AUGUSTA – More than 30 bikers testified for more than two hours Tuesday against a bill that proposes reinstating a mandatory helmet law. Fewer than 10 people spoke in favor of the bill.
Testimony opposing the bill focused on practical issues. Helmets restricted peripheral vision and hearing, many of the riders said. Several who attended the hearing brought helmets with them for Transportation Committee members to try on, and read the labels that showed their limited protective value.
Murad Sayer, of South Paris, favored the bill. He said he has owned 16 motorcycles and ridden 300,000 miles. He said helmets saved his life three times and his son’s life once.
When his son bought his high-speed motorcycle, Sayer told him he had to wear a helmet or he would cut the plug wires and the tires, and make it unridable. Less than a month later, his son crashed into a guardrail, seriously injuring his knee and totaling his bike and helmet.
“But, by God, his head was fine,” Sayer said. “The facts are clear … helmets save lives.”
Others favoring the bill cited statistics, such as the high cost of caring for brain-injured riders, which drives up insurance costs.
A 1995-96 study concluded that riders not wearing helmets were three times more likely to be transported by ambulance, be hospitalized or die as result of a head injury, said Nancy Findlan, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Maine.
Free to choose
Some opponents made emotional appeals against infringing on bikers’ freedoms. Many were veterans who said they fought for their country in order to secure the right for Americans to make such choices.
Some spoke of biker friends whose helmets actually injured their necks and spines or, in come cases, killed them.
Josh McLaughlin of Lewiston said his friend died last year in an accident. He wasn’t wearing a helmet. Had he worn one, his doctor said he would have been a vegetable.
“If that was my choice, I would not want to be a vegetable. I would not want to be here today,” McLaughlin said.
Bikers urged legislators to require motorists to complete driver-safety courses that include motorcycle awareness. Some voiced support for restrictions on drivers whose inattention due to cell-phone use and other distractions causes accidents.
“One of our mottoes is: educate, not legislate,” said Eric Fullere of Jay.
Bikers, including many from the 5,000-member United Bikers of Maine, packed the committee hearing room, filling every seat, lining walls and blocking the doors. They spilled into the hallway and jammed two overflow rooms in the State House visitors center, prompting capital security officers to patrol the area.
Old law repealed
The bill was proposed at the request of an 86-year-old grandmother, a constituent of the Kittery representative who sponsored the legislation.
A mandatory helmet law in Maine was repealed in 1993 after 10 years. A few of those who testified Tuesday said they had worked to eliminate that law.
Currently, riders who have less than a year of experience or are under 16 must wear a helmet in Maine.
One rider suggested charging $5 for a sticker that would give bikers the choice to opt out of having to wear a helmet. But others objected, saying they shouldn’t have to pay for their freedom.
The committee is expected to review the testimony before sending it to the House or killing it. Lynn Kippax, a spokesman for Gov. John Baldacci, said the governor hasn’t taken a position on the bill yet.
The bikers split on the notion of mandatory eyewear when asked by a committee member whether they would support such a law.
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