Yet Another Helmet Law Repeal Linked to Increased Fatalities

The trend is becoming eerily familiar. Back in March, 2008, USA Today reported a positive correlation between helmet law repeals and motorcycle deaths. A few months later, the American Journal of Public Health reported a leap in head injuries and head injury deaths– this time, specifically in the state of Pennsylvania– after their helmet law was lifted.

This time, a study by the Southern Medical Journal has found the repeal of Texas’s helmet law in 1997 resulted in greater motorcycle fatalities, with a “sudden upward trend” in September, 1997, the month helmets became optional for riders over 21. The report finds that overall motorcycle deaths increased 30 percent, a number that was partially fueled by an increase in motorcycle ownership. When adjusted to measure deaths per registered motorcycle, there was still a 15.2 percent jump in fatalities.

The article mentions a counterpoint from the Texas Motorcycle Rights Associa­tion, who cites preliminary findings revealing a fall in fatalities in 2009, but the TxDOT attributes the apparently slight decline to “a drop in ridership as a result of the economic downturn.”

With continued studies suggesting that the choice to not wear a helmet can be a deadly one, do you still prefer to ride without one? Or is the only reason you wear a helmet because it’s required by law? I want to hear your thoughts; you can answer in the comments here, but I’ve also created a separate place for you to share your reasons for wearing– or not wearing– a helmet.

Source: Houston Chronicle

Related:

• Motorcycle Deaths Rise as Helmet Laws Slacken
• Another Study Reveals Death Rate Increase After Helmet Law Repeal
• Motorcycle Helmet Regulation: A Tale of Two States
• Sikh Seeks Freedom From Canadian Helmet Law

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Yet Another Helmet Law Repeal Linked to Increased Fatalities originally appeared on About.com Motorcycles on Sunday, January 17th, 2010 at 23:42:27.

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