Need to start a new thread on this topic because it's important for all slingers

The biggest thing that puts us in an auto cycle classification is the steering wheel and side by side seats. Right away they start thinking “car”. Then it’s how safe is it without air bags? Then let’s see the crash test results. Then it’s how many people have killed in these things. Then it’s we need to change the regulations.

In PA they didn’t know what to do but someone called it an auto cucumber. We don’t have any rules for that so we’ll just make them follow the motorcycle rules. Since they sell it as a motorcycle.

Has Polaris proven to each state how and why they sell it as a motorcycle? If so then why did the states feel the need to reclassify it?

Did other bike manufacturers make a fuss? Or protest it?

We wear helmets. We have winter (full coverage) and summer (half coverage) helmets. We also have four point harnesses, guess we are going to die. By the way Earnhardt layed down in his car, his driving position was named as a major cause of his death, rest in peace Dale. This topic can be argued to death, like somebody earlier said, like politics and religion.

LC

Quote from neostar

Politicians don't want blow back especially from relatives when their loved decides to drive without a helmet, hence the laws.

The good news about distracted drivers is that once they see my sling, (especially my custom batmobile ) all eyes stay on it. Always a plus when it comes to driving. In fact yesterday I saw someone actually slow down and hold off making a right turn just to see me go by

And I just had someone stop in the middle of their left turn in front of me coming from my right to gawk, half blocking my lane and completely blocking the cars in the lane coming from my left who could no longer see me. Not always a good thing...

Quote from SlingLow

And I just had someone stop in the middle of their left turn in front of me coming from my right to gawk, half blocking my lane and completely blocking the cars in the lane coming from my left who could no longer see me. Not always a good thing...

Its called Target Fixation.......Thats why nimrods will run into the back of School buses , Police cars , And 18 wheelers that are parked on the side of a hi way.. The more lights the more the nimrods will be confused/ fixated and then run into you...

Quote from LargeCar

We wear helmets. We have winter (full coverage) and summer (half coverage) helmets. We also have four point harnesses, guess we are going to die. By the way Earnhardt layed down in his car, his driving position was named as a major cause of his death, rest in peace Dale. This topic can be argued to death, like somebody earlier said, like politics and religion.

LC

Not saying he did or didn’t but, how could he lay down strapped in with a harness and helmet and Han device? Don't their harnesses come up between your legs and over your shoulders? The safest place to be in that type of crash is strapped into the cage. If he loosened everything to lay down he committed suicide. There have been drivers violently roll vehicles wheels to wheels and end for end many times and walk away because they were strapped in. That just sounds very odd to me.

That said, I went off the road on my bike heading toward trees and I closed my eyes and let go of the handlebars to cover my head with a helmet on. Could I have steered the bike around them? I think I was already out of control when I let go. I survived.....might have been a very good decision. I woke up at the bottom of a big tree. My head was inches from the trunk....I must have took a pretty big hit because I blacked out...don’t know if I hit the tree and bounced back or stopped short. My face hit something because I had a bloody nose. No full face or chin guard. Maybe my arms hit my nose. It’s funny what you think about in those few life or death seconds....I just remember saying cover your head and hope it works. That could have been my last thoughts...being able to walk away even banged up is a good thing.

Quote from Bigdog

Not saying he did or didn’t but, how could he lay down strapped in with a harness and helmet and Han device? Don't their harnesses come up between your legs and over your shoulders? The safest place to be in that type of crash is strapped into the cage. If he loosened everything to lay down he committed suicide. There have been drivers violently roll vehicles wheels to wheels and end for end many times and walk away because they were strapped in. That just sounds very odd to me.

That said, I went off the road on my bike heading toward trees and I closed my eyes and let go of the handlebars to cover my head with a helmet on. Could I have steered the bike around them? I think I was already out of control when I let go. I survived.....might have been a very good decision. I woke up at the bottom of a big tree. My head was inches from the trunk....I must have took a pretty big hit because I blacked out...don’t know if I hit the tree and bounced back or stopped short. My face hit something because I had a bloody nose. No full face or chin guard. Maybe my arms hit my nose. It’s funny what you think about in those few life or death seconds....I just remember saying cover your head and hope it works. That could have been my last thoughts...being able to walk away even banged up is a good thing.

The ''Lack'' of him using the Han.......Was a contributing reason he broke his neck....

They secretly video me with their phones against the driver side window going by, they pull over to let me pass, kids stop their bicycles with jaws hanging open, little kids holding their parents hands start pointing....everyone that’s driving a “hot” car or convertible are looking, slowing down to make turns at intersections. They point, they blow, they wave, they thumbs up......ain’t I just the coolest thing....

I like the fact they think I’m unique.....but they start doing stupid stuff....like wanting to race....had a kid in a hopped up small car yesterday come up real fast behind me... pulls beside me ...wanting to race......revving his engine trying to blow the exhaust system off from making it backfire...he won the race we weren’t having...got mad and turned around to go back the other way... to many video games and car commercials with stunt drivers...

I’m more scared of the people coming in the other direction that don’t see me because they are looking down.

Had a young kid with a car full of kids on a road with at least a 180 tight turn coming at me...I can hear his tires squealing because his trying to “drift” his car around that turn....I took myself off the road into a parking lot....to escape that asshole. Luckily I had the room to do that..

Some people do stupid things and live to talk about it....others die young doing the same stupid things...been there and done that.....I guess I was lucky...

Considering this whole topic, Data will support that helmets overall save lives, that there is no doubt. There have been several folks coming here sharing how their helmets have protected them from serious injury, or possibly worse. So, If or when somebody dies in a SlingShot solely because they were wearing a helmet, then maybe there will be reason to continue this discussion, otherwise....................................

Bill

I wear a helmet on the highway, but rarely in town. The main reason is road debris and bugs, however, I have been stung by a wasp while riding near my house, was going about 45 and it hit my knee.

I remember similar debates back when seat belts were first being required, people citing how it can actually hinder your safety and cause greater harm, and seemed everyone that was on their soapbox about it, had a "friend" who had gotten hurt from their seat belt.

Statistics show that you are better off wearing your seat belt.

For me, I feel better having the helmet on, and while there may be circumstances where it could do more harm, there is also a chance it could save my life.

This is a personal choice, you make the decision, for you

Quote from wokka

there may be circumstances where it could do more harm, there is also a chance it could save my life.

wokka makes a good point. There's a million ways to wreck or be wrecked and a million ways to get injured. The only protection from all of them is stay home. As a stroke survivor I have made the conscious decision to get out every chance I get and live my life like it is there to entertain ME. Because it is.

i 100% agree with Wokka says, but my take is a little different. I look at the scenarios that are most likely and determine in which cases a helmet would or would not be beneficial and what the potential out comes could be. Here's some that I see:

1. Debris/Bugs hitting face:
   1. Helmet: Prevents splatter/pain against face.
   2. No Helmet: Might eat a bug, possible facial scar.
   3. Verdict: No helmet because I believe there to very little chance of real injury (verified by my actual accident and the shrapnel that hit me then). (Note: I do wear glasses the fully wrap my eyes to prevent eye injury.)
2. Head On Collision into another car/object:
   1. Helmet: 40x more force on the vertebra, Neck broken, instant death very likely.
   2. No Helmet: Whiplash/Neck strain, wear a collar for a while.
   3. Verdict: No Helmet. I might be injured, but not dead.
3. Roll Over
   1. Helmet: Prevents possible debris damage. But Helmet is outside of roll cage/bar envelope.
   2. No Helmet: Stay within roll bar envelope for sure, Might have debris to face, possible skull bounce against ground with concussion.
   3. Verdict: No Helmet keeps me closer inside the envelope.

Now, let me do all those again with a HANS device, and every single one of them becomes wear a helmet:

1. Debris/Bugs hitting face:
   1. Helmet/HANS: Prevents splatter/pain against face.
   2. No Helmet/HANS: Might eat a bug, possible facial scar.
   3. Verdict: Helmet/HANS - Yech! Bugs!
2. Head On Collision into another car/object:
   1. Helmet/HANS: Head stays in seat above by body. HANS provides additional support to neck.
   2. No Helmet: Whiplash/Neck strain, wear a collar for a while.
   3. Verdict: Helmet/HANS. Would probably walk away easily.
3. Roll Over
   1. Helmet/HANS: Prevents possible debris damage. HANS keeps Helmet iinside of roll cage/bar envelope.
   2. No Helmet: Stay within roll bar envelope for sure, Might have debris to face, possible skull bounce against ground with concussion.
   3. Verdict: HANS keeps me closer inside the envelope.

Again, this article wasn't about the Helmet vs No Helmet debate. It was that if your body is restrained, your head also needs to be restrained (ie with a HANS). Heck, the serious drivers even have restraints for their arms when racing. So should we protect ourselves FULLY or only PARTIALLY?

And again, we should consider there are different types of HANS, not just the collar around the neck. My Brother In Law races (raced - he's too old now) Off Road Baja vehicles. His HANS was a strap system that connected the helmet to the roll cage. He could still turn his head, but if he crashed, the straps prevented the helmet and head from going too far.

This $35 collar could help you head/neck

https://www.amazon.com/EVS-Adu…refix=neck&sr=1-5-catcorr

Over the the last 10 years I personally have had a lug nut from a big rig thrown into the A pillar on the left side of the windshield of a Mercury Milan- a few inches to the right it would have come through the windshield into my face and I would have been dead. in that same time frame my wife in a rented Toyota had about a foot long piece of wood kicked up by a vehicle in front of her that came through the front windshield between her and my niece that easily could have killed one of them had they not been lucky. Last but not least shortly after I bought my Chevy Impala (the car I gave away when I bought my Slingshot) I was coming home on the 10 freeway after work, apparently someone had lost an entire sheet of drywall that was laying in the number 2 lane, it was flat and only 5/8 thick so the cars ahead of me were just going over it like it wasn't there, well when the truck in front of me went over it the air behind the truck stood that sheet of dry wall straight up, it was the first time I was even aware it was in the lane and I had no time to react my Impala blew through that dry wall like a team of football players running onto the field running through a giant banner - the drywall exploded into a giant cloud of gypsum dust and chunks.

Like I said all of these events happened within the last 10 years and all three happened on our local 8 lane freeway that is very well maintained and clean and one would normally expect to be clean and free of debries

anyone that thinks that road debris is only bugs and potential facial scars from a stone is fooling themselves. Even with a helmet we are at greater risk than people in cars:

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost 500 people a year are killed by road-debris and another 11,000 people are injured

we all take chances and how much risk we wish to take is a personal choice, as such if people dont want to wear a helmet, or like me only use the smallest lightest 1/2 helmet you can find I am totally okay with that - heck freedom from the cage is why we ride, but please do not dismiss the danger of road debris when you make that decision

Quote from Bigdog

This $35 collar could help you head/neck

https://www.amazon.com/EVS-Adu…refix=neck&sr=1-5-catcorr

Who you callin' a head neck?

A guy in PA was just killed by a flying deer.....the car in front of him hit the deer and it went flying into his windshield killing him. I don’t know if they were both going the same direction or opposite each other...you could not even be in the accident and still be dead from collateral damage...

in the end it comes down to choices. if we wanted to be as safe as possible in the Slingshot we would be in full Nomex fire proof suits with full 5 point race harnesses wearing full face helmets and a HANS device - - I think it is pretty clear that none of us want to go to this extreme unless perhaps we are on a track.

So now we have to decide which steps we are willing to take and which we choose not to take

there are a bunch of things that could happen where a helmet could save your life and there are things where that same helmet could do more harm than good - - - which do you think is more likely? now make a choice

how many race car drivers not wearing a HANS device have had the helmet save their life vs how many had the helmet kill them??????

That’s the reason they want babies to sit facing the rear of the car in car seats.....their head is so heavy and their neck muscles are not developed enough.

We should face backwards and drive with mirrors...problem solved...NEXT...

We buy nice heavy helmets thinking it will protect or melon better and it could snap your neck....

So we should buy the lightest helmets.

The severity of the impact will determine how hard/fast your head travels forward. That was the reason for airbags...to prevent head and upper torso injuries. To push you back into your seat.

Quote from Bigdog

That’s the reason they want babies to sit facing the rear of the car in car seats.....their head is so heavy and their neck muscles are not developed enough.

We should face backwards and drive with mirrors...problem solved...NEXT...

So that's why you keep trying to tell us that you're always passing RED slingshots

Quote from Bigdog

We buy nice heavy helmets thinking it will protect or melon better and it could snap your neck....

So we should buy the lightest helmets.

The severity of the impact will determine how hard/fast your head travels forward. That was the reason for airbags...to prevent head and upper torso injuries. To push you back into your seat.

well, the 1/2 helmet I use around town was billed as the smallest and lightest DOT approved helmet made when I bought it and I also only use a lap belt with no shoulder strap

if by chance I do get in a front or rear collision my entire body and head should move forward together without snapping my neck and the helmet should protect my head when it hits the steering wheel - we hope

of course I sincerely pray this never gets tested - I ride very defensively and I leave a ton of room between my Slingshot and the vehicle in front of me - I consider my self to be just as exposed and vulnerable as I would be on 2 wheels and that knowledge along with the knowledge that all of the other people on the road couldnt care less about me are always at the front on my mind