If you like riding motorcycles, maybe you do it because you seek thrills. Perhaps you love the adrenaline rush that comes when you reach top speed while flying down the highway. You may also like the looks that people give you when you pull up at work on a shiny Harley.

Whatever your reasons, if you own a motorcycle or ride one often, you should consider wearing a helmet. Some states have helmet laws that dictate you must wear one when you ride. Even if you’re in a state that does not have those laws, though, your helmet can protect your brain, a crucial body part.

We cannot overstate the importance of helmets in preventing fatal injuries in motorcycle accidents. We’ll discuss that in detail right now.

Why You Should Wear a Helmet

Let’s say that you live in a state where you must wear a motorcycle helmet. Some states believe they should make all motorcycle riders wear one. Others feel they should let each rider decide. They believe each rider can choose and make their own decision because they have that freedom.

If you must wear a helmet in your state, and you don’t wear one, you can get a ticket if a cop pulls you over. You might not like the state saying you must do anything, but you probably don’t want that fine or possible license suspension. You can easily wear a helmet and avoid that happening again.

Why Else Should You Wear One?

You should also think about wearing a helmet because your kids and spouse don’t want your brain injured. Maybe you have no kids or spouse, but you have parents or other family members who love you very much. You likely have some close friends as well.

If you have anyone in life who cares, then you should consider them when you’re wearing or not wearing your helmet on a motorcycle ride. If you put on that helmet, and it saves your life, then you can still support your spouse or partner and the kids. You can make the money they need, and without that, they’d have much harder lives.

You must also think about what can happen if you don’t wear that helmet. If you don’t, and you strike a rock in the road or hit an icy patch during the winter, you can fall and hit your head.

If you wear a helmet, you might hurt yourself, but you should survive. If you’re not going very fast, you likely will, though you might sustain some road rash.

If you don’t wear one, though, and you skid or lose control, you can go down and hit your head, and even if you’re not going very fast, that might prove fatal. If you live, you may have brain damage from that day forward.

Maybe you can’t see as well, or perhaps you can’t do math, read, or write. Maybe you’ve lost some long-term memories, or you can’t retain short-term ones.

If this happens, and you know you should have worn your helmet and prevented this, you might feel angry, sad, or depressed. Maybe you will yell when your kids or spouse try to cheer you up. You never did that before, but now you can’t control your emotions because you injured your brain.

You Should Wear One Even if You’re an Expert Biker

Some people feel like they’re expert bikers, so they won’t wear a helmet for that reason. You may think that, but it does not mean that you have great drivers and bikers on the roads with you.

You might ride safely with no helmet for years. That may take some luck, but if you always obey the speed limit and follow all other traffic laws, that should help.

Even so, you might encounter a bad driver. They might miss a stop sign and hit you, or maybe they’ll change lanes without signaling. You did nothing wrong, but this other driver’s actions might hurt or kill you.

That’s another reason why wearing your helmet makes sense. You might feel you’re a fantastic rider, but someone breaking a law or acting recklessly can harm you.

You Can Wear Some Additional Padding as Well

If you wear a helmet, you protect your brain, probably your greatest asset. You might also consider some additional protection, though.

Some bikers like the reckless lifestyle. Maybe that’s why you buy a motorcycle. Even so, you can protect your brain when you use a helmet, and you might also get some additional pads that protect other body parts.

You can get knee pads and elbow pads. You can easily slip them on, and they’ll protect you if you fall off. You should get much less road rash this way.

You can also get protective jackets. These special jackets can shield your skin if you fall and the bike drags you.

That’s hard pavement out there, and if you ride a motorcycle, you don’t have a car’s protective metal framework around you. That means there’s just empty air separating you and the ground. Think about that surface’s rough and unyielding nature. You don’t want an up close and personal experience if you can help it.

Make a Change Today

If you ride a motorcycle frequently and you’ve never worn a helmet, you can make a change today. You can find some great helmet brands on Amazon or other online outlets, and you can order one. You can get one through the mail in no time.

You might also buy one when you visit a brick-and-mortar location. You can get one that fits you well, and it might even have some fun designs or colors on it.

If you have a family or anyone who loves you, they will likely approve. Maybe you won’t look so menacing or like such an outlaw, but you can protect your brain, and that matters more. This small action can make such a huge difference.