The state of Michigan in the US had a mandatory law to ensure motorcyclists wore helmets. Just like our (generally unenforced) law here.
In 2012 Michigan repealed its helmet law, and guess what? The number of helmetless deaths climbed 460 percent!
In 2011, the year before the repeal, five of the 109 motorcyclists who were killed in crashes were not wearing a helmet, according to the state police. Last year, 56 of the 138 riders that were killed were not wearing helmets.
All motorcycle deaths have risen 26 percent since the law was repealed, according to figures reported by the Insurance Institute of Michigan. In 2011, there were 109 deaths; that number rose to 138 in 2015, according to the institute.
“We knew from other states’ experiences that deaths increase when motorcyclists are allowed to ride without helmets,” Pete Kuhnmuench, executive director of the Insurance Institute, said in a statement Tuesday. “Unfortunately, the predictions were accurate and more motorcyclists are dying in motorcycle crashes.”
More helmetless riders have been dying since the repeal, Michigan State Police data show.
Michigan is one of 32 states that does not require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Governors Highway Safety Association. Advocates of the repeal say it’s a matter of personal choice and point out that motorcycle riders are required to carry extra insurance if they choose to forgo helmets. (And a pretty pointless piece of legislation – there’s no pockets in shrouds!)
Of course, it goes without saying that for a helmet to protect the brain, it must be a good one. The plastic ice cream bucket ones, sitting on the back of the head and not done up are quite useless.
