As Motorcycle Deaths Rise Debate Over Helmet Laws Heats Up
Friday, July 25, 2008
The popularity of motorcycle riding is at an all time high. Sales of all types of two-wheelers reached approximately 1,158,000 in 2006, a level not seen in nearly 30 years. Death rates from motorcycle accidents have increased steadily since states began weakening helmet laws about a decade ago, according to a Gannett News Service analysis of federal accident reports.As deaths have increased, so has the proportion of older riders killed. Dying on a motorcycle could soon become a predominantly middle-aged phenomenon, the GNS analysis shows.
Most states once required all motorcycle riders to wear helmets. But a trend in the other direction began accelerating after 1995, when the federal government decided to stop withholding highway money from states without helmet laws. Ohio requires riders wear helmets for one year.
As states weakened or repealed the laws, the percentage of riders who wore helmets began dropping, which caused fatality rates to increase.
In 1996, 5.6 motorcyclists were killed for every 10,000 registered motorcycles, according to federal transportation officials. By 2006, the most recent data available, the rate had risen to 7.3, the GNS analysis shows.
In raw numbers, the annual death toll rose from 2,160 to 4,810 over that same period. Meanwhile, fatality rates for other passenger vehicles have been falling, transportation officials say.
The numbers appear to contradict claims by some motorcycle groups that helmet laws alone don't save lives.
"The data are pretty compelling," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, herself an avid motorcyclist who survived a crash thanks to a helmet she displays in somewhat battered condition in her office. "It's discouraging to see the (fatality) numbers going up. But at least people are talking about it now."
GNS analyzed data from the federal government's Fatality Analysis Reporting System on thousands of motorcycle deaths between 2002 and 2006. The analysis found that:
- About 42 percent of riders killed were not wearing helmets.
- Nearly half of the riders killed in 2006 were 40 and older, and nearly a quarter were 50 or older. The average age of motorcyclists killed in accidents was about 38.
- Half of motorcyclists killed between 2002 and 2006 lost control and crashed without colliding with another vehicle, underscoring the inherent risks involved in riding a motorcycle. Motorcyclists account for about 2 percent of vehicles on the road but 10 percent of all traffic fatalities, according to federal statistics.
- Southeastern states had some of the highest fatality rates in 2006. Some of these states require all riders to wear helmets, but they also have long riding seasons that expose bikers to more risk over time.
- A consistently large majority of those killed about 90 percent were men.
They promote their view through advocates across the country, including ABATE state groups, which track helmet legislation and lobby against it. The ABATE acronym stands for different names, depending on the state.
"It's my body and I should have the right to do with it as I choose," said Terry Howard, state coordinator for ABATE of Colorado, which vigorously fought the state's recent adoption of a helmet law for riders under 18.
Not all bikers agree.
Simon Rosa, 22, of Northern Virginia, doesn't have a problem with the helmet law there. In 2003, he crashed his Honda sportbike making a turn.
"I still have the helmet and it has scratches all over it, so I could have suffered a nasty head injury," he said. "You just never know what's going to happen, regardless of how good a rider you are."
As states seek to save lives and cut government medical costs, there are signs that helmet laws may become popular again.
Also last year, 25 states considered laws to increase motorcycle safety, including laws mandating helmet use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana and Oklahoma took up bills that would have required all motorcyclists, rather than just young riders, to wear helmets. None passed.
The National Transportation Safety Board unanimously recommended last year that states require all riders to wear helmets. It was the first time in its 40-year history that the independent panel had weighed in on motorcycle safety.
"Medical and other costs for unhelmeted riders involved in crashes are staggering," the board notes on its Web site.
Opponents of helmet laws passionately dispute such claims.
"It's just a myth that states without helmet laws are an extra burden on society," said Jeff Hennie, vice president of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.
Posted in Accidents & Personal Injury