Helmet Exemption Coming for Sikh Motorcyclists in Ontario

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FLSTC said:
Our Pasta, who art in Colander, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
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Clem said:
A friend I raced with when I was a member of Westwood wore a Patka under his helmet. It’s a small piece of cloth that looks a little like a doo rag... No offence to any Sikh’s. He said it fulfillled all the tenants of his religion and still allowed him to be protected.

To each their own I guess. Even if they did strike down the helmet law in Ontario I certainly wound not be going bareback.
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Clearly this is more about politics than religion. Doug Ford stands in front of a group of Sikhs in Brampton and campaign promises to exempt them from the helmet law to get Sikh votes. More zealous (read political) Sikhs demand exemption on religious grounds when it appears that other more moderate Sikhs find a way to fulfill their religious tenants without putting their life at greater risk.

Personally, I think there should be one law for all, regardless of religion. And if that law did not require me to where a helmet, I still would be in a full face or modular every time I went out.

If the zealous interpretation is correct, what does it say about a religion that puts a public expression of faith above the health and safety of its believers. And I'm not just talking motorcycle helmets. Where do hard hats on construction sites fit in? Part of being devout is that it involves making sacrifices to your lifestyle in favour of your religion. If that means you don't choose to ride a motorcycle or work in a job that puts you at physical risk, so be it. Those are your choices, along with the choice of how you chose to interpret the rules of your religion.
 
Just up the insurance for them riding without certified gear ...the insurance companies can do that without gov prodding.
 
Never mix church and state

Already changed our Canadian Mountie uniforms to satisfy their religious requirements.
Only group who can enter a Royal Canadian Legion without removing head gear.

This will be no different.

That being said, you wanna ride without a helmet go ahead.
I would like to think insurance would be huge but even if it is 10x the normal rate the race card will be played and they will end up paying less than anyone.

It is just the new normal now.
 
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FJRgeezer said:
I realize that this is an old topic of discussion, but it does present some interesting angles to look at. Obviously the first area to discuss would be how can you allow a group to opt out of a safety regulation when you have gov’t funded health care? The potential liability to the health care system is of course greater for the non helmet crowd compared to those wearing helmets, that’s why we have seat belt laws to reduce potential injuries and have less impact on the healthcare system when the inevitable accidents occur. Next up is the question, would insurance companies be able to charge more to insure non helmeted riders, since the likelihood of greater medical costs in the event of an accident. This is where it really gets interesting, because for the insurance company to do the only logical thing and raise premiums on non helmet wearers, they will have to discriminate between customers based on religion. Opens up a huge bag of trouble. If insurance companies are permitted to charge higher rates to cover non helmet wearing Sikhs, then does that open the door to allow other entities and individuals to discriminate between other religious, racial, sexual groups etc., when it can be proven that their “differences” cause economic impact on the entity in question. Today the answer is no, you can’t discriminate
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They do that now between male and female. Shouldn't be a problem to charge more to riders that increase the risk of costs for underwriters.
 
... did insurance rates drop when helmets became law? I didn't see that, they only went up!
... when you go to a hospital do they ask for your OHIP or your motorcycle insurance carrier? :I only give them my OHIP#
 
I wear a helmet (Sikh but cut my hair). Yes you can wear a small head covering(patka) and wear helmet and ride. This is nothing more than a political bs. As for the posters , who are saying no helmet =no ohip. It doesn’t work like that , for argument sake I can say The following. You drink alcohol, your liver fails= no ohip
You smoke , got cancer= no ohip
Everyone pays into the system(taxes) and everyone has the same rights to avail ohip. But again , you can still wear patka and helmet. In India it’s legal to wear turban instead of the helmet provided you are a genuine Sikh but over there people don’t ride fast 100km/hr on the motorcycles due to poor road infrastructure, too much traffic and no one following any rules/laws of the road. So it’s doable in India but not in North America with our 100+ speeds. Not safe. Making that same law here is just pure politics ( increasing your vote bank).


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How many people does this involve? 100 province wide? Maybe? 1000? What are your chance of being in an accident that involves you hitting your head for the average bike rider? 1 in 10? So we're talking maybe 100 people who hit their heads max?

Vs how many people...smoke, drink/eat too much (i try and do both). What about other calculated risks? People who parachute. Rock climb. Downhill moutain bike. Those crazy wingsuit guys. What percentage of downhill mountain bikes have received medical attention? How about football players? (good HS buddy of mine spent months in a halo and years of rehab after playing football). People who drive classic cars without seatbelts...no healthcare for them right? I could go on forever. Do we post about this in gta forums? Nope.

As motorcycle drivers we take inherent risks that car drivers do not. We are more likely to be injured/die as motorcycle drivers. We all make that choice. We gonna split hair (pun intended) for this choice?
 
nousername said:
I wear a helmet (Sikh but cut my hair). Yes you can wear a small head covering(patka) and wear helmet and ride. This is nothing more than a political bs.
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I had a suspicion that this was the case, but it's good to hear from someone potentially directly affected.
 
ddusseld said:
I too could care less if people splat their brains all over the highway. But, if you are going to exempt one group then you should exempt all groups. The gov't should just repeal the helmet law. Our heads, our brains...
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Totally agree, this is the correct and only way to handle it.
 
ddusseld said:
I too could care less if people splat their brains all over the highway.
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.... but OH SHOULD YE EVER! I'd love to learn more about how insurance companies will sort this out because you can be sure YOU will be paying out the WAZZZUUUUU to cover the increased premiums. How else do you think insurance companies are going to cover the sky-rocketing costs of personal injury. My head spins just thinking of the Brampton Scammers and the already impossible mega-mound of insurance fraud that has rates hiked higher than needed.
 
I'm going to write a letter to my Conservative MLA about this. It is not fair that one group gets special status over other Ontario riders. The courts have already ruled there is no religious exemption. The exemption should be universal for anyone who pays the insurance to do it, just like the State of Michigan. Anything else is favoritism.
 
800over said:
How many people does this involve? 100 province wide? Maybe? 1000? What are your chance of being in an accident that involves you hitting your head for the average bike rider? 1 in 10? So we're talking maybe 100 people who hit their heads max?
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You're right.
The number of people involved is statistically insignificant.
 
I can guarantee there will be whole herd of older large cruiser riders, same one with helmet laws suck stickers, identifying as a new convert. They may get ticketed but will have a lot of sport with this political mess.
 
Tax $$$ will pay for medical care and increased ins. premiums across the board for all will pay for the higher ins. risk.
 
Who cares!? Why would anyone care what someone else does when it has zero effect on them or their lives?

Ride on helmetless sikhs.
 
crankcall said:
I can guarantee there will be whole herd of older large cruiser riders, same one with helmet laws suck stickers, identifying as a new convert. They may get ticketed but will have a lot of sport with this political mess.
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Are the police really going to demand proof of your Sikh-ness if your're a turban-loving caucasian? Will they have a skin-tone chart to guide them? App developers take note! Personally, I think more bald men should accessorize with turbans instead of baseball caps or toques. With all the bearded hipsters around, the idea should be a no-brainer. Way more variety with the fabrics, I think. Given the current track-record of the Ford Conservatives, I think we should assume a suitably idiotic attempt at policy before the year is done.
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