Perspectives
by ED CHERRYHOLMES
Recently while traveling down the interstate at the legal speed, I was passed by a motorcyclist doing at least 75 miles per hour. The rider was not wearing a helmet and I saw something that upset me. He was holding his helmet in his lap. I wondered what good that would do him if he had an accident.
Some time ago, a friend of mine had a motorcycle accident and fortunately was wearing a helmet. After laying down his bike to avoid a collision, he suffered injuries but came through okay because he was protected by the helmet he was wearing.
Many states have headgear laws and we know lives are being saved because of these laws. Some motorcyclists ride with flouting the law and risk serious injury or even death. These riders talk about their right to decide for themselves whether to wear a helmet. This raises a question of what constitutes our rights. If an accident happens, it affects all of us because accidents make our insurance and medical costs go up. In talking about our rights, one sage put it this way: “Your rights end where my nose begins!” We live in a day when we want freedom without responsibility and that is not possible.
To be honest, motorcycling scares me terribly, but not wearing a helmet really scares me. We live in a very complex world and what affects one affects all. Not every state has helmet laws, but hopefully the day will come when the law covers all 50 states.
If we can maintain a sense of personal responsibility, perhaps we can reduce the rate of injury and death by obeying laws intended to make life better for all of us.
Ed Cherryholmes formerly served as pastor at the Kyle United Methodist Church. Since his retirement, he has travelled the country and the world, writing his thoughts here.
