Being a motorcycle rider of almost 30 years and having lived in states both with and without helmet laws, I believe I’m qualified to comment on our state’s standing on motorcycle helmets. It seems people in Michigan are unwilling to accept the reality that wearing a helmet doesn’t necessarily make a motorcyclist safer. You don’t have to take my word for it, just do the math. Unfortunately motorcycle fatalities aren’t tracked by the exact cause of death. Head injuries are not the only cause of death of a motorcyclist and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration admits they’re not the main cause, but since the GR Press recently ran an Associated Press article about motorcycle deaths in Florida since they repealed their mandatory helmet law, let’s just use Florida’s numbers here. According to the article, since the repeal of the helmet law there has been a 67 percent increase in motorcycle fatalities. That sounds like a lot, until you take into account the fact that motorcycle registrations rose 87 percent. Add to that the fact that motorcycle riders in states without mandatory helmet laws on average ride significantly more miles in a year than their helmeted counterparts, and it doesn’t take someone with a math degree to figure out that when applied to the masses, states with no helmet laws are more safe. Similar statistics can be attained from other states that have repealed their helmet laws. I have also yet to see any credible proof that the lack of a helmet law creates a larger financial burden to society, a statement which is always broadcast by the helmet proponents yet they seem to only speculate. On the other hand, the 10’s of million’s of tourism dollars Michigan is missing out on because most motorcyclists from surrounding states (none of which have mandatory helmet laws like we do) won’t come here on their motorcycles requires no speculation. Here are a few tidbits of information for the misinformed and/or uneducated to chew on:

* Relative to the number of registered motorcycles, states with mandatory helmet laws had 12.5% more accidents and 2.3% more fatalities than free choice states for the 14 year period 1977-90. (Accident and Fatality Statistics, analyzed by A.R. Mackenzie, M.D.)

* Fact: There is no discernible difference in motorcycle accident or fatality rates between states with mandatory helmet laws and those which allow for freedom of choice. In fact, states which support voluntary use routinely achieve accident and fatality rates equal to or better than states with mandatory helmet laws for all riders. (American Motorcycle Association, 1995)

* "It is concluded that: 1) motorcycle helmets have no significant effect on probability of fatality; and 2) past a critical impact speed, helmets increase the severity of neck injuries." (Dr. Jonathan Goldstein, Bowdoin College)

* Fact: Helmets are minimally effective in preventing most injuries. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report to Congress, the CODES Study, 1995)

* Automobile accidents account for 45.5% of all head injured patients and are responsible for 37.1% of all fatalities involving head injury. (The Journal of Trauma, 1989)

* Fact: There are no appreciable differences found relative to fatality rate, severity of injury, hospital stay, and discharge status between motorcycle accident victims who wore helmets and those who did not. (Arizona’s Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Study, 1990)

Does Not Wearing A Helmet Increase Costs?

* Fact: Helmet use is not associated with overall injury severity, discharge status, or insurance status. (University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, June, 1992)

* Fact: Injured motorcycle operators admitted to trauma centers had lower injury severity scores compared to other road trauma victims. They accrued lower hospital charges. They were less likely to rely on Medicaid and Medicare, and they had about the same level of commercial or private insurance as other road trauma victims. (University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, June, 1992)

* Fact: The average inpatient charge for a helmeted motorcyclist receiving a brain injury was equal to that of an unhelmeted motorcyclist receiving a brain injury. (NHTSA CODES Study, 1995)

* Fact: The average inpatient charge for a helmeted motorcyclist not receiving a brain injury was approximately $1,000 more than that of an unhelmeted motorcyclist not receiving a brain injury. (NHTSA CODES Study, 1995)

* Fact: Helmet use has no impact on the cost of injury after it has occurred. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, CODES Study, 1995)

* Fact: Motorcyclists are no more dependent upon public sources for medical costs than motor vehicle operators. (NHTSA, CODES Study, 1995)

I can understand how hard it can be for someone to buy the fact that a helmet doesn’t make me safer on my motorcycle. The idea just seems to defy logic but yet the numbers don’t lie. However, I don’t even need to know the numbers to know what’s safe for me. I’ve got 30 years of seat time on motorcycles and I know I feel safer without a helmet on when riding…period. My hearing, vision, and mobility are all better without a helmet on and I’m much less prone to fatigue from having to support that helmet on my head. Although it may not seem like much, holding your head steady while the wind blows that heavy helmet in every direction is no small task and your neck takes the brunt of the load…especially after hours of riding. As far as the hearing, vision, and mobility are concerned, you don’t have to be a motorcyclist to realize the truth in my statement. Put on a helmet while driving your car around town for a week or so and see how much more difficult it is to move, see, and hear. I’m sick and tired of people who have never ridden a motorcycle or worn a helmet, nor ever intend to, feeling they’re justified in telling me what’s safe for me to do on my motorcycle.

The seat belt law, although applicable as far as any "freedom of choice" discussion is concerned, is nothing like a helmet law. I can prove to you that a seat belt law when applied to the masses saves lives and money, the statistics are undeniable. The same cannot be said for a helmet. Not only are the testing methods and results of a helmet’s effectiveness on which proponents base their case easily debated, did you know that a helmet manufacturer doesn’t even have to send helmets to the government for testing before they sell them? The DOT sticker is put on by the manufacturer, not the government. You’re taking the manufacturers word that they pass the tests. Do you honestly believe that all of the third world helmet manufacturers that sell helmets in the USA care about government compliance? The numbers prove they don’t. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration tests helmets at random and there is absolutely no guarantee that each model available to the public is tested. As a matter of fact, they’re not all tested. The NHTSA only tests up to 40 helmets a year. According to the NHTSA, from 2000 to 2005 of the 240 helmets tested only 136 passed. That means 104 helmets, nearly all of which were already being sold to the public, didn’t meet the government’s requirements but were already on the heads of riders across the country. The proponents want me to wear these helmets? If I bought one of those that failed I would still be wearing it because there is no way for the manufacturer or government to contact me to inform me my helmet doesn’t pass DOT testing, they have absolutely no idea what helmet I even own. Generally speaking, the system of "safety" that the helmet proponents want to ram down my throat is laughable.  You can check out the NHTSA’s testing results for yourself here.  The ones found here go back even further.

You can find the actual testing procedures outlined here.
What it will tell you is this:
    NOMINAL                    THEORETICAL                         MINIMUM
DROP HEIGHT           IMPACT VELOCITY          ACCEPTABLE VELOCITY
138.4cm (54.5 in)    5.2m/sec (17.1 ft/sec)       4.94m/sec (16.23 ft/sec)
182.9cm (72.0 in)    6.0m/sec(19.7 ft/sec)         5.70m/sec (18.72 ft/sec)

So with 1 foot / second = 0.681818182 mph then the highest Theoretical Impact Velocity is 13.43 MPH. (19.7 ft/sec * 0.681818182)

Yup…they only test to an impact of about 13mph!

In closing, why not let the adults who ride make their own decisions in regards to what’s safe for them. The facts are there for anyone to research and see for themselves what I have tried to highlight here which in a nutshell is this: when broken down to death/fatality per mile ridden, states without helmet laws are safer by a wide margin.

Thanks for your time and ride smart,,,

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 13th, 2006 at 10:15 am and is filed under Rants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.