from Hacker News

Ontario to exempt Sikhs from wearing helmets while riding motorcycles

by eruditely on 10/16/18, 3:20 AM with 41 comments

• by Jemm on 10/16/18, 12:50 PM

  "our government also believes that individuals have personal accountability and responsibility with respect to their own well-being"

  Then scrap the helmet law for everyone.

  Why do people driving 3 wheeled cars that have roll cages and seat belts need helmets but religious people do no? Makes no sense to me.

• by dominicr on 10/16/18, 12:57 PM

  Most western states have a concept of freedom of religious expression up to a point. Sometimes that means Christians can ignore employment or child protection laws, and sometimes it means Sikhs can take extra risks to ride a motorbike.

  Sure, if they crash they're more likely to get a head injury that the public purse has to pay for. But that theoretical amount is probably tiny compared to all the dumb stuff everyone else in the country is doing that contributes towards healthcare costs.

  Laws and state support are both about finding the impossible balance between control, freedom, responsibility and cost.

• by a008t on 10/16/18, 7:44 AM

  If helmets are in fact necessary, they should not be exempt. If they are not necessary, everyone should be exempt.

• by seanhunter on 10/16/18, 2:00 PM

  This is exactly how it works in the UK and has been since the 70s. Likewise Sikh officers in the police and military are exempt from wearing regular helmets also. It's really not that big a deal, and a good example of how the balancing of different considerations around religious tolerance can occur in a liberal democracy.

• by dmacedo on 10/16/18, 8:36 AM

  I can understand the challenges of Sikhs, or other turban-wearing religions, and standard motorcycle/cycling helmets.

  However I think the legislation should be on the helmet and other safety industries to ensure production of some safety device for people to wear that fairly accommodates their needs. This isn't just a bigger helmet, and likely needs investment in safety organisations to research what works.

  The law requirement for helmets is one meant to protect people, same with safety with seatbelts or even more specific ones in other industries.

  As a motorcyclist, cyclist and driver, I'd like to see more inclusion in law, rather than these sorts of exceptions. We have a responsibility to properly accommodate someone else's specific needs, but also ensure their safety.

• by nasmorn on 10/16/18, 11:30 AM

  That is great news for Ontarios organ donor program

• by adetrest on 10/16/18, 12:00 PM

  There are more straightforward and less costly to the public insurer ways to die than earning the right to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.

  If you're blind, you aren't allowed to drive a car. If you can't wear a helmet then why should you be allowed to ride without one?

  I'm all for inclusion and respecting others' practices, but this is short-sighted.

• by cwmma on 10/16/18, 2:12 PM

  I wonder if there has been a study on how effective the sikh turban is as a motorcycle helmet, I mean it's probably not as good a helmet, but it is basically a large amount of padding around the head so it's going to provide some protection.

• by village-idiot on 10/16/18, 2:33 PM

  Just scrap the helmet requirement altogether, but let the insurance companies charge wildly different rates based on whether you wear a helmet or not, so long as the rates are in line with the actual risk.

• by patrickg_zill on 10/16/18, 11:32 AM

  Do you have to prove that you are a Sikh in order to avoid being charged, if you are given a ticket?

• by supahfly_remix on 10/16/18, 9:21 AM

  Could a special helmet be designed for Sikhs?