Warning: This column contains some details which may disturb some readers
I once took a two-day course at the medical examiner’s office. We were allowed to hold a brain in our hands.
We saw slides of various horrible things the people in that office deal with after a collision in traffic.
They told us things we had never heard of, like how if you die at home and you have a cat or a dog, it’s best if someone finds your remains right away. Otherwise, your pet may eat you — starting with your face. I think many of us resolved to check in on grandma, regularly.
There would be something else to make us think.
The instructor took us into a room that had a shelf running along the wall, up high. The shelf was filled from end to end, with various motorcycle helmets.
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It made our group think about how safe you were on a motorcycle, even with a helmet.
Now, Sikh bikers in Alberta will be exempted from wearing a helmet in favor of a turban.
Many people are asking if religion trumps safety. Or, if politics trumps safety.
One caller asked what he is supposed to tell his child who does not want to wear a helmet. Another asked if it’s legal to wear a turban instead of a helmet if you are not a Sikh.
I wonder about the danger to first responders who go out on a busy highway to do what they can for a downed biker.
Special treatment for Sikhs has been in the news before, back in 2006. That’s when the government decided that despite a ban on weapons in schools, a Kirpan–a religious knife–would be allowed.
There were a lot of raised eyebrows about that, but we never did hear of a Kirpan issue in a school.
Hopefully, we will not be reporting trouble with turbans instead of helmets, either.
Let me know what you think.
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