Motorcycle Helmets
... Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin are the states that require a helmet to be worn if the rider is seventeen or younger. The other states are required to wear a helmet if the rider is twenty years of age or younger. The state Maine has the youngest age limit to wearing a helmet. The age is fourteen or younger. They might as well not even have an age limit because the person does not even have their license for a vehicle. According to 2003 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,661 motorcycle occupants were killed on our nation’s roads last year, a 12% increase from 2002. Studies have shown that motorcycle helmets prevent brain injuries, and saved many lives of those who ride. Motorcycles make up less than 2% of all registered vehicles. But the motorcyclists account for 8% of total traffic fatalities. In 2001, there were sixty-eight deaths per 100,000 registered motorcycles, compared to sixteen deaths per 100,000 registered cars. There has been a fifty percent increase of fatalities among motorcycle riders since 1997. Motorcyclist fatalities are rising the fastest among motorcyclists over the age of forty. Fatalities among this age group have increased by 150% since 1990. That fact is showing that it is not just the young riders that have accidents, it is all motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets saved the lives of an estimated 674 motorcyclists in 2001. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 444 lives could have been saved. By wearing a helmet, a person can save a lot of money if they would happen to be in an accident. The average hospital charge with serious head injuries was found to be almost three times that of one with mild or no head injuries, $43214, verses $15,528. In 1997, Arkansas and Texas repealed all-rider helmet laws. As of May 1998, helmet use fell from 97% in both states to 52% in Arkansas and 66%in Texas. Motorcycle operator fatalities increased by 21% in Arkansas and 31% in Texas. In 1992, the first year California had all-rider motorcycle helmet law, 327 motorcyclists died in...