YOUR COMMENTS

Please. Let's respect an honorable public servant and wish the best to him and his loved ones. You wish to debate traffic safety issues, do it in an appropriate forum. Not here. Get well, Chief. We the good people of the Granite State are pulling for you. Be well.
- jeff, conway

Went to school with Jeff long ago and am sickened and saddened to see his accident used as a forum for personal views. We all have fathers, brothers, sons and friends who could be in this situation--along with the freedom to choose I guess compassion is also no longer a given in the "Live Free or Die" state.
- Kim Grenier, Marlborough, MA

Me and my family have known jeff for many years when he helped out one of my Relatives. He is a woulderful police Chief and a caring person. Even If he was not Wearing a Helmet People shoulc not Judge Him. I hope He has a speedy Recorvery.
- Mary and Family, NH

Another left hand turn accident. It always surprises me that when an accident like this happens the major issue is whether or not the biker was wearing a helmet. No mention of the fact that the driver of the car caused an accident. And of course no summons. Sad. I hope for a speedy recovery to Chief Williams.
- Doug, West Newfield,Me

Jeff gave me my first and only ticket in NH... right after I got my license. That was many moons ago. But, funny as it may sound he did me a favor.
i wish him all best and a speedy recovery.
- Pam, Haverhill, NH

I have known Chief Williams for many years and know him to be a dedicated public servant. The useless comments of certain individuals seem in poor taste when a man lies in a hospital bed battling injuries. My best wishes for Jeff and his family.
- Ethan, Pike

As a resident of the Haverhill area Jeff Williams and Mort Michelson are known to me. My heartfelt prayers are for both Jeff, for a full and speedy recovery and for Mort, who I am sure is devastated. Neither deserves harsh judgment
- RP, Haverhill

My heart & prayers go out to the Chief and his family for a quick recovery. My husband was involved in a near fatal motorcycle crash under the same circumstances last August-a pickup truck turned right in front of him. My husband was not wearing a helmet and it was so noted in all the media. He suffered severe facial injuries, broken wrists, arms and leg. A helmet in his case would have done him no good and may have caused him to suffer paralysis by breaking his neck. The bike had modified exhaust so it was fairly load. The other driver did not hear nor see him. So please, let those who ride decide and let us use modified exhausts. By the way, the guy that caused the accident was not charged with anything!
- Susette Remson, Moultonborough

Shame on those of you who are criticizing Jeff for not wearing a helmet. If this had been any other person except our Chief of Police, you wouldn't be nearly as critical. It's because of who he is that you are reacting the way you are. Although I don't agree that he was not wearing his helmet, that's his own fault, regardless of WHO he is. The state of New Hampshire would not be the State of New Hampshire if we had mandatory seat belt and helmet laws. This just keeps the few 100% law abiding citizens wearing safety equipment. How many of you don't speed? Don't cut someone off? If you don't get caught, it's okay, right? If we had mandatory safety laws, it's no different. What's the point?

Regardless, that intersection, among the Rte 10, Rte 302 intersection at the other end are more in need of a traffic light than where these lights were placed upon the construction of Wal-Mart. I have witnessed MANY accidents at this intersection and something has to be done. I guaranty the moment Jeff recovers, he will do something about it, being the wonderful Chief he is. Thoughts and prayers with you, Chief, you are truly missed already...
- PDWife, Haverhill, NH

I disagree, I say the road is no place for arrogant drivers who have no clue how to drive . I wish you a speedy recovery chief. I also hope if the driver was inattentive or on a cell phone he is charge and jailed accordingly. what gives you as a car driver more rights on a road than me a bike rider, do you pay MORE in taxes or soemthing we dont knwo about Mr High and Mikey..
- Rick, Lee

MIke from Concord always puts out his anti-motorcycle garbage. Fact is Mike under your theories then everyone should drive an 18-wheeler. Do you? Everytime you go out? If not then, any accident you may have is then yur fault, and any injusry, again, is your fault.
- Dale, Chichester

Thank you Debbie from Derry. Very valid point, TRAINING!!!!! To boot insure Co. give discounts on completing the training. Mine gives 5% for the initial class and another 5% for the Intermediate and/or advance rider training.

Dan from Epping. I think if you crunched numbers you would find majority of motorcyclists are insured and your rates are high because of the general fraud in auto insurance industry in general. I also think you would be surprise at the number of uninsured and underinsured motorists in our state. Hence why its a coverage on your policy. Until the state makes insurance mandatory you will continue to see your rates go higher. Bikes have nothing to do with your rates. This all can be verified with the NH Insurance Dept.

But your comment on people taking liberties and stunting I agree with you there. The old saying a few bad apples gives the bushel a bad rap. Agree with 100%, talk to my friend Bill B who I will not ride with because of his stupid antics on a bike in traffic. We have to follow the same rules as any of vehicle on the road.

So Mike from Concord, I take it you are driving around the roads in 18 wheeler, in this economy (right). We should take off all those small hybrid & economical cars because there too small and can't be seen by 18 wheelers. That is sound thinking there Mike!

For the person that

Get well Chief!
- LJ, Manchester, NH

So, whether or not he was wearing a helmet is a criteria for whether or not to feel sorry for him - regardless of who was at fault? You people and your PC crap are disgusting.
- sandy, thornton

There seems to be a lot of motorcyclist here that are well aware of the dangers of other distracted motorist . Why then would you still choose to go without a helmet?
Is it really worth it?
- Matt, Manchester

Just got ward about this and am hoping Jeff bounces back. He's been a good police chief and friend for years.

That corner of RTE 10 and Forest has a jinx on it. My wife had an accident there ten years ago that, after reading the article above, could be described with the exact same wording.
- RapidRay, North Haverhill

If you ride a motorcycle you may just end up 'dead right'. Live free or die, right? Choice is yours. I'm sure not advocating people drive reckless or EVER endanger any operator of a motor vehicle....but when you KNOWINGLY put yourself at a much higher risk of death/injury (I agree most accidents are caused by cars but that point is irrelevant) you can't blame others.
- Mike, Concord

No one is advocating not wearing a helmet. What we are advocating is the government has no right to FINE YOU for NOT wearing one.

I am sorry this happened and I too wish he'd been wearing a helmet. I know I would have been.

Usually it's the car that is at fault....so yes, watch out for cycles this time of year.
- Sue, Manchester

Mike from Concord:
You're right. Let's just ban motorcycles. Have you thought that every country in the world rides motorcycles (as many as cars mind you) and perhaps the CARS in the U.S are the ones that may have the lack of attention span here? Motorcycles are Everywhere. Please look twice and pay a little more attention where you are Turning your car. And BTW, Headlights on bikes come on automatically now. All bikes.
- Peter, Manchester

I am not just talking about motorcycle accidents, all accidents cars/trucks/18 wheelers/bike all alike. Can anyone give an example of when an "accident" is not caused by negligence?

The road is no place for a motorcycle? Where on earth do you want us to ride them? In our dreams? Face reality Sir.
If people were not so self absorbed and worried about how fast they can get somewhere, or how many text messages they can send/recieve, or the damn conversation they are having, or any other distraction while they are supposed to be driving, "accidents" would not happen.

It is common sense to drive with CAUTION no matter what the road conditions are. It is common sense to not answer the phone or text while driving, it is common sense to make sure where you are steering your vehicle is clear and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Dan there are those that participate in those things you speak of, but not everyone of is does. Just like anything else a few bad apples can spoil everything else. As for helmets, I always wear one, but to each his own.
- Mike, Chester

I'd like to offer some statistics that may give you all something to ponder. These were put together by a co-worker at the DMV, thank you Moe for this info...

From 2004 - 2008 we had 145 motorcycle fatals. In 2008 there were 29.

Of those 29, 16 were single vehicle, 11 involved two vehicles, 2 involved three vehicles. 27 males, 2 females. 28 were operators, 1 passenger. 22 were the fault of the motorcycle, 7 were caused by another vehicle. Causes of these accidents included distraction (1), illegal passing (1), struck from behind (1), inattention (3), centerline infraction (3), left turn infraction (5), speed (6), failure to negotiate a curve (9). 11 had helmets, 18 did not. Of the 29, only two had training in some form of a motorcycle safety course. One of those was killed by another motorist, the other had drugs as a factor.

Of the 145 fatals over the last five summers, only 9 had training. That means that 93.7% of the people who died on motorcycles during that time had no training.

Helmet or not, you do the math. Training saves lives! Take a safety course regardless of whether you are experienced or a novice, it's well worth the money.
- Debbie, Derry

I love how all the pro-motorcycle/ anti-helmet people jump on their soapbox to cry about how car drivers are out to kill them. Yet when I am driving, either in my car or on my bike, I am always seeing motorcyclists pulling dangerous stunts, or taking liberties they shouldn't, such as illegal passing or weaving around stopped traffic just because their bike will fit. Or operating with no headlight then whining when people don't see you.
Personally I think helmets should be mandatory, unless you can show proof that you have adequate medical insurance to cover your unnecessary, preventable injuries. I'm tired of paying high insurance because NH doesn't require it, and the state is filled with morons who think it won't happen to them.
- Dan, Epping

I hope the chief is OK .
I do not ride a motorcycle but I cringe when I see someone without a helmet . Its a small thing when considering the consequences.
- Malcom, Manchester

Mike in Chester, I disagree. The road is no place for a motorcycle to be. It's common sense. If you choose to operate a motorcycle on roads designed for 18 wheelers then you do so at your own risk. Good luck to you, sir.
- Mike, Concord

I too wish this man a speedy recovery. I am a bit disappointed though, whenever a civilian is hit on a motorcycle and he is not where a helmet, the only comments I ever read on this site are criticism and insults...would people keep their snide remarks to themselves when people are hurt or killed? Police officer or not...
- Benjamin, Bedford

JJ, I can't believe someone has to point this out.....Helmets help you when someone careless does cut in front of you and as long as there is hand held cell phone use in a cars, eventually someone will. (but I certainly hope not)
Be safe.
- Sydney, Londonderry

I hope you have a speedy recovery Chief.

It is too bad that drivers out there want to kill us motorcyclists everytime we get out on the road.

We should charge people criminally when these things happen. An "accident" is always a result of someone's negligence no matter what the case is. People might actually pay attention if we do this.
- Mike, Chester

I don't think it's bias. It's part of the story. Just like it was part of the story that the Chief was not on duty and that the other vehicle was a truck. You can see that it is relevant in that one of the previous comments was "I hope he was wearing a helmet." These are the things people first think about when they read a story about an accident involving a motorcycle.
- BH, Rindge

Best wishes to the chief and his family. Hope you're out on two wheels again soon. It is that time of year and we are out there helmet and no helmet alike. Either way we want to keep the shiny side up.
- Joe, Manchester

"State police investigators say Williams was not wearing a helmet at the time of yesterday's accident."

It was in the article I read.
- Lou, Jaffrey

JJ is right. Helmets don't keep careless people from cutting in front of or cutting off motorcycles. But did anyone actually think that was their purpose? C'mon! Helmets PROTECT YOU when the careless person cuts in front of you.
- JB, North Haverhill

Maybe the UL added it during an update, but the article clearly says that the chief was not wearing a helmet.
- Dan, Nashua

Maybe a helmet would have prevented him from being in serious condition.
- Jim Wilson, Manchester

There is a pattern to the way news media reporters treat helmets and motorcycle accidents. If there is serious injury and/or death and a helmet was not worn, they mention it. If there was serious injury and/or death and a helmet was worn, they do not mention it. If there was no serious injury and a helmet was not worn, they do not mention it. If there was no serious injury and a helmet was worn, they mention it.

This pattern is true, if not in all cases, definitely most cases. I've often wondered if this is an organized attempt to "educate" us for our own good, or if it's just a mindset on the part of reporters. Either way it is a form of bias in reporting.

I wouldn't get on my motorcycle without safety gear, having survived one accident largely because of it. But I still resent the subtle form of bias known as selective reporting, on this and other issues.
- Dave, Merrimack

Sorry but helmets don't help carless people from cutting in front of or cutting off motorcycles. People have to be aware that the good weather is coming and more motorcycles will be on the road. I also ride without a helmet and that is my choice. Hope the Chief recovers from his injuries.
- JJ, Londonderry

I see no mention of a helmet. Odd, I always look for that and it is always mentioned somewhere in the article.
- Dan, Epping

Hopefully he was wearing a helmet. Anyone know if it was a personal vehicle? Just curious, not that it matters.
Get well soon Chief Willams. Other riders keep in mind thats the number one reason we riders get into accidents......Others making a Left in front of us. Please check twice, its that time of year we are on the roads.
Thank you, drive safely.
- Mike, Milton

Hope a speedy recovery to the Chief. Hope everything turns out alright.
- Anderson, Hebron