LIMA — For motorcycle enthusiasts, riding on the open road with the wind blowing through your hair can create some wonderful memories, but without a helmet, that could be the last memory you make.
That was the message at a Lima-Allen County Safe Community Coalition news conference held Tuesday at the Equestrian Therapy Program at Fassett Farm. Coalition Director Evelyn Smith said the need to promote helmet safety for motorcyclists is sorely needed in Allen County.
“Last year, we had four motorcyclists die on Allen County roads,” she said. “It wasn’t necessarily as a result of not wearing helmets, but they were in a crash and not wearing helmets, and four out of the five people not wearing a helmet died. I don’t think there have ever been four motorcyclists die in one year in Allen County.”
Russ Holly, a motorcycle safety instructor for Motorcycle Ohio, also called for greater helmet use among motorcycle enthusiasts, noting that, while helmet use is not required by Ohio law, it is essential to stay safe on a vehicle that offers no separation between a driver and the road during a crash.
“It’s important to wear the gear,” he said. “We always teach ATGATT: ‘All The Gear All The Time.’ You don’t have to be going fast. If you fall off in your driveway and hit your head, it could be the end.”
Bath Township Fire Chief Joseph Kitchen said one of the fatal crashes took place in Bath, and he believes the lack of a helmet was a key factor in the fatality.
“That particular patient had minor injuries other than the head injury,” he said. “From the neck down, he wasn’t very badly injured, but when his head struck the pavement, that was the fatal injury.”
The coalition also emphasized the need for helmets in other situations, from hardhats at work to batting helmets on the ball diamond. Fassett Farm Executive Director Michele Sabol said none of the horse riders at the farm go without a helmet.
“They’re really important,” she said. “I had a very bad fall and shattered my helmet, and I don’t think I would be the person I am today if I didn’t have one on.”
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