Former State Senator Joey Brush was a fierce advocate for the right NOT to wear motorcycle helmets when on the roads. During his years in the state Senate, his key issues were the helmet laws and a change to state laws concerning traffic light sensors…. Brush, 59, died after a car pulled out in front of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Columbia Road about 8:30 a.m. Kimberly Crouch, 49, of Augusta, had stopped at a stop sign on northbound Louisville Road at Columbia Road and didn’t see the motorcycle before attempting to drive through the intersection.
To dispense with the formalities, my purpose here isn’t to make light of Sen. Brush’s untimely and unfortunate death. That’s a tragedy, and my heart goes out to his family.
That said, his passing is EXACTLY the reason why motorcycle helmets should be mandatory. Would a helmet have saved Sen. brush’s life? (None of the newspaper accounts mention whether or not Sen. Brush was wearing a helmet, but given his stance on the issue, it’s not a stretch to believe he decided to forego the brain pan.) Not necessarily, but might it have increased his chances of survival? Very likely. Could a helmet have saved a woman from having to live with the knowledge that she (probably inadvertently) killed someone?
Therein lies the conundrum, of course. While opponents of making helmets mandatory can and do expound at some length about liberty and personal freedom, it isn’t all and only about the motorcyclist and their choice of head gear (or lack of same). It’s also about the motorists and others that rider shares the road with. Even if someone doesn’t respect their own safety, wearing a helmet should be seen as recognizing and honoring a rider’s responsibility to everyone he or she shares the road with.
Sen. Brush’s tragic death could- and should- be seen as a cautionary tale. Sometimes it’s not all about the individual. Sometimes it really is and should be about the collective. When you use a public roadway, you assume the implied responsibility to take all necessary precautions- not merely for your own protection, but for the safety and well-being of those around you. Making motorcycle helmets mandatory isn’t a matter of Big Government suppressing the freedom and liberty of an individual. Sometimes society needs to have standards in place to protect the safety and well-being of the whole. Cars have brakes not just because they protect the driver from harm, but also because they protect others sharing the road. The same holds true for turn signals…and motorcycle helmets are no different.
Sometimes society needs to protect people from themselves. More importantly, sometimes society needs to protect itself from an irresponsible few who have no consideration for anyone but themselves. If you want the freedom to ride a motorcycle, I don’t think it onerous that you accept the responsibility of wearing a helmet. Do the right thing.
