Do Motorcycle Helmets in the DR Help?

[big_a]

after having to rewire my brain to walk again after brain injury from being hit on my motorcycle, i see everyone here without a helmet and wish they would listen to me.

it saved my life.

i am only here because of my helmet.

but they won't listen to me. because it only happens to 'other people' and everyone is a 'good rider'. i was a great rider. the woman who did the u-turn? not so good a driver. it's not always us that is responsible for our demise.

it took a long time to get my walking back without aid and memory to a point that i'm 'functional' (depending on which moment in time you ask my husband ... not easy to live with someone with the memory i have now).

still.

i'm here because of my helmet.

and why the hell aren't these people using their goddam mirrors!?!?!?!?!?!?!

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

it's enough to give me flashbacks just looking at them!!!!!

<composure regained>

 

[neural]

Last year my colleges (both physicians) witnessed a fatal accident on the highway to the capitol. One survivor lay unconscious on the ground and was picked up and laid into a pick up truck. This year on the road to Cabarete I witnessed a truck vs scooter accident that resulted in bilateral traumatic amputation of legs. I am told that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in the Dominican Republic.

Anyone visiting this country quickly realizes the rule of law on the road...that there are none. It's not a criticism, just simple observation. Those of us that visit the Dominican Republic should strongly consider hiring a driver, and not driving. Not to mention the legal complexities and cost involved with a motor vehicle accident.

Also, regarding this great story, and thanks for sharing...I would encourage anyone visiting the Dominican Republic to purchase vacation and heath care riders in the case of an Emergency such as this. The policy I purchase ($100) puts me on a plane to Miami in the event of something as awful as this.

And not to disparage the hospitals in the Dominican Republic. I have personally witnessed high quality, compassionate health care delivery throughout the country. Oh, by the way as a health care professional I cannot imaging anyone getting on a scooter or motorcycle without a helmet. Thanks for the post Frank

 

[CaptnGlenn]

am i an evil person? because i laughed out loud. dominican hospital stories are always hilarious. i don't know, however, if it was intentional in this case...

more on the subject: from my experience i can tell you that helmets are a nuisance. i hit a helmet once and i had to repaint my bumper. fyi, the helmet was not attached to anyone's head. i general, i would not recommend hitting a helmet with the head inside. or the head without helmet, come to think of it.

best wishes to bart. his story was a good one. i was operated only once here and it went down well, apart from the fact that my surgeon took upon himself to show me my dysfunctional internal organ after yanking it out from my guts. maybe he was proud of the fruit of his labour, because he also placed it in a neat kidney shaped dish and went outside to show it to miesposo.

That was just the proof that he actually performed the operation. Kinda like getting the old parts back from the car mechanic. LOL

 

[zoomzx11]

I am the Mack in the story. I offered to go and visit Bart in the hospital as a representative of the school coupled with a morbid curiosity about his appearance after hearing the details of the accident. I was a paramedic for a fire department for 22 years and have seen my share of bike crashes. I have never seen a single person survive the hi speed trauma that Bart suffered. I have no idea why he is alive. No one survives a direct auto strike while standing still from a car doing 85 miles per hour. Even the bikes steel frame was broken into pieces. When I saw Bart it was late on Monday afternoon. He did not have a single square inch that was not black and blue or undamaged in some way. I was amazed he could even speak but he was lucid. The helmet did protect his skull and face. The helmet played a large part in saving his life but even with it he should have died at the scene. Bart's rehab was painful to watch but he soldiered on and eventually recovered and walked normally with no deficits. He is a walking, talking breathing miracle. I am a motorcycle person and from what I have witnessed I always wore full leathers (reinforced) , full face helmet, gloves and lace up boots and thats in Miami where its hot like here. Uncomfortable but comforting. Have not seen Bart in a few years but glad to hear he is well. I can see him in my minds eye in that hospital bed in PP like it was yesterday.

 

[dv8]

That was just the proof that he actually performed the operation. Kinda like getting the old parts back from the car mechanic. LOL

alas, i did not get my jiggly flesh piece back, it went to the lab for pathology. good thing he was a gynecologist thou. you would not want your neurologist to pull your brain out of a skull like it was some fuzzy rabbit in a magician's hat...

 

[malko]

Great thread, thank god for david the sobrino, imaging the same story without him.......My wife is so scared everytime I go for a ride on my bike( one of those suzuki mktoconcho type), but the helmet limits so much ure vision and perception of surroundings that I feel safer without it. I take care to never go oht after dark, never on fridays and saturdays after 1500 because or our friend brugal, never go further than 40 km( we live in a remote area with little traffic), and if in doubt I pull off the road and stop( fast cars or trucks, and because its well known that some people will delibretly run u off the road even if I didnt believe it to witness it with my own eyes.....oh yeah, I only stop if Ive got my credit card with me, ie sig sauer:t

 

[LTSteve]

That is an amazing story. I have always thought that driving in the DR, especially in the towns and villages is like being in a real life video game. You have people, vehicles, animals and who knows what else coming at you from all directions. For being such laid back people many Dominicans are most impatient people behind the wheel. Where does this come from? I wish someone would explain this to me. In Las Terrenas I have seen many people of scooters going the wrong way up one way streets. Riding on the sidewalk to avoid waiting in traffic, weaving through traffic which is at a stand still. Again, the rule of thumb in the DR is the larger vehicle has the right of way. Usually this will suffice in most instances. I have never been and will never be a big fan of motor bikes, especially after reading this post. In the DR there are too many people who should not be behind the wheel. You can account for most of them but not all and that is where the problem lies. There are too many, impatient, horn honking, rum & coked up dudes who think they are gods gift to the road. Driver beware and even then via con dios.

LTSteve

 

[cobraboy]

but the helmet limits so much ure vision and perception of surroundings

Unless you are hearing impaired to begin with, and you are unable to move your head 10 degrees, a helmet is NOT more restrictive. Study after study show that.

Hearing is waaaaaay down the list of what a rider "needs" to be safe. Knowledge of "Threat Zones" and "Threat Zone scan" skills are.

that I feel safer without it.

Totally false sense of security. That's right up there with the "loud pipes save lives" myth.

Does your bike have mirrors? I understand "why" people take them off (the excuses range from "they might get stolen" to "I can't thread through traffic") but riding a bike without good mirrors is one of the most foolish actions a rider can take.

Two months ago I was leading a group when the light changed at an intersection on a four lane street where we were turning left. We had 9 bikes. I was first at the hold line, and the other bikes filled in behind me, two abreast. There was a box truck behind me. The light turned green (we all had turn signals flashing.) Per my personal safety protocol, I eased a little left and looked in the left mirror past the side of the truck (the V-Strom has excellent big momma mirrors with a convex surface.) I was not surprised to see an SUV passing the truck to the left, into the not-yet oncoming traffic. But that's why I have my safety scan, and that's why mirrors exist. Had I been just a guy on a bike making an innocent turn no doubt I'd have gotten whacked.

Formal training, full gear, constant education/risk mitigation on riding = better safety. Buying a small moto and just learning how to operate the controls = putting yourself in jeopardy.

Wearing a helmet on a bike should be like putting on a seat belt. I remember hearing the same arguments back in The Day: "it's uncomfortable, it restricts my movement, and I might get trapped in a burning car." Now I can't even move a car in a parking lot without the urge to buckle up, and feel just weird being on a bike, engine running, without a full-face helmet.

 

[cobraboy]

I have never been and will never be a big fan of motor bikes, especially after reading this post. In the DR there are too many people who should not be behind the wheel. You can account for most of them but not all and that is where the problem lies. There are too many, impatient, horn honking, rum & coked up dudes who think they are gods gift to the road.

LTSteve

Sure you can. One basic safety parameter is knowing those types exist, and having a strategy in your back pocket to deal with them.

Once you SEE them, deal with them. It's fairly easy.

One "problem" is the average moto is much slower than traffic, yet riders intermingle with the faster traffic. In the DR, the slower you are, the further right you should be. If you can't ride maybe 5kph +/- faster than the prevailing traffic, maybe you shouldn't be on that road; and if you are, keep waaaaay far to the right.

And if you are slower, how about buying a day-glo vest, the type construction crews use, so you're better seen?

Also: KEEP YOUR HEADLIGHT ON AT ALL TIMES!

 

[Criss Colon]

"Big-A", they don't use their "Mirrors" here, simply because the mirrors are all broken off in crashes!
And how many "Motos" do you see with front, and/or rear fenders???
"CB" you are a "PRO" which gives you a slight advantage. You also have an "IQ" above 80, which gives you an even bigger advantage.
Unfortunately, the Dominicans on the road, DON"T!
You may feel safer on a "Bike" than in the USA, but I sure don't!!!
I doubt that you need to see see statistics, "percapita", regarding injuries, and deaths, in the DR, visa vi the USA, to know which place is "SAFER" to ride!
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[cobraboy]

I doubt that you need to see see statistics, "percapita", regarding injuries, and deaths, in the DR, visa vi the USA, to know which place is "SAFER" to ride!
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Actually, I have seen them completely broken down. One of the projects I'm working on-with some execs in the DR insurance industry-is to bring an MSF training program to the DR. That's a long road, but we've made progress.

The % of bikes to population in the DR is many times higher in the DR than the US, so "per capita" isn't an accurate measurement. There are 1.8 million motorcycles in the DR for 10,000,000 people. There are about 7.5 million motorcycles in the US for 310,000,000 people. That's 9 times as many bikes in the DR than US.

65% of motorcycle accidents in the DR happen at night and are alcohol related.

I feel much safer riding in the DR (NOT the urban areas) than the states, and stated why. I'm not a "pro." I just pay attention and acquired survival skills that anyone can absorb.

 

[frank12]

I love motorcycles, scooters, unicycles, and big women. i can ride them all day. I do not like cars. I have never owned a car here on this island. I do not want a car. Even if someone offered me a car for free ( when my father passed away here, he left me his car) I would not accept it. I gave my father's car away.

I only ride motorcycles on this island. Truth be told, i also ride a fast scooter here as well; it's faster then 99% of all scooters on the road, so i always stay ahead of the traffic where i can see and easily assess everything in my path--including, but not limited to--cows, dogs, chickens, donkeys, children, infants and Haitians walking alongside the highway--going to and from work.

I've been driving motorcycles on this island my whole adult life. To give you an idea how many miles i log a month. My Yamaha 125 Zuma--which i just posted a video of yesterday in another thread here--i just logged 19,000km on it in less then two years. My Honda CBR1000 has 75,000km that i put on it in roughly 5 years (it had 18,000km on it when i bought it). MY 2008 Husaberg Supermoto--which i bought brand new off a showroom floor--has...wait, i have to guess here because it doesn't have a working odometer...around 8,000km, and my KTM 950SM has 39,000km on it--of which i've been responsible for about 10,000km of those.

But get this...i only live here 8 months out of the year, which, if you did the math...and i'm way too lazy right now to attempt it...i average roughly 50km a day on motorbikes, sometimes 200km if i'm traveling on my three days off.

I know, i know, it sounds too unbelievable to be true. However, i only work 4 days a week, which gives me three days off --Wednesday through Friday--to travel this island on motorcycles. I had a place in Santo Domingo for three years, so i traveled every week to Santo Domingo--that was 410km round trip from Cabarete. But once i got there, i traveled around the city everyday and put another 25km a day going back and forth to the Colonial Zone for coffee, and then to the Haagen Daz store on Abraham Lincoln for lunch and a quick nap in their wonderful A/C. On top of this, sometimes, while in Santo Domingo, i would get bored and drive to Barahona or Punta Cana on my bike just to look for redheads. No drive was too long or too difficult in the search for the right female species.

I hate driving in Santo Domingo. Who doesn't? The only time you can really drive there is at night, but then you have to look out for all of the sewage lids--which have been stolen off the streets and sold for scrap metal--it's not fun. Luckily, i know all the holes, but during the daytime, i pretty much resign myself to driving on sidewalks in order to get to the front of the traffic line. Obviously i'm not the only one doing this..there is a lot of competition to drive on the sidewalks in Santo Domingo, and its not just motorbikes taking the short cuts on the sidewalks--it's also horses and donkeys and large women as well. Its a dog eat dog way of navigating the streets, but once you get used to it, it's a piece of cake. In 32 years of driving bikes here--on sidewalks, paths, back yards, rooftops...you name it---i have never had an accident with anyone. True story.

Back to topic, driving motorcycles here is exactly like Cobraboy described. It's not rocket science, and you're way, way ahead of the game if you drive a bike with lights, mirrors, turn signals, and have less then 6 people on the bike with you...too many people impedes short distance, abrupt stops.

There is no rocket science in driving a motorcycle. the only thing required is some common sense and caution. Many people spend their whole lives driving motorcycles here everyday without injury. Chip, another forum member here, drives over a mountain chain every single work day--from Santiago to Sosua--on a motorcycle. Cobraboy takes tours on motorycles across this island, and has only had one incident with a goat...but let's be honest...what man here hasn't had an incident with a goat. My three best motorcycle friends here...Rob,, the ex Carol Morgan math professor drove every single weekend back and forth from Santo Domingo to Cabarete without incident--logging 20,000km; My other two best motorcycle friends on this island--whom are in nearly every motorcycle video i've ever posted here--are a 65yr old father and 30 year old son--whom, like me, own several motorcycle and log massive amounts of km's traveling around this island every week. Neither have ever had an accident with anyone else. Yes, like me, they have gone down on their motocross bikes in dirt out in the country side, but never have we ever had any incident with another vehicle or person. When we drive off-road, we try to bend/warp time in the process--in essence, travel back to the future.

The problem with what happened to Bart is a combination of a lot of variables coming together at the right/wrong time. Bart hadn't driven a bike here for more then one week. His motorcycle was only one week old. He didn't think of looking behind him, or checking his mirror to see if a car would be stupid enough to be coming on his left hand side. I don't blame him for this. How could you? But here, on this crazy island, this is protocol, and that's why even though this happens every single minute, of every single day here on this island, few experienced Dominicans would be stupid enough to not look back over their left shoulder to see if another Dominican is stupid enough to pass in this situation.

I've been in this situation nearly every single week. You know what i and many other Dominicans do in this situation that almost cost Bart his life? I would either pull way over to the right hand side of the road, nearly in the grass, and wait until there was no traffic in either direction, before making my left hand turn. Or, if there was no on-coming traffic coming in the opposite direction as i was approaching the gas station, i would veer off into the east-bound lane--holding to the opposite shoulder--and heading in the opposite direction, and then pull into the gas station unimpeded from the east-bound lane. This alleviates a lot of problems..1st.) the cars behind me do not have to stop or slow down. This prevents a bottle neck. 2nd.) the cars behind me can continue on their way uninterrupted & unimpeded from me.

This is the how Dominicans drive here, and believe it or not, there is some method to the madness.

Frank

 

[cobraboy]

We do an extensive orientation to start every tour. The central theme: forget everything you know about "Rules of the Road." Adapt to the road culture of the DR. Because driving like you do in the states (or Europe) can get you killed here.

Formal "Right of Way" rules don't exist, and your "personal space" has shrunk from 4' to 6". If you can't deal with those two FACTS, you should drive neither a cage nor motersickel.

If anyone is interested, drop me a PM and I'll email a copy of our free ebook: Two Wheels in Paradise: The Essential Guide to Riding Motorcycles in the Dominican Republic. Just tell me the format: .pdf, .doc, .epub or .mobi. It applies to driving cars also...

 

[the gorgon]

The road in the DR is the most dangerous place to be at .Its the highest risk for driving tourists especially , as this passing on the wrong side of the road is common .THX for the article and i hope he is presently in good shape agin !!

the highest risk for tourists? naaaah. the highest risk for any man, women , or beast.

 

[Lobo Tropical]

Full face helmet and protective clothing.
Of course all this is a haste in this climate, but don't take chances.
Defensive riding and skill are also important.
One is literately surrounded by reckless drivers and must expect anything.
Driving is most likely the most dangerous thing one will do here.
This includes being a passenger of a moto concho or a carro/guagua.

 

[cobraboy]

Full face helmet and protective clothing.
Of course all this is a haste in this climate, but don't take chances.

Modern mesh riding gear is very cool & comfortable. So are modular, ventilated helmets.

Lack of comfort is no longer an excuse to not gear up.

 

[Lobo Tropical]

I'm aware and agree.

 

[cobraboy]

My next scooter for the DR:

Now get off my lawn...:cheeky:

 

[zoomzx11]

The modern mesh ventilated clothing and ventilated helmet are only effective when you are driving at speed enough for the air to cool you off. The uncomfortable time is in traffic, in the hot sun and moving slowly with the heat from the car exausts. I was never overheated or uncomfortable so long as i was moving along. Nowadays I sit in an air conditioned car listening to my wife or my stereo system, often both.

 

[malko]

Ok I do agree with u, its silly not to wear a helmet but here in my small village I would stick out like a sore thumb ( yes I know better than being dead). I do be very careful and yes I do have mirrors, two to be exact and everybody asks me why!!!! I ve done worse things like carry botellon deagua on the back with one hand, rode 12 km with 2 mujer on the bike with me and I ve only learned to ride my bike like 2 months ago. You do things over here u wouldnt dream of back home(especially cos it will get u locked up), it must be something in the air on in the water.... More seriously, thanks for the heads up, I do understand the risks and I hope I will soon grow out of the lust of speeding along bareheaded( and sometimes barefooted) in my jeans, tshirt and trainers....... Just the other night we went halba fishing on a dirt track and I thought I was going to die.... down a dirt track on asteep mountain side, my wife behind me, no way brakes would stop the bike, and bloody headlights that only work when I accelerate, mud all over the place from rain the night before..... insane!! but I did anyway, why? no idea. perhaps uve never really lived into u nearly die or something like that.....