(Image Source: Iron Horse Helmets)
BY JJ BAILEY
A motorcyclist riding to protest New York’s helmet mandate dies, authorities say most likely because he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
“An activist died, when he lost control of his cycle, and hit his head on the pavement.”
55-year-old Philip Contos got his shoelaces caught in a chain, looked down to see what happened, saw traffic slowing, and slammed on his brakes.
His 1983 Harley fishtailed, and he was thrown over the handlebars. It didn’t take long for news outlets to state the obvious.
“Troopers say the man would probably be alive if he had been wearing a helmet.”
Nearly every outlet headlined their coverage attempting to fit “Helmet Protest” in the same sentence as “hit head and dies.”
Some decided to go less subtle. A writer for Newslite hammered the point home with
“Talk about an ironic way to go.”
Right next to a photo captioned:
“Well, that’s embarrassing.”
The protest was organized by American Bikers Aimed Towards Education or A.B.A.T.E.
They say, the debate wasn’t over helmets - just the principle of a mandate to wear them. And Global Post reports, the accident isn’t changing motorcyclists’ minds.
Christinea Rathbun, President of the Syracuse chapter of ABATE said,
“It’s not going to stop us protesting our right to wear a helmet or not wear a helmet. It’s your own risk.”
ABATE rides every July 4 weekend in protest of the state’s helmet laws. This is the first accident in the 11-year history of the protest.
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