United Kingdom - It is that time of year when annual tribute rides take place organised by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) to commemorate Fred Hill, who made it his mission not to recognise the 1973 motorcycle compulsory helmet law introduced in the UK by Parliament. Fred refused to wear a helmet which led to him being fined on numerous occasions, which he did not pay because of his convictions, thus ending up in prison. MAG UK backed Fred throughout his campaign and named him their "Freedom Fighter" as he campaigned against the helmet law and for the freedom of … [Read more...]
Crash Card – Down There – Australia
The rider safety initiative "Crash Card" which Motorcycle Minds supports, has been launch in the Australian state of New South Wales - NSW - to deliver the CRASH Card scheme, free to motorcycle riders across New South Wales. Hornsby Shire Council’s Traffic & Road Safety team they have joined forces with NSW Ambulance, NSW Police Force and Fire & Rescue NSW to adopt the CRASH Card scheme, which has been successfully implemented around the world, due to the higher than average number of incidents involving motorcyclists in the local area. After NSW Ambulance came on … [Read more...]
Helmet Evolution
Helmets - Bikesure a UK motorcycle insurance company have shared their video about the evolution of the motorcycle helmet. Bikesure say, "The motorcycle helmet has been saving the lives of bikers for generations. Here, specialist insurance broker Bikesure takes to the track to showcase the development of this essential piece of motorcyclists' kit from the early bowl helmets to the high-tech helmets of today." For the UK and Europe we live with European standards that are compulsory for helmets sold in Europe but compulsory wearing of a helmet is mandated by each … [Read more...]
Lawrence of Arabia and the Helmet Law
United Kingdom - “Boa and I took the Newark road for the last hour of daylight. He ambles at forty-five and when roaring his utmost, surpasses the hundred. A skittish motor-bike with a touch of blood in it is better than all the riding animals on earth, because of its logical extension of our faculties, and the hint, the provocation, to excess conferred by its honeyed untiring smoothness. Because Boa loves me, he gives me five more miles of speed than a stranger would get from him”. Original Source: T E Lawrence This 1000cc motorcycle was the prized possession of T E … [Read more...]
Helmets & Hearing Loss in Motorcyclists
Australia - An alarming number of long term motorcyclists suffer from hearing loss. If you know any motorcyclist who has been riding more than 20 years the chances are they don’t hear as well as they ought to. The culprit is the helmet. Helmets average around 93.5dB(A) at 100Km/hr. As speeds rise helmet noise can increase to 115dB or more. That’s like standing next to a Jumbo Jet engine! Cars interiors aren’t noisy so why are helmets? The average car interior is 85dB(A) at 100Km/hr and many cars would be less than this! Many experts agree that prolonged exposure to … [Read more...]
