Motorcycle Helmet Safety

Posted on November 27, 2007 by Law Office of D. Hardison Wood
Changes to the motorcycle helmet law go into  effect on  January 1, 2008 in North Carolina which offer better specification on the type of helmet that a motorcyclist should  wear.

The new law also clarifies that the helmet must be properly secured on the head using a strap so that it will stay on in the event of a crash.

Motorcycle helmets are considered legally compliant if they meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218, which requires helmets to have a firm inner liner of polystyrene foam that is about one-inch thick.

Compliant motorcycle safety helmets will also carry the symbol “DOT,” for U.S. Department of Transportation, permanently installed by the manufacturer on the back of the helmet, as well as a permanently attached manufacturer’s label on the interior of the helmet. Novelty-type helmets are not compliant with FMVSS-218.
To identify helmets that are compliant with FMVSS-218, motorcyclists can visit the following page for  more  information.
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Inflatable Jacket

Posted on November 16, 2007 by Law Office of D. Hardison Wood
So we know that when air bags work they can save lives...so how about an inflatable jacket for motorcyclists?  Apparently, a motorcyclist was wearing such a jacket while riding his motorcycle.  When it crashed, his jacket inflated, worked like an airbag and helped save his life! 
Joseph McPhatter, of Randallstown, was injured in a crash on Interstate 83 after being cut off by another motorist in September. According to police, McPhatter was ejected 100 feet, hitting the ground at an impact rate of 140 mph.Police said that McPhatter might have been severely injured had it not been for the Impact Jacket he was wearing -- a jacket that inflates like an air bag when a motorcyclist is in an wreck. Read the whole story
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