Motorcycle Accident Helmet Safety Information

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT INJURY REDUCED WITH HELMET USE

Our lawyers represent people injured in a motorcycle accident in Minnesota. In most cases, it’s after a motorcycle is hit by a car. A publication from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides some helpful information regarding motorcycle accident injury and prevention. Here are some of the highlights:

First, preventing serious injuries and deaths from motorcycle crashes is a major public health concern.

Consider that:

• Motorcycle crashes killed 4,502 people in one year.
• Deaths related to motorcycles have increased by 55% since 2000.
• Motorcycle crash-related injuries and deaths total $12 billion per year in medical care costs and productivity losses.

The good news is that riders and their passengers can help protect themselves by wearing helmets. In fact, wearing a helmet is estimated to reduce risk of death on a motorcycle by 37 percent. Helmets save drivers and passengers.

Universal Helmet Laws Increase Helmet Use, Save Money

Of course, the most effective way to get people to wear helmets is the universal helmet law.

Universal helmet laws, require every motorcycle rider and passenger wear a helmet whenever they ride. These laws increase helmet use and save money, according to a recent CDC study.

Universal helmet laws result in cost savings by increasing helmet use among riders and passengers. The savings come from reduced crash-related injuries and deaths. According to a CDC analysis of fatal crash data, 12 percent of motorcyclists in states with universal helmet laws were not wearing helmets. In comparison, 64 percent of riders were not wearing helmets in states with partial helmet laws. Additionally, 79 percent of riders were not wearing helmets in states with no helmet laws.

Cost savings in states with universal motorcycle helmet laws were nearly four times greater than in states without these comprehensive laws. In one year, annual costs saved from helmet use, in terms of medical, productivity, and other costs, ranged from a high of $394 million in California (which has a universal helmet law) to a low of $2.6 million in New Mexico (which has a partial law). Partial helmet laws require only certain riders, such as those under age 21, to wear a helmet.