EDITORIAL - A convenient excuse

There is no argument that a helmet that covers the entire head is probably the safest gear or contraption with which a motorcycle-riding person can protect that very important part of his body, unless of course he decides to give up riding his bike.

But that is not the point. The point is that safety instruments like headgear only protect life and limb up to a certain extent. Beyond that, when it’s time to go, even when you are just sitting in your chair, you really will have to go.

And that is why there is a wide variety of headgear, all of which are presumably certified to protect a person from a corresponding variety of situations in which life and limb may be exposed to danger and thus need protection.

Unfortunately, the bright boys at the Land Transportation Office do not realize this, hence their order for motorcycle-riding persons to secure helmets that cover the entire head or face apprehension.

Helmets that cover the entire head are certified for racing, not for ordinary commuting. While such helmets indeed offer protection, they are not needed outside racing. To impose their use on ordinary commuting is to impose a needless requirement and expense.

Many people are willing to bet the LTO bright boys are not mentally any better than the scientists and experts who designed and developed the wide variety of safety (remember that word, safety) helmets who applied their knowledge of various situations to their creations.

Of course there are many helmets that do not qualify as safety gear, and these are the ones the LTO should go after. But if a headgear has been certified for safety, regardless of whether it covers the entire head or not, then the LTO has no business disputing the experts.

The widespread suspicion is that some birdie whispered sweet nothings into the ears of the LTO bright boys, hence the illogical, impractical and oppressive imposition. What a shame that a legitimate concern for safety is being used as an excuse to make some LTO people happy.