Advocates for motorcycle and highway safety feel that something must be done to develop and enforce stricter helmet laws across the country.
It has been proven that helmets save lives. In Pennsylvania alone, 39 people were victims of fatal motorcycle accidents during 2012. Sadly, all of those deaths may have been prevented if stricter helmet laws were enacted.
Motorcycle helmet laws vary from state to state. A licensed motorcyclist in Pennsylvania who is over 21 years of age is not required to wear a helmet. New Jersey law requires all motorcyclists to wear helmets, but the penalty for not wearing one is not much of an incentive for adhering to the law. The punishment merely consists of a fine not to exceed $25.00, with no points issued to a violator’s license.
Many state representatives feel that forcing people to wear helmets takes away their freedom of choice. Moreover, enforcing these laws is difficult as well as costly. Advocates for highway and auto safety believe that stronger laws would significantly cut down on the number of people killed each year in motorcycle accidents. Unlike injured arms and legs that can usually be treated and completely healed, injuries to the head are more likely to result in death or lifelong disabilities.
Benefits for Motorcyclists who Wear Helmets
Oftentimes, drivers do not want to pay a high price for a good helmet. They fail to consider the costs, both financial and emotional, of being involved in a serious or even fatal motorcycle accident. Some of the benefits a rider can reap from consistently wearing a helmet include:
Wearing a helmet when driving a motorcycle greatly reduces wind noise and wind blowing in the face and eyes.
A helmet protects a rider from the weather. The visor cuts down on sun glare and the helmet keeps a cyclist’s head dry during a storm.
The helmet shields the eyes and face from any flying objects or debris that could cause distraction or injury to the driver..
Motorcyclists who ride without helmets have higher medical costs. Statistics show that victims of motorcycle accidents who do not wear helmets often suffer more serious injuries than accident victims who wear helmets.
According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a universal helmet law would save eight times more riders’ lives per 100,000 registered motorcyclists each year. This data is based on a comparison of states without a helmet law versus states with universal helmet requirements. Economic costs saved in states with universal helmet laws were, on average, nearly four times greater per registered motorcycle than in states without such a law. This makes perfect sense considering the extremely high medical bills incurred when one suffers a serious head injury in a motorcycle accident.
