By Dustin Shipman and Anne Hershewe

news@joplinglobe.com

A low rumble emerged this week as some motorcyclists across the state began to react to Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of Senate Bill 202, which would have relaxed Missouri’s helmet-requirement law.

The current law requires all motorcyclists to wear a helmet while riding. The measure that was endorsed by the Legislature would have given riders older than 21, in most situations, the option of not wearing a helmet.

Nixon had seemed to be in favor of the bill last month, and some area motorcycle riders are confused and angered by his veto.

“I can’t understand it,” said Dave Obanion, owner of Westside Customs and Collision Repairs in Joplin.

The states that surround Southwest Missouri allow motorcyclists to ride without helmets, which Obanion said is frustrating.

“Why Missouri?” he asked. “Where’s the pressure coming from?”

Though Obanion is not happy with the situation, he said he knows several people who are more upset than he is. “I think a helmet law is practical, but I think it should be a choice.”

Dave Davis, a mechanic at Westside and a biker, said, “I think it ought to be our choice whether we want to (wear a helmet) or not.”

He said many people simply don’t like wearing helmets, and others would just like to wear novelty helmets that are not safety-approved by the state.

Stanley and Bonnie Seiler, of Springfield, on Friday were at Cycle Connection Harley-Davidson/Buell in Joplin.

They voiced irritation that the law was not revised. “It sucks,” said Stanley Seiler. “I should have a choice.”

He said his reasons for wearing a helmet or riding without shouldn’t matter. The bottom line is that he doesn’t want someone telling him what to do.

“Everybody we talked to was hoping it would go through,” said Bonnie Seiler. “(A helmet) doesn’t protect your ribs or legs or arms. We should have freedom of choice.”