Motorcycle Helmet Laws Decrease, Fatalities Increase

By Heather Siladi

Published on September 20, 2006

According to a recent ABC news report, there has been a large increase in motorcycle fatalities over the past 10 years. Although many factors come into play, the most glaring statistic is the decrease in helmet laws. Today, only 20 states require motorcycle riders to wear helmets. Pennsylvania repealed its helmet law, which is why Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t required to wear one the day he crashed.

Although the number of motorcycle riders has increased, the number of motorcycle crash fatalities has outpaced that increase by a wide margin.

The amount of late-blooming motorcycle enthusiasts has risen dramatically, and there has been a 230 percent increase in the number of fatal crashes of riders over the age of 40. There has also been a 540 percent increase in fatal crashes involving riders over 50 with bikes that have engines larger than 1,000 cc.

Bigger, faster bikes in the hands of a larger number of inexperienced riders seems to be a major contributor to fatal accidents, but many of those fatalities could possibly be avoided by the simple act of wearing a helmet. Yet as other risks increase, the number of states requiring riders to wear helmets has decreased.

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