Motorcycle Helmets Save Lives? Who'da thunk?

i dont get it, how can a law that protects the safety the general public who drives motorcycles impair the freedom of choice?

you can not interpretate your rights to the extreme, its like saying a speed limit near a school impaires your freedom of choice.

freedom of choice is about being able to plan your life as an individual

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by nonverba

i dont get it, how can a law that protects the safety the general public who drives motorcycles impair the freedom of choice?

you can not interpretate your rights to the extreme, its like saying a speed limit near a school impaires your freedom of choice.

freedom of choice is about being able to plan your life as an individual

Totally wrong. We make laws to protect ourselves from each other. The school speed limits protects our children from other drivers. The helmet law attempts to protect us from ourselves. You're right: Where freedom is concerned, you don't get it.

You also don't understand rights. I have the right to do anything I want, as long is it doesn't infringe anyone else's right to do the same.

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Totally wrong. We make laws to protect ourselves from each other. The school speed limits protects our children from other drivers. The helmet law attempts to protect us from ourselves. You're right: Where freedom is concerned, you don't get it.

You also don't understand rights. I have the right to do anything I want, as long is it doesn't infringe anyone else's right to do the same.

when you read my post again , and compare to yours i say exact the same thing. My language is not english , so the sentence may not be as fluid but it implies the same thing. try to read and understand the meaning of a sentence before attacking people

ow yeah , you talk about how you are "forced" in an earlier post. Lawmaking bodys in states have that authority in a democrasy. As long as certain basic principles are folowed. these principles protect us ,but we have to give up some freedom. that is called the "social contract" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract


also i live in western europe, not the uk. We have continental law, where us and commonwealth have the common law system. There are some differences, but the basis is the same.

[Sailor Steve]

I guess I'm still not understanding. Do you think helmet laws are good; that people should be forced to wear helmets?

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I guess I'm still not understanding. Do you think helmet laws are good; that people should be forced to wear helmets?

jes i think that law is good.

You are a grandpa, someone with life experience and wisdom. So you must understand that the lawmakers do not intend to attack your freedom of choice, but to protect the general public. you included. and that goal (general publics healt)"outdoes" your individual choice, as described in the social contract.

so why do you feel forced?Maybe you are thinking " yeah but first helmets and what else is next!"

and you are right , a lawmaking body can abuse his authority. But then the other powers come in play to control that power who abuses his authority. This is the idea behind "the trias politica" or separation of power. For example in the US you have the impeachement procedure.

so in the end we do give up a tiny bit of freedom in general, but we get a liveable society in return. That is the idea of the social contract.

i must add that my knowledge of common law is more restricted then continental law, but i do know the basics are in every western country the same,common or continental law.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by nonverba

jes i think that law is good.

Okay, then my comments still stand.

You are a grandpa, someone with life experience and wisdom. So you must understand that the lawmakers do not intend to attack your freedom of choice, but to protect the general public. you included. and that goal (general publics healt)"outdoes" your individual choice, as described in the social contract.

So, as I've said before, we would all be safer if we had little plastic mats in our bathtubs. Should we pass a law that says we have to have those, and send inspectors around to give us tickets if we don't?

so why do you feel forced?Maybe you are thinking " yeah but first helmets and what else is next!"

I'm thinking that if you really want us to be safe on the road then we should also make all cars have roll-cages like race cars do, and then five-point racing seat belts, and everyone in every car should also have to wear helmets.

and you are right , a lawmaking body can abuse his authority. But then the other powers come in play to control that power who abuses his authority. This is the idea behind "the trias politica" or separation of power. For example in the US you have the impeachement procedure.

True, but mostly we just enforce our will by electing somebody different next time.

so in the end we do give up a tiny bit of freedom in general, but we get a liveable society in return. That is the idea of the social contract.

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin

This is what freedom is about. We make laws to protect ourselves from each other. We do not make laws to protect us from ourselves.

i must add that my knowledge of common law is more restricted then continental law, but i do know the basics are in every western country the same,common or continental law.

How individual laws differ is not the problem. The problem is people who think they can make people give up freedom for their own good. That is where tyrrany starts.

"Laws provide against injury from others, but not from ourselves."
-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Religion

nevermind