Should Newspapers Mention Helmet Use in Crash Stories?

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Whether you’re a rider who practices ATG-ATT (All the gear, all the time) as I am or someone who chooses to ride in a T-shirt without a helmet, I’m pretty sure we can agree that wearing protection can help reduce injuries in accidents. A pair of Kevlar-lined jeans or riding pants and a leather jacket thwart road rash. Boots and armor help disperse the impact and reduce the chances of sustaining broken bones. A full-face DOT/Snell-approved helmet can cut down on head injuries.

Maybe I’m just being overly-sensitive because a longtime riding friend died earlier this month from head injuries received in a crash – he was wearing a useless half-helmet – but a Facebook post yesterday by “Connecticut Cruise News” owner Don Clady and some subsequent comments rubbed me the wrong way.

Clady went after what he sarcastically called a “brilliant piece of journalism” by “The News-Times” newspaper in Danbury, CT for mentioning in a news story that a rider in New Milford who died tragically this week after being run over by a tractor-trailer “apparently was not wearing a helmet.”

Clady concluded, “Like the Helmet part was really necessary!!!!!!!”

His followers immediately accused the newspaper of “pushing the helmet agenda,” which I assume means stealthily lobbying for a universal helmet law, and called those responsible for the story “IDIOTS.”

Clady then added, “I seriously don’t think a helmet would have been a match with a tractor trailor (sic). DUH!!!! I don’t see the part in the article or any article where they have written when a motorcyclist gets killed by a vehicle how the vehicles should pay more attention or maybe even drive a little slower…”

Sorry, Don, but less than two weeks ago, on Aug. 10, the newspaper did a long story on how local police departments are continuing to enforce distracted driving laws. One of the consequences of distracted driving is the death of riders.

On Aug. 6, the newspaper also had a piece on a new national website designed to raise awareness of driving safety. An archive search of the newspaper turned up two more stories in 2012 that addressed distracted driving, so it’s not like the newspaper has ignored the fact that drivers need to change their bad habits and be more alert.

I agree that a helmet would not have saved the victim in the New Milford accident, but I am an advocate of always including in accident stories involving motorcyclists whether the rider was wearing a helmet, half-helmet or no helmet at all. And it’s not because I’m “anti-choice” or believe there should be a universal helmet law.

Having taken CONREP’s Basic Rider Course once and the Experienced Rider Course twice in the past nine years – the purpose being to constantly work to improve my riding skills -I’ve “drunk the Kool-Aid” and swear by the benefits of ATG-ATT even while admitting that wearing gear on a hot day can be oppressive.

I’ve urged the newspaper that I write for (“The Republican-American”) to always include helmet status in stories. Why? Because maybe, just maybe, some rider who reads the phrase “wasn’t wearing a helmet” time after time will finally wise up, buy one, wear it and save his (or her) own life.

I repeatedly nudged my now-dead friend to get a full-face helmet. Would one have prevented his death? No one can say, but his odds of survival would have been improved. His excuse was always that he couldn’t find one that would fit or that was comfortable.

Yes, Don, newspapers should do more stories crafted to make drivers aware of motorcyclists – just as we should do more as riders to make drivers aware of us. A black jacket against the dark background of a tree-lined road just doesn’t cut it. Bright gear or a reflective vest is the answer. (Here’s an example.) We all bitch about drivers, but do we ever admit to our own collective negligence? Hell, no.

As I said, maybe I’m overly-sensitive at the moment, but my take is that anyone who doesn’t wear a helmet is an idiot. (Doesn’t mean I don’t like you or won’t ride with you if you don’t use protection; it just means I think you’re being terribly foolish.) In publishing stories about motorcycle accidents, newspapers should always mention whether the rider had a lid or not so as to provide a more complete story.

Here’s a thought: Maybe insurance companies should step up and begin offering “safe rider” discounts for those who protect themselves, or charge a premium for those who don’t.

Update: Since this was posted late this morning, some readers have responded with comments on RIDE-CT.com’s Facebook page here.

And Don Clady has responded by threatening to contact his attorney if the column isn’t immediately removed from RIDE-CT.com. What follows are screen grabs from his Facebook page: