Mandates for Helmet Safety Across All States May Decrease Fatalities
In the United States, only 17 states and the District of Columbia currently have all-rider helmet laws in place. This is a concerning statistic, given the findings of a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which suggests that more than 22,000 motorcyclists who died in crashes since the mid-1970s could have survived if stronger helmet laws had been in place.
The study further estimates that if every state required all riders to wear helmets from 1976 to 2022, it could have saved 11% of all rider fatalities over those years, translating to over 31,000 lives saved. This estimate is based on analyses by organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which have repeatedly found that helmet use significantly reduces fatalities and severe injuries among motorcyclists.
States with universal helmet laws consistently show lower motorcycle fatality rates compared to states without such laws. For instance, California, which enacted an all-rider helmet law in 1992, has since averted further excess deaths. Unfortunately, states like Texas, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and South Carolina, which still allow unhelmeted riding, continue to see a toll of unhelmeted riding.
David Harkey, the President of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, stated that requiring all riders to wear helmets is a commonsense rule similar to requiring people in cars to buckle up. Eric Teoh, the IIHS director of statistical services and the author of the paper, emphasized that wearing a helmet is one of the biggest things riders can do to protect themselves from death and traumatic brain injury.
Other measures like crash prevention technology and mandatory antilock brakes on motorcycles are also needed to improve rider safety. However, all-rider helmet laws are a key part of a Safe System approach to the issue. Requiring every rider to wear a helmet could have a dramatic and immediate effect on fatality rates, according to David Harkey.
In 2021 and 2022, record numbers of motorcyclists (more than 6,000 each year) were killed. If the remaining states implemented all-rider helmet laws, the death toll could be cut by up to 10%. Helmet use rates in states with all-rider laws were generally 2-3 times as high as in states without them over the study period.
It is unconscionable that we haven't already made all-rider helmet laws universal, according to David Harkey. The number of lives lost due to laws that allow unhelmeted riding ranged from 182 in 1976 to 673 in 2021. As we look towards the future, it is clear that requiring all riders to wear helmets is a crucial step in improving motorcycle safety and saving lives.
Science has unearthed the significant role helmet use plays in preserving motorcyclists' lives. In health-and-wellness, wearing a helmet reduces fatalities and severe injuries, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Fitness-and-exercise enthusiasts who ride motorcycles can contribute to this wellness by insisting on and adopting helmet laws, as these regulations consistently lead to lower motorcycle fatality rates.
