Head Injuries Increased After Repeal of Motorcycle Helmet Law
Two recent studies showed that serious head injuries sustained in crashes increased after Pennsylvania repealed a law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
The law requiring helmets was repealed in 2003. Helmets are now optional for those who are at least 21, have been licensed to ride for two years, and have finished a state-approved safety course.
Nearly 60 percent of motorcyclists involved in crashes in 2004-05 were wearing helmets, compared to 82 percent 2001-02.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society supports a mandatory helmet law.
University of Pittsburgh study
University of Pittsburgh researchers reported that:
- Fatal head injuries rose 32 percent (when adjusted for an increase in motorcycle registrations) from 79 in 2001-02 to 131 in 2004-05
- Motorcycle deaths from all causes rose by 40 percent from 222 in 2001-02 to 310 in 2004-05
- Cost to treat motorcycle-related head injuries soared 132 percent from $53.5 million in 2001-02 to $124.2 million in 2004-05
The study’s findings were based on data from several state departments, including Transportation and Health, and Pennsylvania’s acute care hospitals.
Legislative study
A study from the state General Assembly’s Budget and Finance Committee found that serious head injuries among riders jumped from six per 10,000 motorcycle registrations in the three years before the repeal to nine per 10,000 registrations in the four years after it.
The crash rate declined 15 percent, although the number of motorcycles on the roads has grown 70 percent since 2000.
The study did not have sufficient data to determine how many fatalities or head injuries were directly related to the absence of a helmet.
Last Updated: 9/11/2008