Blog Post

Rise in Motorcycle Accident Fatalities Linked to Low Helmet Use


March 28, 2008
Topic: Motorcycle Accidents

The rising fatalities from motorcycle accidents have been known to be related to a number of causes including, the increasing age of riders and the more advanced and more powerful machines that are harder to control. According to USA Today, the answer could also lie in the decreasing use of helmets in motorcycle riders.

Back in the days when the number of states that made it mandatory for riders to wear helmets was higher, the fatalities were fewer. But the laws were changed when the government decided to stop withholding highway money from states that did not enforce helmet use. When this happened, it became easier for people to flout helmet laws in their state and many states began getting softer about enforcing the use of helmets.

It might have been a huge mistake it seems because the number of fatalities has risen correspondingly. In 1996, there were 5.6 motorcyclists killed for every 10,000 registered motorcycle owners, while by 2006, this rate had risen to above 7 out of 10,000.

The figures speak for themselves. The number of dead in motorcycle accidents over the same period increased from 2160 to 4180. In sharp contrast, death rates for other passenger vehicles accidents have been falling.

Motorcycle accidents are unique in a number of aspects. For one, more than half of motorcycle accident fatalities did not involve accidents or collisions with another vehicle. The rider simply lost control of his own machine.

Motorcycles account for barely 2 percent of the traffic on the streets. This should naturally mean that they have a smaller percentage of fatalities. Wrong. They account for nearly 10 percent of all street accident fatalities. At least 42 percent of fatalities were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

With these kinds of facts and statistics, you would think there would be a bigger lobby trying to enforce stronger helmet laws. It's far from the case. In fact, critics of the helmet law are lobbying to drop these helmet laws. According to them, riding on the bike should be left to riders who need to use their common sense and not be coerced into wearing helmets by the state. The National Transportation Safety Board on its website clearly states that motorcycle accident injuries are a huge drain on public health care in this country, a fact that the anti-helmet lobby denied vehemently.

As of now, just 20 states have laws that require younger riders to wear helmets. At least three states - Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire have no such laws at all. Other states have made efforts to bring back helmet legislation, but have failed in their attempts. Delaware, Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Hawaii did introduce legislation to make helmets compulsory for all motorcyclists but the law wasn't passed.

Regardless of whether states are able to enforce stricter helmet laws or not, we hope that motorcyclists realize the danger to their life and limbs in case of an unfortunate accident. These statistics are particularly troubling when you consider the numbers of young people who ride motorcycles without wearing helmets.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.