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From: daver@felix.UUCP (Dave Richards)
Newsgroups: net.cycle,net.politics,net.auto
Subject: Re: Seat belts, Helmets and Freedom of Choice
Message-ID: <1460@felix.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Aug-86 15:22:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: felix.1460
Posted: Wed Aug 13 15:22:37 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Aug-86 06:28:57 EDT
References: <472@water.UUCP> <148@gouldsd.UUCP> <196@shuksan.UUCP> <87@eneevax.UUCP>
Reply-To: daver@felix.UUCP (Dave Richards)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Lines: 23
Xref: watmath net.cycle:1934 net.politics:18249 net.auto:12248

In article <87@eneevax.UUCP> hsu@eneevax.UUCP (Dave Hsu) writes:
>
>The most convincing argument I ever saw for the use of helmets involved
>my 10th grade bio teacher.  An epileptic, he gave up driving for fear
>of killing someone else when he was 19 and took up bicycle riding
>instead.  Naturally, he never rode anywhere without his Bell Biker.
>
>Well, he stopped showing up to class one day.  It seems he had been
>riding along at about 35 mph when he had a seizure, bounced off a
>telephone pole and off the street.  Fortunately, he did not get hit by
>a car (I think he glanced off one) but the helmet was totalled.  The
>lexan shell split into three separate pieces and the styrofoam was
>almost completely worn through where it had been crushed.  He was in a
>coma for a while, and recovered after about 10 months.
>
>Try to repeat that without a helmet.

I think that I'd rather die than wake up to 10 months of hospital bills.
This story doesn't seem like a very good one to promote helmet-wearing.
If the helmet did such a good job, why was he in the hospital for 10 months?
By chance, were there any neck or collarbone injuries?

Dave