Texas Bill Would Close Helmet Law Loophole

[baxtercat_imp]

I agree with Ferret too, about personal choice. But here's the thing: a rider who is in an accident and not wearing a helmet, or a driver not wearing seatbelts, gets brought into the emergency room, and doesn't have insurance, or not enough insurance to pay for the MRIs and hours of brain surgery and everything else they have helped bring upon themselves. Who pays for this, then? We do, those who have proper heath insurance, which is expensive in part because of uninsured or underinsured patients. So the "as long as it doesn't hurt others" part needs to be understood broadly. No one seems willing to tell the person arriving in the ambulance that they won't be treated because they don't have enough coverage--which would seem to be the logical extension of the "personal responsibility for your choices" philosophy. One argument for a single national program in the US, I guess.

Random stops and binoculars seem to be overreach, and invite abuse, however. People should be allowed to ride their motorcycle, speak Spanish, wear whatever garment they choose without fear of harassment by officials, as long as they are breaking no law. I'm a fan of freedom, too.