Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on February 26, 2008

Click here to view bill details.

Now lets start more freedom type bills instead of the horse squeeze that normally comes out of lansingistan

Let the citicens decide if they want to wear a helmet, our life, our risk and more important our freedom! Thanks Richard

A plus for individual freedoms which deserves applause. However, if this is not coupled with the individual's responsibility to ensure they can provide for themselves should they become disabled after choosing not to wear ALL available protective equipment, this bill is nothing more than incompletely thought out political posturing. Reading the introduced legislation it is noted that seat belts are still required in automobiles, in which the operator has the additional protection of the structure of the vehicle as protection. Motorcycle operators do not have this safety advantage. These intrusive "parental" laws are in place because if the operator becomes disabled and then expects to draw support from the people of the State of Michigan; the people (AKA. taxpayers) who will be expected to pay the bill, have a right to 'assist' that operator in making the correct decision to use all protective equipment possible (such as a helment). I don't wear a seatbelt because it is a law, I wear one because it protects me. That being said, I support the concept in this proposed legislation (and the termination of similar "parental" laws) but only if the individual's right to decide is accompanied in the legislation with the individual's assumption financial self-responsibility.

An idea whos time has come. This will bring millions of tourist dollars into our state.

Our Founding Fathers did not develop government to control personal rights. I hope this bill makes its way into law. It's all about personal freedom. Mark from Reed City

Hats off to you! I am glad to see you support your constituents rather than the money of the insurance industry. Thank you, Daniel Maser of Macomb, MI

I pray to God this bill passes to law. I am a member of Abate of Michigan for 20 years. I know the facts and statistics. It is time to ride as I see fit for me before I have no time left. I am Mike Adams. 989 529 0301

It's about time for this bill. I applaude you sir. Hopefully it will be able to be pushed through. It's all about choice. MY choice!

About time Semper Fi

was the state's job to pay my medical bills? did the state take on this responsibility of it's own accord? i certainly don't remember voting to give the state that UNFUNDED MANDATE. it's not the state's job. it's not the state's responsibility. it's mine. if the state willingly takes on that particular responsibility without the consent of the people, no matter WHAT injured people EXPECT, then they shouldn't complain at the cost. they also shouldn't raise our taxes to do it. in other words, if their is a SURPLUS of tax money, spend that on helping the injured. but if there IS NOT a surplus (like now) they should get the hell out of the business of supporting people who don't want, or need their help.

I agree with you ALMOST whole heartedly. To ride a motorcycle, or drive a car LEGALY, you must have insurance on said vehicle. The way it SHOULD work, in an at-fault system, whoever is responsible for the accident pays, period. Unfortunately we live in a no-fault state. this is why our rates are twice as much as our neighboring helmet-choice at-fault states. Their lack of a helmet law doesn't cause rates to skyrocket as many would like you to believe. Helmets, unlike seat-belts, have little effect on making a crash safer. In some cases, especially in neck related injuries, helmets may actually further complicate injuries. Insurance works on a pool system. You pay and pay, if you never need to use it, your rates do not go down. If you do use it, you can bet your ass that they will go up! The thousands who pay and don't use it cover the cost of the one person who does. The more people a company insures, the bigger the pool. A bigger taxpayer burden are welfare mothers and illegal immigrants. They are societies anchors, not motorcyclists.

If this is your way of saying you want to be governor, YOU"VE GOT MY VOTE!!!

This is how it should be! However if the furor will not sign the bill with the fee, how will this bill ever get passed? Are there naked pictures of her and Kwame out there that I don't know about? LET'S RECALL BOTH OF THEM !!!

It's good to see there are those in Lansing who care about those who elected them rather than insurance company dollars. Hat's off to you sir, you have EARNED my vote! Brian Frank Livonia, Mi.

Consider if everyone wore a helmet, at all times, there would be less deaths in bathtubs, car accidents, etc... Freedom means I have the God given right to be stupid! I've been riding for over 38 years and being close to Indiana I ride around down there as often as possible (no helmet law).

When MY car insurance goes up because morons don'w wear helmets when they ride a more dangerious motorcycle, I expect every motorcycle rider to pony up and pay for my increase. Thanks. You want choice, pay for it.

Hmm, let's see. If I'm following the law, and have my SEATBELT on, I have a 1 ton helmet for my entire body, INCLUDING MY HEAD. This "wear helmets everywhere to be the same as motorcyclists" is the dumbest argumet you guys come up with.. It just makes you look like maroons when you say it.

If you actually took the time to study the main cause of car and motorcycle fatalities you would clearly see that you are far more likely to suffer a head injury in a car accident than in a motorcycle accident. But you, like most people who have never rode a motorcycle, just ASSume wearing a helmet is safer. I understand the assumption, I really do. But ask yourself this question; If wearing a helmet really made any kind of difference, don't you think that EVERY stste would have a helmet law? Michigan is 1 of only 20 that still do. If it really made a difference, than ALL states would have helmet laws. just as all states have seat-belt laws and laws against drunk driving.

...absolutely no truth to that statement. ALL of our neighboring states allow helmet choice, and have been doing so for the last 30+ years. Guess what? Their insurance rates are about HALF of what ours our. No state has ever raised their rates for repealing a helmet law. More importantly, no state has ever LOWERED their rates after enacting a helmet law. In fact the 5 states with the highest insurance rates are California, Massachesetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York. All 5 have mandatory helmet laws! Not having a helmet law has no bearing on insurance rates, although AAA would have you think otherwise.

"When MY car insurance goes up because morons don'w wear helmets...", it's because of socialist government mandates that your insurance company subsidize other peoples' greater risks with your premiums. "When MY health insurance goes up because morons house two bags of Doritos and five Big Macs per day..." "When MY property taxes go up because morons keep squeezing out sprogs whose "education" I have to pay for..."

that doesn't have a clue what freedom is.

I already pay way more than my share of insurance in order to keep five cars and two motorcycles on the road - of which I can operate only one at a time. As a law-abiding rider, I have insurance or I don't go down the road. Thank you for this step toward freedom without squeezing even more insurance money out of me.

When you drive like a moron, I expect every automobile drive who is NOT a motorcycle rider to pony up to pay for that.

Why is it that nobody ever addresses the REAL cause of motorcycle accidents and fatalities?!

For those of you who don't know, Mary Peters is the U.S. secretary of Transportation. She is also a serial law breaker. She has broken at least 2 congressional laws that I know of. 1) A bipartisian bill was passed by Congress and signed by President Bush banning unsafe, illegal Mexican trucks from crossing our borders and putting innocent Americans on the road at risk. But Bush's very own appointee, Mary Peters, has gone against both the Congress and the President by allowing these trucks on our roads. 2) Motorcycle helmet laws are a "states rights" issue. the Federal government has no authority to lobby states to enact mandatory helmet laws, only to promote rider education and driver awareness programs. The MRF and AMA have worked dilegently to get some much needed federal money for riders ed and driver awareness ads. And they were successfull. But Ms. Peters, once again, is breaking the law by using this money to lobby state governors and the Congress to enact a FEDERAL NATIONWIDE helmet law! SHE NEEDS TO BE STOPPED !!! What can YOU do? You can call the "Fire Mary Peters" whistleblower hotline at 202-508-6439. Tell them you want Mary Peters removed from her position IMEDIATELY! Also you can write your Congressman and tell them you want Mary Peters to be held in contempt of Congress! For more info, log on to FireMaryPeters.com

...yesterday in Brownstown. But what the news didn't tell you is what we bikers already know. The helmets they were FORCED to wear did nothing to prevent their accident or their death. What COULD'VE is if the driver of the car, WHO HIT THEM, and CAUSED the accident were paying attention to the road. Again and again and again it's the same old sh--. And yet nobody complains about the TRUE CAUSE of motorcycle fatalities. Just put on a helmet and hope for the best. F--- THAT! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! There is a bill (SB-104) that would stiffen the penality for careless driving that results in a fatal accident. I hear that there is also a bill in the works to ban cell phone use while driving. If you REALLY want motorcycle fatalities to decrease, pass those bills and let those who ride decide!

They're all too busy trying to outlaw smoking and spitting on the sidewalk. Part Time Legislature. Now.

Are there any points against you for not wearing a helmet?

There are no points for riding without a helmet. In fact, the way the law is written, the law cannot be legally enforced! Since we have a communist C U N Tennessee for a governor, we have to hope for a veto override. But since our legislative efforts have failed it's time to take the judicial route, CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE! The law CANNOT LEGALLY be enforced the way it is written. There is no such thing as an "approved helmet." The D.O.T. does not approve helmets. The D.O.T. sticker is only a standard, not an approval. The State Police also does not "approve" helmets. The law CLEARLY states that you MUST wear an approved helmet. But if the D.O.T. and the State Police both don't approve helmets, tell me; How can you wear a helmet that does not exist? The reason they won't approve helmets is because no govenrment agency can knowingly but itself in a position of liability. If either the D.O.T. or the State Police did approve helmets and you suffered a head injury while wearing a so-called "approved helmet" they would then be liable for your injuries. That's why they will NEVER approve helmets. Any judge that knows the law and practices the law without prejudice will throw out any such ticket. The problem then is, why take a day off of work (especially in these hard economic times) to fight a $60 ticket? Unless you make less than $60 a day, it's not worth it. That's why, if you're an ABATE member, we will take care of that for you. You will not have to miss work to go to court. And if you lose, we will pay your fine. There are a few things; 1) You MUST be an ABATE member BEFORE you get a ticket, not after. 2) You MUST wear something on your head, even if it is just a bandana or a baseball cap. Something you can claim as "your interpretation" of proper headgear. 3) You MUST NOT give the police any other reason to ticket you. Be sure to be properly licensed, insured, plates not expired, do not speed, and for the love of God, NO ALCOHOL! 4) It is always best to do this while riding with at least one other person. You can do it alone, but the bigger the group you ride with, the better. For more info log on to abateofmichigan.org. Find out where a meeting is in your area and get involved!

...NO LAW!

...There would be; NO more helmet law, NO tax hikes, and NO more Kwame! But you get what you vote for. And to all you dumbasses who voted for Jennifer, HOPE THAT WAS WORTH IT !!!! IDIOTS!!!