Originally Posted by
indyfabz
No. No.
Are you not aware that some rides are club rides, and those clubs often have insurance that requires ride participants to wear helmets?
And I certainly don't want my substantial tax dollars going to pay for medical care for people like the person you quoted. Based on the persona he's created, I doubt he has decent health insurance. In short, a personal choice that has the potential to affect others in a substantial way is not all that personal.
1. I am aware that many people have claimed that "clubs often have insurance that requires ride participants to wear helmets," including a rep of the local club when I asked about their requirement for helmet wear during their local casual non competitive rides. When I asked him if their insurance actually included such a requirement, he told me no there was no insurance requirement but the club leaders wanted a helmet requirement and the "insurance company makes us do it" rationale was an easier sell than "because we say so." I suspect that may be true elsewhere.
2. Your desire not to have your tax dollars going towards medical expenses of people who make personal choices that you consider unacceptable or create an unnecessary tax burden on society is understandable. The same rationale could be expanded to include people who participate in many other behaviors that some people consider unnecessarily risky personal choices such as drug, tobacco or alcohol use, or unprotected sex with multiple partners, maybe even bicycle or motorcycle riding in traffic or speed without full body protection. How would you respond to someone making the argument that his tax dollars shouldn't go to pay for medical care for people like that?