JC> Tacoma, Washington (USA) 
 JC> the police are enforcing a state-wide bicycle 
 JC> helmet law.  They are 
 JC> starting to harass bicyclists with that $60 fine.
 BA> Adults too, or just children? I can see enforcing 
 BA> it on kiddies, but not 
 
Everyone.  This law was crammed down our throats by a do-good "nanny 
government" lobbyist group composed largely of pediatricians and head-trauma 
surgeons.  This same group failed to request that helmets be required for 
automobile drivers, even though the vast majority of head injuries (and the 
most severe head injuries) occur in automobile wrecks, and not bicycle 
mishaps.
 
 BA> Please don't get me wrong; I ALWAYS wear a helmet 
 BA> on my bike and a seat 
 BA> belt in my car, but I don't think it is the state's 
 
I always wear a seat belt (but that's a vehicle control issue).  The helmet I 
can do without.  Been riding and taking spills my whole life, never needed a 
helmet before.  The hundreds of thousands who commute to work in Europe and 
China also don't seem to require this protection.
 
 BA> belt in my car, but I don't think it is the state's 
 BA> business if a person 
 BA> wants to kill himself.
 
I agree.  It is not the state's business.
 
 BA> I have a prayer I periodically recite: God protect 
 BA> us from those who are 
 BA> trying to protect us.
 
And from those to whom He speaks directly.
--- Maximus 2.02
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