Don’t keep your eyes out on the road

Cover your eyes for $35

There's a lot of talk about overturning helmet laws across the country but no one talks about overturning another law: You gotta wear shades.

You don't have to wear shades. That's not true. You do, however, have to have eye protection in Virginia that meets safety standards.

Don't believe me, check the code. It will  tell you that every person operating (passengers are exempt) the ride "shall wear a face shield, safety glasses or goggles or have his motorcycle equipped with safety glass or a windshield at all times while operating the vehicle..."

It doesn't apply, of course, to full face helmets with shields, providing you put the shield down. You can wear yellow plastic duct-taped to your forehead inside a full face helmet with the shield down and the only one who will care is your spouse and dermatologist and perhaps the psychiatrist who reviews your case when the police bring you in on a temporary detention order for a weekend respite in a rubber room.

Oakley style for $120

But we're not talking just any old pair of shades slipped beneath that Fulmer half-helmet. We're not talking your basic gas station specials or the Dollar Store castoffs at five for 50 cents. We're not talking about Ray Bans or Oakley or Harley-Davidson brand eye chilling devices.

These shades have got to be special.

"The windshields, face shields, glasses or goggles ... shall meet or exceed the standards and specifications of the Snell Memorial Foundation, the American National Standards Institute or the federal Department of Transportation."

The key is ANSI. They're the ones who certify safety goggles for the workplace and your eye protection, by law, is required to meet the same standards.

Lowe's is always in style at $19.99

Luckily, it's not that hard. Fancy designer shade makers make shades that meet the requirements, usually under sports items in their catalogs. Companies who make protective glasses for highway crews and others who work outdoors also have them. And, of course, you can buy the somewhat ugly, if not suitable, safety shades from your local Lowe's.

Although some of us, certainly not me, have been known in the past to ride around in open-faced helmets wearing Bill's Sunglasses, that doesn't mean you should. It's a ticket if you get stopped and are found lacking and it's just a bad idea.

After all, one rock off the back of a Peterbilt going up Afton Mountain at 60 mph can shatter your basic shades and push not only the rock but the hard and sharp shards of shattered lenses right back into your eye.

Safety first. Enjoy the ride.