Motorcyclist Survey Shows Lack of Protective Gear still Widespread

In spite of all the statistics, a recent survey shows that there are too many motorcyclists who are riding without wearing helmets and other protective gear.
It shouldn't take a California brain injury lawyer or a rocket scientist to tell you that wearing a helmet can protect you from serious or fatal head injuries. In spite of this, a recent survey shows that there are too many motorcyclists who are riding without wearing helmets and other protective gear.

Consumer safety group Consumer Reports has released the results of a survey of motorcyclists and scooter riders. Seven out of every 10 motorcyclists had a pretty high view of their motorcycling skills, and had been licensed riders more than five years. However, approximately one in four admitted to riding without wearing helmets.

This is in spite of the fact that there have been countless studies confirming the importance of wearing helmets in preventing Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Studies have been conducted by private researchers as well as federal authorities. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report that showed that motorcyclists who wore a helmet had a much lower risk of suffering a moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury in an accident, compared to those not wearing helmets while riding.

That's not the only bad news from the study. The study also showed that a majority of motorcyclists failed to wear important protective gear like leather jackets and protective boots. Three out of every four riders have no problem motorcycling wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts while riding. Wearing clothes like this increases your chances of suffering painful road rash when you hit the ground after an accident. More troubling, only about 10% of the respondents said they wore highly visible clothing while riding.

Obviously, from the results of the survey, it seems like much more could be done to make motorcyclists aware of the enhanced risks of injury if they're not wearing a helmet or other protective gear while riding. From the survey's own findings, at least 10% of the motorcyclists have been involved in an accident over the past five years, and half of these had been single vehicle accidents.