The Mandatory Need for Motorcycle Helmets

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) estimates that helmets saved 1,784 motorcyclists from death in 2007. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 800 lives could have been saved. As an avid motorcycle operator, I have been in a few close calls of my own. Luckily for me, if something would have occurred, I would have at least been safer due to my motorcycle helmet.

It is safe to say that thousands of lives could be saved each year by national adoption of universal helmet laws. From 1984 through 1995, helmets saved the lives of more than 7,400 motorcyclists. However, more than 6,300 additional deaths could have been prevented if all riders had been wearing helmets (tntrafficsafety.org). There are minor debates about one not feeling comfortable while riding with a helmet because of to the weight of it. However, manufacturers make carbon fiber helmets that have virtually no weight. On average they weight around two to three pounds. They are a bit more expensive than your average helmet. However, one can’t put a price on life.But is it Safety should definitely be the underlying factor, especially since riding a motorcycle is already considered dangerous in itself.

The analysis of fatal crash data from 2008 to 2010 showed 12 percent of motorcyclists in states with universal helmet laws were not wearing helmets, but 64 percent of riders were not wearing helmets in states with partial helmet laws and 79 percent weren't wearing helmets in states with no helmet laws. According to CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, "Increasing motorcycle helmet use can save lives and money. In 2010, more than $3 billion in economic costs were saved due to helmet use in the United States. Another $1.4 billion could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets (www.ohsonline.com).” Annual cost savings in states with universal motorcycle helmet laws for motorcycle riders and passengers were nearly four times more per registered motorcycle than in states without them, according to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report study. Annual medical, productivity, and other costs ranged from a high of $394 million in California (which has a universal helmet law) to a low of $2.6 million in New Mexico (which has a partial law).

Studies comparing hospital costs of helmeted and un-helmeted motorcyclists involved in crashed have found costs for un-helmeted riders to average $3,000 more than for helmeted riders. And, riders who don’t wear helmets are less likely to have health insurance, resulting in the cost of their care being forced on to taxpayers.. Not only does wearing a helmet save lives, it also saves the rider money. The financial burden for treatment and care of uninsured motorcycle crash victims is placed on the government and taxpayers. In 2005, Maryland estimated that a repeal of its all-rider helmet law would increase Medicaid expenditures by $1.2 million in the first year and annually up to $1.5 million thereafter. All-rider helmet laws will increase motorcycle helmet use, decrease deaths and injuries, and save taxpayer dollars. This is why all states should have a helmet law. Another reason that helmet laws should be passed in all states is because according to the Office of Highway Safety Planning, riders without helmets are 40% more likely to suffer fatal head injuries than those with helmets, and are 15% more likely to incur nonfatal head injuries. This is why it is imperative that each state adopts a helmet law. A rider already has a disadvantage because they are not protected as they would in the cabin of a car or truck with seat belts and airbags. There is nothing holding the rider down on the motorcycle at the point of an impact. So if, and when an impact occurs, the chances of a fatal brain injury are higher in an individual who rides without a helmet on.

Every state should adopt a helmet law for motorcycle drivers. Simply put, motorcycle helmets save lives. Point. Blank. Period. Death rates from head injuries are twice as high among motorcyclists in states without all-rider helmet laws. Motorcycle helmets are 37 percent effective in preventing motorcyclist deaths and 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries (tnttrafficsafety.org). A helmet can possibly save the life of the rider, and any future suffering caused to their family due to possible death and costs in medical bills. Making helmet laws mandatory will be a win-win situation for everyone.

References
Motorcycle safety (Rev. Oct. 1999. ed.). (1999). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Highway safety NHTSA's motorcycle helmet activities. (1997). Washington, D.C.: The Office.

Chenier, T. C., & Evans, L. (1984). Motorcyclist fatalities and the repeal of mandatory helmet wearing laws. Warren, Mich.: General Motors Research Laboratories.

Motorcycle helmet use laws. (1999). Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Http://saferoads.org/files/Top%20Ten%20Reasons%20for%20Helmet%20Law%20091107.pdf

Http://tntrafficsafety.org/sites/default/files/motorcyclehelmets1.pdf