It’s not just the poor motorists who are against the idea of having to wear helmets while driving motorycles. In Dumaguete City, where even well-to-do people have taken to driving motorcycles to beat the traffic and parking problems also swear by this two-wheeled contraption and ditch the helmet.
You may have as many reasons for not wearing a helmet as you have motorists in Dumaguete. Some would argue that the non-imposition of this law is easy to condone because no one else is endangered by a helmet-less rider; he only endangers himself.
Another reason is that most crimes involving extra-judicial killings involve motorcycle-riding gunmen who almost always wore a helmet to avoid detection. Besides, anywhere is five minutes away in Dumaguete. It would take more time to put on and remove a helmet than to get to one’s destination.
Another reason for not requiring helmets is that this is just an additional burden for the poor. Well, who can argue against one who is on the side of the poor? We’ve heard these justifications before: Majority wins. Vox Populi Vox Dei. The voice of the people is the voice of God. If it makes people happy, it also makes God happy.
Besides, others are won’t to argue, why enforce this law when we cannot even enforce simpler laws like the law (for men) against urinating in public places?
Filipinos are known risk-takers. Bahala na. God will provide.
We’ve known of countless motorists who needlessly died because they were not wearing helmets at the time they met an accident. Our hospitals also have many patients with head injuries related to the non-wearing of crash helmets.
The irony is that once these so-called poor motorists meet an accident and get hurt because of their non-wearing of helmets, they ask the government for financial assistance. There should be a law against this.
In the U.S., they don’t waste time enumerating reasons why people have to obey the law, as one announcement simply says — “Buckle up. It’s the law.”
The law requires the use of helmets. Dura lex sed lex. The law may be harsh but that is the law. Against this legal maxim, what is there to argue about?
