First of all, there are a lot more motorcycles now than ever before. People that have very little experience riding and don't really know the unwritten rules of the road. Furthermore, to put the blame on riders for not wearing a helmet or not is idiotic, especially when hit from behind from idiots that claim "well I didn't see him". Put the blame where it should be. Don't come up with more laws against the rider, put it on the driver of the automobile or truck.

Luke was wearing a helmet. He was a soldier and flew helicopters for the army. If anyone knew how to be safe, it would have been him. RIP LUKE!

My cousin was the one hit by the ambulance. Helmet laws are certainly important, however, the fact remains that people driving in cars do not see motorcycles. Motorcyclist also seem to feel they don't need to obey the same laws as cars and pass, drive between or on the shoulders past cars. Should there be a separate lane for motorcycles and bikes? Would that help? I know cars don't always follow the law either, but they are more easily seen than a motorcyclist zipping in between lanes of cars.

All three of these cases WERE wearing helmets. In the years of living here in the Hill Country there are many motorcycle accidents reported weekly. 8 out 10 of the fatalities were wearing helmets. What can be done?

I run a Harley website and have been reading and posting helmet articles for a decade now. I've been riding since 1968.

Thirty years ago, at least two-thirds of motorcycle wrecks were caused by car drivers. Some would argue that figure is closer to three-quarters. The most common cause of motorcycle wrecks back then was car drivers turning left in front of motorcyclists.

Today almost exactly half of all motorcycle wrecks are caused by the rider, the most common cause now being simply riding off the road through inexperience.

That's the key word here, inexperience.

There's no question that DOT-approved helmets are uncomfortable and cumbersome. They cause an undue amount of wind pressure to be exerted on the head and thus the neck.

To get an idea of what I'm talking about, nonriders should try holding their hand out their car's sunroof at 70 mph and see how long they can keep it there. Then imagine that pressure against a giant Gazoo helmet for eight hours.

The solution to the helmet issue is simple. Make helmet use and rider training mandatory for inexperienced riders and let seasoned riders make their own choice.

Require all riders under twenty-one to wear a helmet, and riders over twenty-one to wear one for a period of two years after the date of their motorcycle endorsement.

Of course a whole lot more lives could be saved if you cagers would hang up your cell phones and concentrate on driving.