Helmet Laws

This is always a great topic-- should government be paternalistic; or should it grant everyone the freedom to bash their skulls in? Here are the stats from the Florida Helmet law repeal. Fatalities in Florida increased more than 81 percent, and the number of deaths for riders younger than 21 nearly tripled. That's pretty serious stuff. I saw a lot of motorcycles today on a drive today to and from Abington (Virginia has a helmet law) and noted that about every motorcyclist I saw was wearing one of these "beanie helmets." This incredibly forthright Harley Dealer (scroll down) says that such helmets provide "absolutely no protection at all."