Brandon Wright, a 21-year-old college student, is recovering after he was critically injured in a fiery motorcycle crash.

A Utah motorcyclist is lucky to be alive today after his motorcycle burst into flames in an accident Monday in Logan, Utah. He was saved by brave bystanders who lifted the burning car off of him and pulled him to safety.

See the incredible video of the rescue here.

The 21-year-old motorcyclist, Brandon Wright, was critically injured but said this from his hospital bed to The Associated Press: “I’m just very thankful for everyone that helped me out. They saved my life.”

We all pray for a speedy recovery for Brandon, who has been upgraded to stable condition!

Here is what happened, according to police and witness accounts in the Logan Herald-Journal and The Associated Press:

Brandon, a Utah State University student, was riding his motorcycle to a campus computer lab Monday morning when he made a move to avoid colliding with a BMW sedan that was pulling out of a campus parking lot.

Police said Brandon laid his 1981 Honda CX500 on the pavement but the two vehicles struck and Brandon was trapped under the car as the two vehicles burst into flames.

Police said tire and skid marks showed that Brandon slid along the road before striking the BMW.

The men and women, about 10 people, who rushed to help Brandon were students, construction workers and other passers-by, police said.

“It was super human what people did,” said Tyler Riggs, Brandon’s uncle. “The level of appreciation we have for them saving Brandon’s life can never be repaid but we want to say thank you.”

Riggs said Brandon suffered a broken femur, tibia and pelvis, a burn on his foot and road rash on his face. Brandon was not wearing a helmet, police said.

The driver of the BMW, who helped lift the car off Brandon, has been identified as John Johnson, the head of the university’s Department of Management Information Systems in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

The video was shot by a university media production specialist who was shooting a promotional video nearby when the accident occurred.

Johnson suffered just minor injuries, police said.

Police said they did not know yet whether any citations would be issued or charges filed in the accident.

Thanks for reading, and ride safe!

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Injury and Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com

When faced with a road rage incident, just get away as quickly as possible and avoid confrontation.

A Monroe County Court jury this week acquitted a Rochester area biker of a first-degree felony assault charge in an August 2010 road rage incident.

Craig S. Hasman was found not guilty after almost two days of deliberations, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper.

Hasman, who was riding his motorcycle with his girlfriend, was being tailgated by a van when the altercation occurred. Witnesses said a verbal altercation started when Michael Lee, a passenger in the van, pushed over the motorcycle and struck Hasman in the face.

Hasman then shot Lee in the stomach with a .45-caliber pistol he was legally carrying. Hasman’s lawyer said Hasman was justified in shooting Lee because it was in self-defense. The van’s driver testified that Hasman started the incident.

I am relieved that a jury didn’t just rule against Mr. Hasman just because he was a biker. Too many people see all motorcyclists as Hell’s Angels. We are not.  Instead of rendering a verdict based on appearances, it seems this jury spent the time to thoroughly consider the evidence and render a verdict that was fair and just

In August 2010, when this incident was in the news, I blogged about it and had important advice to all motorists. It bears repeating now:

When faced with aggressive drivers, just get away. Don’t confront, don’t argue, don’t get off your bike, just get away. You have no idea what or who you are dealing with. That’s my firm advice as a NY and PA motorcycle accident lawyer.

So, all motorists in Elmira, Corning and the Twin Tiers, when faced with a road rage threat, remember these three simple words: Just get away!

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH. You don’t know if the person you are tailgating, or who is tailgating you, just had the worst day of their life and is out driving with a gun on the seat next to them waiting to take their anger out on someone else. It is impossible to know who or what you may be dealing with, so the best answer is to just avoid the situation altogether. 

I would caution readers who may think this verdict gives them a green light to pull a gun any time they are accosted.  The rules regarding the use of a firearm in self defense are very complicated – Mr. Hasman was ultimately exonerated more than a year later, but I suspect that if you asked him, he would tell you he wished he had never pulled out his gun.

Thanks for reading, and ride safe – and smart!

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Injury and Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com

A motorcycle crash Friday in Rochester cut short the American dream for a Ukrainian rider.

A Rochester-area motorcyclist’s American dream came to a tragic end Friday night when he was killed in a crash with a drunken driver, police said.

Ivan Furdey, 38, of Irondequoit, was riding into an intersection in Perinton when he collided with a sedan driven by Frank Kuilman, 51, of Fairport. Police said Kuilman’s car turned into Furdey’s path.

Furdey’s motorcycle caught fire and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle newspaper.

Kuilman and a passenger in his car were treated for minor injuries at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Kuilman was charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and driving without a license, the newspaper reported. He returns to court later this week.

Furdey’s family told WHEC-TV that he had moved to the U.S. nearly 22 years ago.  Furdey was born in the Ukraine but loved his new country.

“He was just the greatest person to know,” his cousin, Dana Piekova, told WHEC. “I just never thought of him being gone. He was always there.”

Piekova said Furdey was living the American dream. He had started his own trucking company.

He is survived by two children, 7 and 10 years old, his parents, a brother and two sisters.

“He was a great dad,” Piekova said. “He loved his kids very much.”

Here is the YNN news report and a map of the accident site is below:

View Larger Map

Please keep an eye out for bikers.  Look twice, save a life!

Thanks for reading, and ride safe!

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Injury and Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com

State police said Philip A. Contos of Parish, N.Y., was riding in the town of Onondaga, near Syracuse, at about 1:30 p.m. when his 1983 Harley-Davidson fishtailed and veered out of control after Contos applied the brakes. Contos was ejected from the motorcycle.

Contos was transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he died.

State Trooper Jack Keller told a Syracuse TV station that a helmet could have saved Contos’ life. “The medical expert we discussed the case with who pronounced him deceased stated that he would’ve no doubt survived the accident had he been wearing a helmet.”

New York is one of 20 states that require motorcyclists to wear helmets.

The protest ride was organized by the Onondaga Chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, or ABATE, a group that lobbies for motorcycle awareness and encourages the voluntary use of helmets but opposes mandatory helmet laws.

Thomas Alton, the statewide president of ABATE, told The Associated Press that Contos, not a member of ABATE, had 30 years’ experience as a motorcyclist.

Participants in the 30-mile ride from Syracuse to Lake Como near Cortland were given the choice of whether they wore helmets, Alton told the AP. There were about 550 riders participating.

ABATE lobbies for many issues, Alton said. “Awareness is our first issue. A large percentage of motorcyclists killed on the highway have been because a car turned left in front of them,” Alton told the AP.

Other ABATE issues, according to Alton: adding motorcycle awareness to driver’s permit exams and fighting motorcycle-only police checkpoints.

This story is receiving national attention due to the irony of it all.  It has become a punchline.  What is getting lost in this story is that Philip Contos died for a cause he believed in.  He knew the risk he was taking when he got on his bike without a helmet.  He knew that statistically speaking, he was more likely to die or be seriously injured than a helmeted rider if he was in an accident.  I can’t know the personal reasons why Mr. Contos chose to ride without a helmet that day – maybe it was for the unencumbered sense of freedom – maybe it was to protest the government’s intrusion into an area he viewed as a matter of his personal choice – maybe he took his helmet off that day to protest for the rights of others to choose whether they want to wear a helmet.

No matter the reason, the fact remains that Phillip Contos died protesting a law he felt was wrong.  Whether you agree or disagree with him, Mr. Contos doesn’t deserve to made into a national punchline.

Jim Hedlund of the Governors Highway Safety Association told the AP that a helmet that meets federal standards reduces the wearer’s chances of being killed in an accident by more than 40 percent. That number, again, is 40 percent.  I can’t speak to statistics, but what I can tell you from personal experience is that a motorcycle helmet can absorb an awful lot of damage that would otherwise be sustained by the riders head.  You wouldn’t believe some of the cracked, scuffed, road rash covered helmets I have seen which left the head inside of them injury free.

There is an old joke somewhere about helmets only being good for protecting the face for a biker’s funeral.  From my personal experience as a NY and PA motorcycle accident attorney, this is not the case.  In my experience, well over 50% of non-fatal motorcycle accidents involve the rider’s head making contact with the pavement.  I know that I would rather have that impact absorbed by my helmet than my skull.

I asked a couple attorney friends of mine what they thought of helmet laws.  The one who doesn’t ride said this:

The helmet law infringes on the freedom of the motorcyclist to enjoy the ride, the sun, the wind, etc., without being unwillingly encased in a hard plastic protective shell. What the Tea Partiers derogate as “the nanny state.”  It also infringes on their freedom to get their brains splattered, and then be in a hospital, often forever, usually at the taxpayers’ enormous expense. So it is a classic contest between an individual’s personal freedom vs. a broader societal interest, that are in opposition.  Not dissimilar to the right of smokers to enjoy inflict their carcinogens on all the non-smokers around them.

The attorney friend who rides said this:

As I always say: Anyone who rides a motorcycle without a (real) helmet, has no brains to protect anyway.

Personally, I would never consider getting on my bike without a helmet.  But I recognize that some people feel differently.  Mr. Contos was one of those people.  Rather than making fun of his death, let’s show Mr. Contos and the cause he died for the respect they deserve.

Thanks for reading, and ride safe!

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Injury and Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

A Pennsylvania legislator is trying once again to make helmet use mandatory in Pennsylvania.

The debate over motorcycle helmets has roared back into the headlines in Pennsylvania.

A state representative reintroduced legislation in Harrisburg in May to make helmets mandatory across the state.

Currently, Pennsylvania motorcyclists 21 and older can go helmetless. Across the border in New York, all motorcyclists must wear helmets.

Based on my experience representing bikers and seeing the abuse their helmets have taken, I always ride with a helmet.  BUT I respect every bikers’ rights to make their own decision.

Pennsylvania had a mandatory helmet law until it was reversed in 2003. State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, made his fourth attempt in May to reinstate the mandatory helmet law.

He told The Philadelphia Inquirer in one report that he expects his bill will fail again. “I do it every session, but I know it won’t go anywhere,” he told the Inquirer.

Frankel said in a Chambersburg Public Opinion story that this time, he is proposing requiring additional motorcycle insurance for riders without helmets. He also urges the state to make separate plates for motorcyclists under 21 to make it easier to enforce the current law

Most of the state lawmakers seem to support the motorcyclists’ right to do as they wish. Despite the fact, Frankel said, that the law is widely viewed as a smart public health measure.

“There is an alternative to reading these stories about fatalities and brain injuries,” Frankel told the Inquirer.

ABATE of Pennsylvania (A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education) and its political action committee have lobbied to win and maintain their freedom of choice, according to the Inquirer.

Like smoking cigarettes or eating fried food, they argue, riding one’s chopper without a helmet is a personal decision, and no paternalistic government agency has the right to interfere, the Inquirer reported.

So where do YOU stand on motorcycle helmets? Do you wear one?  Would you still wear one if you had a choice?  Chime in and tell us what you think!

Thanks for reading, and ride safe!

Adam
______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

A 24-year-old motorcyclist was killed Tuesday night in a collision with a sport-utility vehicle in Broome County.  The cause of the collision is still under investigation.

The collision occurred at the intersection of Hooper Road and Watson Boulevard in the Town of Union, Broome County, NY.  The collision remains under investigation by the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, and no tickets have yet been issued.

Despite the fact that the collision remains under investigation and that no tickets have been issued, WBNG-TV reported that deputies said the motorcyclist, Andrew Bullock of Appalachin, NY , ran a red light at the intersection of in the town of Union and struck a 2009 Honda CRV driven by Joshua Yusuf, 22.

Bullock, riding a 2000 Suzuki, was transported to a local hospital with head injuries and died there. Yusuf and his passenger, Stacy Katala, 25, were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, deputies said.

No charges or traffic tickets have been filed, deputies said.

The Binghamton Press newspaper report did not say who was at fault in the accident.

At this point, it appears that the police are continuing to investigate, as well they should.  Unless the the traffic light at issue was equipped with a traffic camera, the police will only be able to determine what happened by speaking to witnesses.  Andrew Bullock can’t tell his side of the story, and anything said by the driver and passenger of the SUV must be viewed with some skepticism until it can be compared with objective evidence and the statements of any witnesses.

It is too soon to say what happened, and witnesses should contact the authorities so police can complete their investigation!

It is the witnesses in particular that will be most important in helping the police determine what happened.  I am sure the police are speaking with all witnesses they are aware of, but in many cases there are other witnesses who have some knowledge to share.  If anyone reading this has any information that could be helpful to the investigators, I urge you to call the Broome County Sheriff’s Office – they can put you in contact with the investigators handling this case.

The phone number at the Broome County Sheriff’s Office is 607-778-1911.  PLEASE call them if you have any information that may be helpful to their investigation.  Witnesses need to come forward for the truth to come out.

Thanks for reading, and ride safe!

Adam
______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers. Follow the link to order your copy today!

New York is putting more bite in its ban on texting drivers.

Ask any biker – drivers who are texting instead of driving are one of the greatest dangers we face.  Any driver with their eyes on their phone instead of the road are far more likely to veer into an oncoming lane, smash into us from behind, fail to stop at a stop sign, or even know we are there.  NY has had a law prohibiting texting while driving for awhile now, but it was ineffective because texting while driving was only a secondary offense, meaning the police couldn’t pull you over for it.

NY has FINALLY corrected this problem.  I wrote a post on a new bill making textingwhile driving a pirmary offense.  That post was published on our main blog, the NY Inuury Law Blog last week.  You can find the original post here.

I have copied the original post below.

Thanks for reading, and ride safe!

Adam
______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers. Follow the link to order your copy today!

Chemung County, NY Accident Lawyer: New York FINALLY Gets Tougher On Texting Drivers!

New York state lawmakers made a very smart move this week that could make our roads safer – they voted to toughen penalties for motorists who text while driving.

The New York state Assembly and Senate passed a bill that will make it easier for police to crack down on texting offenders, according to reporter Joseph Spector of the Gannett Albany Bureau.

My only question is – WHAT TOOK SO LONG?

State law currently makes texting while driving a secondary offense this means you cannot be pulled over for texting while driving – police are only allowed to ticket drivers for texting if they are pulled over for some other offense.

Police and safety officials have said the law, adopted in 2009, does not have the teeth to cut down on most texting drivers.

The new bill would make it a primary offense, clearing the way for police to pull over motorists for texting without other possible offenses, Spector said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo submitted his own similar legislation just a few days ago, Spector said, and is expected to sign the legislation into law.

Both proposed laws require distracted-driving education for people seeking a license, Spector said. The fine would remain at up to $150.

New York is one of only four states that has a texting ban without making it a primary offense, Spector said. It is a primary offense in 27 states, he added.

Check out a news report below from WGRZ-TV in Rochester:

Thanks for reading, and please don’t text and drive!

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Injury and Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

Most motorcyclists should take regular refresher courses.

There are no police officers on motorcycles in the Twin Tiers region of New York and Pennsylvania where I live and ride.  Not in Elmira, Corning, Horseheads or Bath; none in Owego, Binghamton or Ithaca, either.  Its the same thing in Pennsylvania – I have never seen a motorcycle officer in Towanda, Sayre/Athens, or Wellsborough, or even the bigger cities of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or Williamsport.  Since we don’t have any motorcycle officers in our area, its easyto forget what a great source of safety information for motorcyclists they can be.  They spend far more hours in the saddle every week than all but the most hard core bikers, and have the advantage of advanced training and testing.  Add their saddle time and training to their expertise in motorcycle accident investigation and reconstruction, and it is clear that all bikers should stop and listen when a motorcycle officer speaks.

One such officer we should all be listening to is Constable Hugh Smith of the Toronto Police Service in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Constable Smith spent 12 years as a police vehicle operations instructor, teaching officers how to safely ride motorcycles and other vehicles.

Here are his top 10 motorcycle safety tips, from globaltoronto.com:

1. Take a course: It’s important for you to learn how to safely drive a motorcycle and to be evaluated by an instructor. “What we’re looking for is that they control the motorcycle, the motorcycle doesn’t control them,” says Const. Smith.
2. Make sure you have proper riding gear: A helmet is required by law in many places, but riders should also have long sleeves, long pants, ankle boots and a jacket, even when it’s hot outside. “The sun just drains you,” he says. Also – think about road rash.
3. Make yourself visible: Many collisions are caused by a car turning into a motorcycle. So, you want drivers to see you. Wear a reflective vest or contrasting colours and make eye contact with drivers to be sure that they’re aware of you.
4. Slow down: Most fatal accidents are caused by excessive speed. Motorcycles are unstable vehicles, says Const. Smith, and they have a limited grip on the road. You don’t want to lose control around a turn.
5. Don’t ride impaired: You shouldn’t ride after drinking or consuming drugs, but you also shouldn’t ride when you’re tired, says Const. Smith. “You need 100 per cent of your attention.”
6. Ride with a buddy: Riding with friends allows you to occupy a full lane, makes you more visible and you can keep an eye on each other if something goes wrong.
7. Make sure your motorcycle is properly maintained: Check your vehicle frequently for problems. Tire pressure is especially important, says Const. Smith. A section of your tires about the size of a footprint is all that keeps you on the road, and any problems with tire pressure can be dangerous.
8. Communicate with other drivers: Make eye contact with drivers and make sure they’re aware of your movements. Consider using hand signals while turning, as indicator lights on motorcycles are very small. And if you’re comfortable with a specific group of cars, stay with them.
9. Scan the road: Many accidents are caused when cars turn into motorcycles or come out of driveways. If you’re aware of what’s happening around you, you can avoid dangerous situations. “Your head should constantly be moving on a motorcycle,” says Const. Smith.
10. Refresh your skills: No matter how long you have been riding, you will still be rusty after a few months off. Take a refresher course if it’s been a while or if you have a new machine. “Ask yourself, can I improve? Am I the best and safest driver?” says Const. Smith. He points out that police officers, including himself, have to re-qualify every year to keep riding.

Pay special attention to numbers 8, 9 and 10 – watching other riders and the road – not the scenery – are very important. And a refresher course is a good idea at least once every two years.

My thanks to Constable Smith!

Thanks for reading, and ride safe!

Adam
______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers. Follow the link to order your copy today!

“Riding on this day showcases the positive value of motorcycles and scooters for transportation,” says event organizer Andy Goldfine. “It is an economical, efficient and socially responsible form of mobility that saves energy, helps the environment and provides a broad range of other public benefits.”

According to Goldfine, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Transportation say more than 80 million cars and light trucks are used for daily commuting on American roads, and about 200,000 motorcycles and scooters are a regular part of this mix.

On Ride to Work Day, the practical side of riding becomes more visible as a large number of America’s 8,000,000 motorcycles are ridden to work, Goldfine says.

Here are some other facts compiled by Goldfine:

• Only .11 percent of commuters in the U.S. ride a motorcycle to work, the Census Bureau reports.
• As of 2003, there were 5,370,000  motorcycles  regularly in use in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Those motorcycles  traveled an  average of 1,800 miles a year per motorcycle.
• Goldfine calculates that three to five motorcycles fit in each automobile parking space.

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) always encourages motorcyclists to help demonstrate the tangible benefits of commuting to work on a motorcycle.

“Ride to Work Day is a great way to show that motorcycles are fun to ride as well as an economical way to transport yourself from one point to another,” AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman said last year. “With so many more riders on the road at this time of year, it’s also a good opportunity to extend a note of caution to riders and motorists alike as part of the I AMAware campaign, which emphasizes safety on the road through enhanced awareness of fellow road users.

“I AMAware is a national program that encourages both defensive riding by motorcyclists and alertness by fellow road users,” Dingman said. “In most car-motorcycle crashes, the driver claims he or she never saw the motorcyclist. By increasing awareness of motorcyclists on the road, crashes can be avoided, and lives can be saved.”

While June 20th is the official ride to work day this year (it is always the 3rd Monday in June), don’t wait until then to ride to work.  The thrill we get from riding for pleasure can liven up that ride to and from work, and it even helps melt away some of that stress we normally feel after a long day at work.  No matter what your profession, the ride to work can be comfortable and practical with the right equipment.  Trust me – I rode to the TV studio today to record a segment with my tie and jacket flapping the breeze!

I’ll be riding on June 20^th and every other day I can.   I hope to see you out as well!

Thanks for reading.

Adam
______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers. Follow the link to order your copy today!

Novelty helmets may be attractive and fun but they are not a safe choice.

Tougher motorcycle helmet labeling requirements are on the way – but not until 2013.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published the final new rule for helmets sold in the U.S.

You can read the new rule here.

While most of the rule changes apply to the inside of the helmet, one very import change will be coming to the outside.   The new certification label will have the manufacturer’s name and helmet model and the words “DOT FMVSS No. 218 Certified”.

The new regulation aims to reduce the availability of novelty helmets posing as DOT approved helmets by making it more difficult to counterfeit the “DOT” label markings.  Helmets that meet DOT standards bear a sticker indicating they meet the current Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218, first published in 1973.

As with many rule changes, the law means well, but will create more problems than it solves when it comes time for enforcement.  The new rule does not take effect until May 13, 2013, which means that there will be two more years worth of helmets in circulation with the old labels.  With all these old helmets on people’s heads for years to come, the counterfeiters will be able to continue selling the old DOT stickers for the foreseeable future.

Now for the legal mumbo jumbo.  From the Federal Register announcement: “Specifically, this final rule sets a quasi-static load application rate for the helmet retention system; revises the impact attenuation test by specifying test velocity and tolerance limits and removing the drop height test specification; provides tolerances for the helmet conditioning specifications and drop assembly weights; and revises requirements related to size labeling and location of the DOT symbol.”  What does it mean?  The new helmets will be safer, and have a new sticker.

The NHTSA says 5.2 million helmets are sold each year in the U.S. and 54 percent of motorcyclists in 2010 wore a DOT or FMVSS No. 218-compliant helmet. Fourteen percent wore novelty helmets and 32 percent of riders wore no helmet, the NHTSA said.

“These figures represent a significant reduction in FMVSS No. 218-compliant helmet use compared to 2009, when the comparable figures were 67 percent, 9 percent and 24 percent,” according to “Motorcycle Helmet Use in 2010–Overall Results.”

If you’re not riding in a government-approved helmet, you are taking an unnecessary risk.  But you already know that.  Please consider one of the new, safer helmets when they become available.

Thanks for reading.

Adam
______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers. Follow the link to order your copy today!