Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Rothlisberger in stable condition after motorcycle accident

Last reports indicate that Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Rothlisberger is going to be okay after surviving a critical motorcycle accident. He's suffered some serious injuries but doctors report he'll recover. Prayers go out to "Big Ben" Rothlisberger for a fast and speedy recovery. Big Ben was not wearing a helmet when the crash occurred.

For us who still play sports or still have that competitive drive to challenge life once in a while, we must use good judgement in safely preparing ourselves when facing such risky challenges.

When it comes to motorcycles I know nothing about riding, but I have learned that Helmets save lives. Their are many families who see this piece of preparatory safety equipment as an angelic savior in preventing one of their loved ones from loss of life during an accident. Below I've listed some facts from the National Traffic Safety Administration regarding the advantages of wearing helmets when riding motorcycles. If you are a father, son or brother you should consider that wearing a helmet may someday prevent those family members from crying over your body at a memorial service and hearing the doctors regretful words echo in their head, "If only he were wearing a helmet."


The Case For Helmets
According to a Jan. 2006 publication from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• An unhelmeted motorcyclist is 40 percent more likely to suffer a fatal head injury and 15 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal injury than a helmeted motorcyclist when involved in a crash.

• Motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of a crash fatality by an estimated 37 percent.

• From 1984 through 2004, helmets saved an estimated 16,019 lives of motorcyclists.

• Motorcycle helmet use saved an estimated $1.3 billion in 2002 alone. An additional $853 million would have been saved if all motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes had worn helmets. From 1984-2002, the NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmet use saved $19.5 billion; another $14.8 billion would have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets during the same period.

Source: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, Jan. 2006