a fan of helmets many years ago due to an experience with Mountain Biking. And I continued to be a fan of the helmet when I took up riding Motorcycles again about 5 or 6 years ago.

And, sometimes, when in a state that did not require it, like New Hampshire, I ride without a helmet. In fact, for a few hours before the accident my Nephew and I were riding our bikes in New Hampshire without helmets. It was a nice day and the wind felt good.

And when I left him at his house I put my helmet back on. So, a half hour later, there abouts, when the accident happened, I had my helmet on.

And, looking at the pictures of the helmet above, I am very glad that I did. I really doubt that I would be alive right now if I had not put it on. I am pretty sure they would have been cleaning pieces of my skull and brains off the road during clean up after picking up my dead body without that helmet.

Look at those pictures again. Look at the crack. That would almost certainly have been the killing blow if my head had not had that helmet between ground and self at impact. And look at that road rash. What that would have done to skin and bone, much less dense substances than the make up of that helmet, would also have been a killing blow.

So two killing blows, absorbed by one piece of safety equipment. I would say that is an equitable trade off.

Earlier today I went to the place where I had bought that helmet over five years ago. I showed it to the sales manager, who remembers me. He got a little pale when I showed him everything. Was also very glad that I was wearing it. And I bought a new helmet to replace it.

So folks, those that ride and those that love someone who rides, please wear a helmet. I know there is a big argument about "Freedom" and being forced to wear one. And I do not care. We are safer when we wear one. All the evidence points to this and so does a lot of personal experience.

And I know this, I would not be here to write this today if I had not made the choice to put that helmet back on.

Keep the Shiney Side Up

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