INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL

Editorial, June 19, 2008:

Commenting on a 32% rise in head industry deaths for motorcyclists riding without helmets, the Intell rhetorically asks: "How can saving a few lives compare with the wickedness of restricting liberty, America's most cherished value?" And responds: "To that argument we respectfully say: baloney."

WATCHDOG: Having spent many happy years on its motorcycle (BMW, not Harley!), the Watchdog cringes every time a non-helmeted cyclist comes in view. This is pure Russian Roulette. We agree with the Intell when it says "Helmet laws are an appropriate extension of [licensing] restrictions." As the editorial indicates, there are huge social and economic costs involved from injuries and deaths, so it isn't just a matter of personal freedom.