Another Study Reveals Death Rate Increase After Helmet Law Repeal
We've previously reported on motorcycle deaths spiking after helmet law repeals, and a new report has echoed those findings. The American Journal of Public Health's research, as cited in the New York Times, uses Pennsylvania's helmet law repeal in 2003 as the basis for its conclusions. According to an online abstract, helmet use in crashes dropped from 82% to 58% following the repeal, and head injury deaths climbed 66%. Nonhead injury deaths rose 25%, while head injury hospitalizations increased 78%.
The Times piece notes that though motorcycle registrations have increased, "the rate of crashes per 10,000 registrants remained the same, indicating that there was little change in driving habits, road conditions or the risk behavior of riders."
Do findings like these affect your opinions about helmet laws, or do you think individuals still deserve the right to choose for themselves?
Photo © Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Staff / Getty Images Sport
Comments
Will the only 2 people who are surprised at this revelation please stand up so we can hang an “I’m an idiot” sign around your neck.
I can’t wait to read all the drivel from people who claim helmets block hearing and vision and weigh too much.
What a waste of money! Don’t know how much this study cost, it’s fer damn sure it could have been put to better use….like, positive publicity, lobbying major metro centers to encourage bikes & scooters to ease traffic, parking & pollution issues.
At least with no helmet laws the average IQ of the motorcycling population goes up … unfortunately there are more people left behind mourning.
Back to your original question…”Yes – we still need laws to protect us from ourselves. Helmet laws are no different than seat belt laws….no one has discussed those since 1966….they are just a part of daily life.
Funny thing about statistics – they always show what you want them to show.
Never believe what you read.
PA’s Legislative and Finance Committee just released a report that suggests quite the opposite of what the NY Times story suggests.
http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/reports/2008/11.PDF
A Pennsylvania joint House and Senate committee on legislative budget and
finance issued a report on June 25th, 2008 on the fatality trends since
PA’s modernization of its helmet law in 2003. The report found that “Due
to the substantial increase in motorcycle registration, the rate of
crashes per 10,000 motorcycle registrations actually declined from 132.4
in CY (Calendar Year) 2000 to 113.2 crashes per 10,000 motorcycle
registrations in CY 2007″. The report also showed that helmeted riders
involved in a collision dropped from 67% in 2000 to 57% in 2007.
The rate of fatal crashes DECREASED
after PA limited its helmet mandate even though UNhelmeted rider involvement INCREASED.
The report also attempted to make a connection with the new helmet law and
a rise in traumatic head injury but had to admit that “We found that the
linkages between existing data sources that are necessary to specifically
determine the relationship between helmet usage and head trauma-related
injuries and fatalities are currently not in place.” The study does quote
some secondary studies that claim to actually be able to make a case for a
rise in head injuries.
I always wear a helmet and I feel that it is foolish to ride without one, but I still think that decision should be up to the individual not the government. I feel the same way about seat belts.
My head, my choice! If i fall down, go boom, so be it. If you want to be safer, wear two god damn helmets but don’t concern yourself with my head. As for the morons who don’t know that its actually safer with the helmet and require a law to save their lives, i say to hell with, more oxygen for us…
1. Helmet accident data is corrupted by beanie helmets that may comply with the law but offer little or no protection.
2. It’s not your head when you are laying in an emergency room running up a huge bill which others have to pay.
3. The studies also don’t reflect attitude as a function of wearing a helmet.
Been riding for 50+ years, engaged in organized motorcycle racing in my younger years, have a graduate degree, love to take my grandkids riding, and I always, always, wear a helmet.
We will have an athlete running in the Olympics with prosthetic legs, but none with an artificial brain.
Jesus h. christ! Ain’t nobody payin my hospital bills, except hopefully someones insurance. And if i gotta pay insurance premiums all my life, i don’t want to hear anyone whinning about paying others hospital bills, cause its bs…
BTW, when traveling on highways i usually use a full face helmet. In the cold i use it to stay warmer and in the summer i use it to keep bugs out of my face. My bike looks better without windshield and i look better with fullface helmet. The last reason i use one is for safety. The lords looks after me…
I was hit head-on by an old man who crossed the double yellow line doing 50 mph. I would not have survived wihtout my leathers, boots, and half helmet, which all bear the scars of unforgiving pavement. I cringe every time I see riders in shorts, a tank top, and tennis shoes. For me, wearing a helmet and leathers is not about the law, it’s about “been there, done that”.
I would like to see statistics on how many helmet wearing survivers were left in wheel chairs from the severe neck injuries. I personally would rather die than be trapped in a wheelchair for life, having people do things for me rather than for myself.
I believe it should be a choice. I don’t feel that the government has the right or even should dictate what my choices should be.
Of course the accident and death rates go up with repeals. The sale and ownership also increase. What is needed is real training in motorcycle safety, and vehicle drivers made aware of sharing the road with motorcycles.
How many of these “increased” incidents were the riders fault and how many were the fault of idiots in cars talking on cell phones and texting, reading newspapers, applying makeup, or just being in a hurry and not paying attention?
Let’s all get real and realize that motorcycling has certian risks involved as do any form of tranpertation. People also die in cars everyday. Education is the way to truly lower the numbers. There should also be limits applied to manufacturers. What could possibly be the benefit to having a street bike that does 180 mph?
You know there is a saying—A CHEAP HELMET FOR A CHEAP HEAD!!!!! In my young days when I was young dumb and crazy, I did not wear a helmet or any safty gear. Now I am gray headed I wear a helmet and safety gear. It is no fun rolling a in a driveway and ditch. It is up to you not me. Some of the sport bike people wear alot of safety gear—they ride hard and fast and crash hard.
……..unless you’re a Sikh in British Columbia, where you don’t have to wear a helmet, and the government’s arguments about having to pay your bills goes out the window!
Yo ! Pete , What does Your graduate degree have to do with motorcycling ? OK ! I se. You’re telling Us how intelligent You are . Unfortunately for You education does NOT = intelligence and You just proved it. Illinois hasnever had a helmet law and our death rates are no higher ( per capita ) than any other state . Maybe you better go back to kindergarten and start over
Jer, you send us to a report to rebuke the finding and it that report it says the stats in the report are flawed, as does your own post.
The fact is and individual or insurance company does not pay all the bill if someone gets hurt riding lidless, we all do through our insurance and taxes. I don’t want to pay extra because someone isn’t intelligent enough to wear a good helmet. It’s not just the riders problem we all have to pay. Indsividual freedom is fine when peopel are intelligent enough to apply the laws of physics.
Someone know the statistics of auto purchases during these ’studies’? Did purchases increase
too? Did Older experienced drivers die at a extreme rate then opening the roadways for more inexperienced drivers? Did more illegals arrive within our borders, get ‘behind the wheel’ without a license maybe have an accident but leave the scene all during this time of study? Did summertime fun injure more MC enthusiaists each year than ATV’s? Were all these stats pared out of the “Study” because I never before saw these figures in any prior study repots since 1950. Hey, wear a helmet or not, I average not less than three left-turn-by-car-across-my-path near misses each week; am a old hand at riding with Defensive Driving (National Course). Am still waiting for the Defensive Driving schools to include MC Awareness in the standard curriculum… waiting 50years so far!
Funny! I never hear any discussion or complaints about the fact that the overwhelming majority of states, even those with no adult helmet laws, still require minors to wear a helmet. No intelligent, caring, responsible adult would ever consider placing a child on a motorcycle without a helmet. Ask your mom/dad, daughter/son, wife/husband how they feel about your freedom to choose. Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you’re responsible enough to make every decision affecting your life. Stop with the idiot remarks on how your decisions don’t affect my pocketbook. NO, your insurance does not cover your irresponsible behavior, the rest of us do!
Any one that does not understand that helmets prevent head injuries is an idiot. A complete fool can see and understand that is the case.
However, I will fight tilll my dying breath for the right to choose. The gov’t has way over stepped the bounds set forth in the constitution under the guise of “protecting” me.
Only a fool would declare helmets unsafe, but the feds need to stay out of my business.
Jerry,
I think the flaw in the PA study is that they compared the accident rate to the number of registrations and the new study compared it to the number of registrants. Obviously if everyone goes out and buys a second bike it will cut the accident statistics in half – helmet or not you can only crash them one at a time. Over the course of the study there was a 69% increase in registrations and an 8% increase in licensed riders. It makes no sense that the state DMV can’t factor out multiple bikes under the same name, they clearly wanted a number that could justify what the legislature did.
So you’re right, statistics can be twisted to show what you want them to show.
Well I crashed and burned,woke up in the hospital with my mother setting beside to bed reading out of the bible.Seems I hadn’t tightened the nuts good enough on the front axle after changing a flat and on the way home I was popping wheelies and the front wheel came OFF of my BICYCLE.This happened in the seventh grade(1964)and I wasn’t wearing a helment. Well I still didnt wear one after that, I’m not sure if they even made them back then.My motorcycling career didnt start until later and I have always worn a helment.I just thought it was the right thing to do along with the leather jacket and boots and gloves.
I guess it’s ok to ride without this stuff but it’s not smart, all it takes is a little loose gravel or dirt in the wrong place or time and you’ll pay for those misguided brainfarts that said go ahead it’s to hot out for all that protection.
You’ll remember it day after day laying in the hospital or your bed at home, whilr teying to pay that monthly payment on that bike while your not earning any income. And yes if you dont have adequate insurance the rest of will pay as our insurance goes up to cover you and your dumbass injuries.
Sheesh,NY Times ‘fishwrapper’ bs! “positive publicity” like sales advertisments customers pay ‘upfront’? yeah,’ sharing the road’ including downtown parking!! hey Pete accidents and retardation are a part of daily life too! After reviewing the report I felt that under 15 included ATV injuries and helmets cause more serious injuries( no surprise). Scottie are you sure about all those Olympians; especially ‘theirs’? Simon until wiper systems are added to helmets I’ll keep my windshield with H2O treatment intact.
Avoid ’sudden impact’ is a goal I have. Mo- the best Safety Equipment is the Alert Brain skilled in evasive manuevers; then get dressed to cover that 1% of natural disasters roaming about. Wayne perhaps a visit to a spinal injury clinic might reduce some of those stats,but I am holding out for MC Awareness academia in DD schools…why do cars go faster than 65mph?! Yeah G.B. why is it racing is done on the street too!?! Well said Peter and how about MC enthusiasts from Central America as responsible riders. Say Max aren’t the MC sales in Illinois average too?! Kim the laws of physics apply to pickups with boat/trailers moving above 65mph amidst 30mph wind gusts(Reality check). Lynx? I am still waiting on that MC Awareness material to be included by the National Def Drvg Association myself!
In reviewing the sticker inside the helmet the disclaimer is discouraging to me; ‘may assist in reducing injury “! means to me that there is a better than slight chance the helmet will fail to perform at 100% under most circumstances. Any helmet law then leads to a false sense of security at best. Of course that assumes there are NO spinal, collar bone,mandible, arm, organ, leg, or rib injuries…areas not covered by the average
helmet back in 1940. Things haven’t changed much. Read your disclaimers inside those ‘leathers’ and Boots you are so proud of,ehh! Hm,something like” not responsible for injury due to abuse”! Not to mention those paving exercises in futility(roads) that herniate spinal discs.
Helmets, of course are logical to protect the part of you that contains who you are. If all the nay sayers arguements are true, at the very least, you’ll look good in a open casket.
Whatever, it’s warmer and stops bugs flying into your piehole. Maybe you won’t have a hole in you head but a broken neck – but hey – it looks better than a dirty bandanna and a silly leather cap.
Gee thats pretty bad stats for non-worn helmet road death and injury, how many fantastic people lost their lives uneccessarily, we in New Zealand have to wear helmets by law , just as well , the roads are abysmal, not-with-standing we also have a No Fault 24/7 personal injury accident insurance system paid through our taxes, and no civil litigation laws, the price you pay for annaly retentive politicians saying your prayers, cheers from the land of the long white cloud Bucky.
Jerk, unless you are a millionaire with no loved ones, spare me the Fourth of July independence rhetoric. Insurance rates go up if there are more crashes, serious injuries, and fatalities.
Same-o, same-o. Statistics WILL BE interpeted to say whatever the reporting party wants them to say. And, the same people will spout the same arguements on either side. One can also say that helmets should be required because idiot ‘cagers’ WILL turn in front of you with no warning. There is almost never one reason an accident happens or one physical thing that caused the death. But, we Americans want to put the blame on one thing. This is one reason we need another ‘Hurt Report.’ I DO wear a full face helmet. I DO wear my seatbelt and DID before it was the law of the land. I AM AGAINST mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws.
When I was staff legal counsel for IL DOT, I asked a doctor at the Troy, NY trauma center whether motorcycle helmets resulted in more surviving brain impaired cases or less. He had no statistics, only anecdotal experience. His impression was that helmet use resulted in more surviving brain impaired survivors.
Clearly, helmets are bonefide safety devices, but there can be a huge difference between a good idea and a bad law. We pride ourselves as living in “the land of the free.” Freedom has only one basic meaning: the individual is free to make and act on his own decisions. Freedom would mean little if we did not have the right to make unpopular or even unwise decisions.
The purpose of government is to protect our freedoms, not to protect insurance company profits. After Illinois passed a mandatory seatbelt law, our insurance rates did not decrease. The only individuals impacted were drivers who had lost their right to choose whether to wear a safety belt.
For all you people wanting to save the lives of people you don’t know, or cut back on insurance cost caused by helmetless riders, I suggest you start a national campaign to pass a law requiring everyone driving or riding in a car be required to ware a helmet. There are a lot more head injures suffered by people in cars than on motorcylces.