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Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion- On Seatbelts and Helmets

Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion- On Seatbelts and Helmets

Written by Alex Lloyd Gross, June 25, 2023

Dear Friends,

What’s in your wallet? I have some cards and paper in my wallet, a couple of tooth picks, a spare key, but today I want to talk about my driver’s license. I have been a licensed driver a long time, I have driven most everything that has wheels; tractor, milk truck, flatbed truck, bulldozer, backhoe, pickup truck, tractor trailer, and more cars than I can count. I also rode a motorcycle. There were accidents on the road when I began driving and since, the since seem to be more and more damaging, to vehicle, property, and body. I drove a 48 pickup truck, manual shift and you had to double clutch it, when you parked it you left it in gear, turned the front wheels, and set the emergency brake. This had nothing to do with keeping it from being stolen, heck we left the keys in the ignition no that was to ensure that the vehicle did not slip gear and roll away. I know because it happened to me one day when I stopped for a soda pop. As I put my nickel in the cold box and pulled out my bottle of pop I heard someone yell “There goes your truck.” I turned and sure enough my truck was pickin up speed as it headed for a big tree. Well with a big bang they came together, the tree had some bark damage and the truck a tiny little dent in the hood. That truck was built like a tank.

The years have gone by and they don’t make cars and trucks quite as indestructible as they used to and they don’t slip out of gear and roll as easily as they once did, but, they are still a couple thousand pounds of metal. They have added all kinds of safety measures, many of these came about through NASCAR and those folks know about vehicle bang ups. One such addition is the seat belt. Now, a look at the motorcycle, I rode mine all year around, sunny days, rainy days, snow and ice I rode that motorcycle. I wore my dungarees, ridin boots, motorcycle jacket, gloves, and my helmet.

Now they are telling us that we must, when driving a car, truck, van wear a seat belt, “Click it or ticket.” Meanwhile they give a choice to those “chrome pony riders” they say “Let those who ride decide.”

So here we are on a motorized eight hundred, thousand pound bicycles that can go every bit as fast as your automobile. If a car turns, illegally, in front of me on my motorcycle (this happened to me) and bike and I go down, rolling and sliding down the road, ouch. I did not have my gloves on, it was a hot night, so I ended up with a cut on my pinky finger, the car kept going, we never crashed into each other, but I often think about that brush with potential injury. If I had hit that car broadside and been thrown over the handlebars into the side of that vehicle would I have been so unscathed? I’m sure the occupants of the car would have been looking at me getting into the ambulance. But! I had the choice of “Let those who ride decide” As long as that bit of bumper sticker logic holds I truly believe a $125.00 fine for no seat belt is out of line. How about “Let those who click it pick it!”