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I am interested in what lame excuses people use to justify not wearing motorcycle helmets or seat belts.

When seat belt legislation was introduced in the uk my two favourites were "what if I crashed into a river" and "if I crashed I couldn't dive out of the way or in the back". I have a friend who still insists this a very real possibility despite never having driven into a river in 45 years or indeed needed to jump in the back.

When they introduced a helmet law in Vietnam all the girls in the office complained that it would ruin their hairstyle and when the law was being extended to children the complaint was that their necks were not strong enough to support the weight and would cause deformities. No one in the office seemed to be concerned about a deformed head on their child following contact with the tarmac

My khmer families excuse is they forgot despite their helmets being on prominent display in the house and when they do remember they forget to do up and they have forgotten that four months ago one of the family spent a number of weeks in hospital recovering from a head injury caused by a drunken motor driver

Excuses from my nearest and dearest:

"I'm only going to the market".
"Helmets are only when you're travelling long distances".
"I'm going to a wedding and it won't fit because my hair is too high".
"There are no police along that road".
"I forgot".

Neither my girlfriend or her kids get on a bike without helmets; full stop.

Username Taken wrote:Excuses from my nearest and dearest:

"I'm only going to the market".
"Helmets are only when you're travelling long distances".
"I'm going to a wedding and it won't fit because my hair is too high".
"There are no police along that road".
"I forgot".

hahaha ive probably said most of those, espesh the wedding one
the roads in SHV a completely different to PP though.

i actually bought a new decent helmet the other week and wear it a lot,
because i used to get one of those stupid plastic jew hat helmets that are no good to anyone when i used to rent a bike i used to hate wearing it, and would only wear it if going past known police areas,
now i have my new helmet i wear it pretty much all the time, even at night

"the khmers dont wear one so why should i"
"its obviously not 'cool' to wear one"
"im just popping down the road"
"theres no police near there"
"theres no traffic on the road at night"
"the helmets shit anyway theres no point wearing it"
"i have my red buddha bracelets and red string on my bike, im invincible"

are some i would have probably used lol

when did the word "lame" become ok to use in proper English?

im sikh so cant wear one

"Too hot."

Well, that's my excuse.

General Mackevili wrote:"Too hot."

Well, that's my excuse.

I hear the heat created by friction as your face slides across the asphalt at 50 kilometers an hour is pretty impressive, too. And a lot more permanent than sweating into your helmet.....

Couple of pictures I sued when training my staff in VN a few years ago:

most helmets in cambodia are crap (although better than wearing nothing , marginally) and don't have proper vents if at all

I had to poke holes through the polystyrene in my gf lid. it had holes on the outside but not inside

top tip. dont buy a black helmet.thry get fookin hot!

this is the type i wear now, fits my head like a glove and feels pretty safe!



not like these shitty rental style ones that are no good to anyone, even for a pushbike!

chiltern wrote:I am interested in what lame excuses people use to justify not wearing motorcycle helmets or seat belts.

When seat belt legislation was introduced in the uk my two favourites were "what if I crashed into a river" and "if I crashed I couldn't dive out of the way or in the back". I have a friend who still insists this a very real possibility despite never having driven into a river in 45 years or indeed needed to jump in the back.

When they introduced a helmet law in Vietnam all the girls in the office complained that it would ruin their hairstyle and when the law was being extended to children the complaint was that their necks were not strong enough to support the weight and would cause deformities. No one in the office seemed to be concerned about a deformed head on their child following contact with the tarmac

My khmer families excuse is they forgot despite their helmets being on prominent display in the house and when they do remember they forget to do up and they have forgotten that four months ago one of the family spent a number of weeks in hospital recovering from a head injury caused by a drunken motor driver

The safety of knowing that if you have an accident the helmet may save a head injury (but not other) Vs the air blowing through your hair (if you still have any) and the feeling of being more connected with the landscape like on a push bike. I normally wear one in the city or when traveling on tour, rarely in the village.
Bloody useful for the rain though if they have a good visor.

Last person I know that died on a motorbike, died from a lacerated liver.

Interesting post though, mainly because of the Vietnamese and Cambodian perspectives you include.

Those little stalls on the side of the road in Vietnam always fascinated me. If their 75c helmets weren't bad enough, the guys in these shops would take one and cut a 1" wide slot at the back extending almost up to the crown. He would then line it with a plastic chrome strip so it looked cool. All so that the girls pig-tail could fit through. The law is often an ass. Try and leave that 'born in the USA' feeling back home sometimes, you'll need less Xanex.