C.B. Mills’ take on motorcycle helmets (“Letter to the editor: To save motorcyclists’ lives, make helmets mandatory in Maine,” Oct. 11) was interesting but slightly misguided.

Maine has a rather intelligent helmet law. It protects the young and the inexperienced: Anyone 18 years or younger – and everyone during the first year of obtaining a license – must wear a helmet. After that, it comes down to personal decision.

Motorcycle riding is dangerous. From the moment you twist the throttle, your whole focus is: “Everyone is out to kill me,” and with the multitude of women and men who drive with their iPhone firmly ensconced in their left hand ready to be read or typed upon at any convenient second, having this attitude is a necessity.

From my view, riding means wearing full-body armor and full-faced helmet. For others, it means wearing just a helmet, and for others, it means wearing no protection at all. But that’s what “personal decision” means.

I’m sorry that Mills lost a friend, but it was, and should remain, a rider’s choice as to what price one’s person is worth, and once that decision is made, the chips need must fall where they may.

We have no way of knowing whether a helmet would have helped Mills’ friend, although there are ample motorcycle-related deaths where helmets were, in fact, worn – enough so as to place a question mark on the issue.

Nor have we any understanding as to why a motorcyclist would tailgate, or leave home with no identifying material. Nor do we need to know why. And though that decision brought great anguish to the family, it was that rider’s personal decision, which is the way it should be.

Michael Torrusio

South Portland

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