MIAMI (AP) -- A federal study has found motorcycle fatalities in Florida increased more than 81 percent, and the number of deaths for riders younger than 21 nearly tripled, in three years after state lawmakers repealed a law requiring riders to wear a helmet.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study also found injuries have become more expensive to treat. The average hospital cost to treat a head injury was $45,602, more than four times the $10,000 insurance non-helmeted riders are required to carry.

But the study also noted that some of the increase in fatalities can be attributed to alcohol use, speed and increased ridership.

Preusser Research Group, a Connecticut research firm specializing in transportation and highway safety, conducted the study for the federal agency.
The data suggests helmet use has declined, even among riders younger than 21 who are still required by state law to wear helmets, according to the agency.

In the three years before the July 1, 2000, repeal of the helmet law, 9 percent of the 515 motorcyclists killed in crashes were not wearing a helmet. Of the 35 motorcyclists younger than 21 killed in crashes during those three years, 26 percent were not wearing helmets.

In the three years after the repeal, 61 percent of the 933 fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing a helmet. Of the 101 riders younger than 21 who were killed in those three years, 45 percent were not wearing a helmet.

"The numbers are pretty compelling that Florida has paid a high price," said Rae Tyson, an agency spokesman. "There is enough here for any state contemplating a helmet repeal to realize there are serious consequences."

Head-injury hospital admissions rose 80 percent and the cost for hospitals to treat head, brain or skull injuries more than doubled, from $21 million to $50 million, according to the study.

James Reichenbach, president of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education in Florida, who lobbied to repeal the helmet law in 2000, said the federal agency is biased against riders who do not wear helmets.

He said the increase in fatalities can be largely attributed to motorcycles' increasing popularity.

 

People are retarded who don't wear a helmet, anyway. Therefore, I say let the retards weed themselves out.

 

technically if your under 21 and don't have 10k$ personal protection, your required to wear a helmet by law. so wtf point are they tryin to make by mixing these two statistics to make it seem like they are the same..?

 

Those numbers probably aren't that bad considering motorcycle ownership has probably trippled in the last 3 years as it is anyway.

 

I always wear a helmet. I may not wear the proper gear at all times like pants and shit. But my head will hopefully still be there and just some road rash

 

When you look at this article in its complete form you see deaths have increased 81 percent (In the three years after Florida repealed a law requiring riders to wear helmets, motorcycle deaths increased more than 81 percent statewide compared to the three years before. And the deaths of riders younger than 21 nearly tripled, the study found.)

But the same article goes on to say that motorcycle ridership has increased 91 percent(New motorcycle registrations in Florida spiked from 219,000 in 2000 to 417,000 last year - a 91 percent jump, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Meanwhile, new car registrations in that period rose only 18 percent.)



Now that sounds like a 10 percent decrease in motorcycle fatalities to me, not an increase.













http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/...+of+helmet+law

 

+1

 

As OPPOSED to what!?! Did anyone think they the death count would go DOWN?

 

Yeah, studies always leave out the fact that when a helmet law is repealed, the number of bikes on the road always skyrockets. It's just probability that more people are going to get hurt on bikes if there are simply more bikes on the road. That being the case, fuck helmet laws still.

 

I think they should reinstate helmet laws but allow for a waiver that your family (wife, parents, kids, whatever) will sign stating that they will personally and at their own expense come and clean up what's left of you after you crash while not wearing a helmet.