In this instance there's a direct effect between a police officer having inadequate gear and how much you pay as a taxpayer. Injured officers are cared for by your tax dollars. Your taxes pay their insurance, benefits and overtime coverage.

So if they get hurt on the job, you pony up for the bills.

Oh and btw:
Speaking on people gearing up in general, it's an amazing thing... Some people actually give a damn about their fellow riders. At least to some extent. So saying something about gearing up makes us feel a little better knowing we tried to help someone avoid possible unnecessary injury. I mean you do warn people about riding on cold tires don't you? Tell them cagers are out to kill them too?

 

Also, other riders accidents and medical bills increase my insurance rates. It's a risk pool, and the companies are going to find a way to make money on every segment they insure, so if sport bike riders are crash happy squids in your area, your rates will be higher than they would be otherwise.

 

Unless you have State Farm. They rate bikes by engine size, not whether they are a cruiser, sport bike, etc.

 

thats not completely true. i have progressive but through my usaa auto insurance so i get a discount. my f4i and rr were about a 400 dollar difference for the first year i owned either. the rr being more expensive. and given that they were only a year apart in age, they are both 599cc engines. after the first year of owning the rates dropped to about the same exact price. so yeah you are correct in a way but not completely.

 

Yes - our tax dollars will certainly fund care and benefits for an injured/killed officer. But that is a drop in the bucket. A true drop in the bucket. I can promise you that if the mandate gear for motocycle cops in your area you wouldn't see any decrease in your tax liability.

Yes, I do care for other riders, but people are free to make their own decisions without us CONSTANTLY berating other riders for what they choose to wear. It is just condescending after a while.

You are absolutely right - again, that is a drop in the bucket. The medical portion of most premiums is next to nothing, it is the liability and collision portion that is the bulk of the premium.

It just seems like we constantly have threads bashing what others wear and it gets old. Let's let people enjoy riding how THEY want to ride.