The first shot to eliminate motorcycling has been fired! Maybe that was a bit of hyperbole, maybe it was not.
Following in the footsteps of “protecting your health” and “saving medical care money” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a study/report calling for a federal law mandating helmet use.
Now, do not get me wrong, I am all for helmets, I rarely ride without one even in those areas that do not require them. The first thing I thought as I read this was… when did wearing a helmet or an injury from a crash become a disease and why is this coming from the CDC and not the Department of Transportation? The more I read the more I realized that by wrapping it in terms of health care costs, they are attempting an end around their opponents.
With chapter titles like “People who ride, People who die”, “Paying the Bill” and tear jerking vignettes, this study is all about attention grabbing. The true focus of the study is on negatives costs to society and “lost tax revenue” more than it does on “health issues”. That is why I view this as the first step to eliminate motorcycling, in a few years someone will say that motorcycles are costing the health care industry and the tax payers to much money let’s ban them. It is happening with cigarettes, soda and trans fats, why not motorcycles?
Now as far as the study itself goes, if you have ever produced real “college” grade products for nitpicking professors you will be surprised at the quality of this product. While it is heavy with endnotes (and I did not look up the papers and studies cited) I believe that several of my professors would have graded this effort a “C” at best. Some of the things that irritated me were:
The study is more about saving money and increasing tax revenue vice saving lives couched within a health related construct.
The use of emotional language and stories vice logical reasoning.The authors spend a lot of time attempting to explain the savings but avoid really discussing the costs.
Why is the CDC spending tax dollars on this vice true disease?
They often cite the growing number of injuries and deaths but without the context of the growing numbers of riders.
Reading between the lines…. if you can’t get your way call it a health care crisis.
I am going to write my congressman (yes it will be a waste of time and electrons), are you?
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 