Mandates for Helmet Safety Across the Nation Could Reduce Fatal Accidents

In the United States, the debate over helmet laws for motorcyclists has been a contentious one. However, recent research suggests that universal helmet laws could have a significant impact on motorcyclist safety.

According to Eric Teoh, the director of statistical services at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an estimated 80,000 lives could have been saved from 1976 to 2022 if all U.S. states had universal helmet laws in place during that period. This estimate is based on analysis by organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and motorcycle safety advocacy groups.

The story begins in 1967, when the first all-rider helmet laws were enacted, following the National Highway Safety Act which made them a prerequisite for certain highway safety and construction funds. By July 1975, 47 states and the District of Columbia had such laws in place. However, funding restrictions for helmet laws were removed in 1976, leading many states to weaken their laws or repeal them altogether.

The consequences of this change have been stark. In California, for instance, 2,536 lives have been lost due to unhelmeted riding, but this toll has been averted since 1992 when an all-rider helmet law was implemented. Other states, such as Texas, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and South Carolina, still allow unhelmeted riding and have seen high numbers of additional deaths. The largest number of lives lost was in California, primarily due to its large population and long riding season.

If the remaining states implemented all-rider helmet laws, the death toll could be cut by as much as 10%. This could represent a significant reduction in fatalities, especially considering that in 2021 and 2022, record numbers of motorcyclists (over 6,000 each year) were killed.

The benefits of universal helmet laws are not just theoretical. Population-level helmet use has increased over time in jurisdictions with and without all-rider helmet laws, but 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.

David Harkey, President of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, states that requiring all riders to wear helmets is a commonsense rule, similar to requiring people in cars to buckle up. He emphasizes that wearing a helmet is one of the biggest things riders can do to protect themselves from death and traumatic brain injury.

Harkey also notes that requiring every motorcyclist to wear a helmet could have a dramatic and immediate effect on fatality rates. He is not alone in this view. Teoh's research confirms that universal helmet laws are a key part of a Safe System approach to the issue, alongside other measures like crash prevention technology that's better at detecting motorcycles and mandatory antilock brakes on motorcycles.

In conclusion, the evidence suggests that universal helmet laws could save thousands of lives each year. With over 80,000 lives potentially saved since 1976, it is clear that these laws are a crucial step towards improving motorcyclist safety in the United States. Currently, only 17 states and the District of Columbia have all-rider helmet laws in place. It is time for more states to follow their lead and implement universal helmet laws to protect their citizens.