SB 297 Repeals Mandatory Helmet Law Michigan State Police Say Passage Will Increase Number Of Deaths And Injuries

DEARBORN, Mich., March 14 Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation that would repeal the state's 36-year-old mandatory motorcycle helmet law, causing an estimated 22 additional fatalities and 132 more incapacitating injuries each year.

Sponsored by Sen. Alan L. Cropsey (R-DeWitt), SB 297 would remove the mandatory helmet requirement for all riders and passengers 21 years of age or older, but does not require motorcycle riders to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage. In 2003, there were 3,187 motorcycle- involved crashes in Michigan in which 76 riders were killed and 2,644 injured.

"It is well established that motorcycle helmets decrease the severity of injury, the likelihood of death and the overall cost of medical care," said Richard J. Miller, manager of Community Safety Services for AAA Michigan. "Motorcycle riders are already much more at risk than persons driving or riding in a passenger vehicle with over 80% of motorcycle crashes resulting in an injury or death to the rider.

"It makes absolutely no sense to make optional the only validated personal safety device available to a motorcycle rider," Miller added.

In every state that has enacted motorcycle helmet law repeals, helmet use has plummeted by an average 42 percent, said Miller. In Michigan, if helmet use decreased similarly, research indicates that there would be a 41-percent reduction in the number of lives saved over a six-year period.

A 2004 Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) study has determined that a helmet repeal would come with a hefty annual price tag: 22 additional fatalities, 132 more incapacitating injuries, 610 other injuries and $140 million in added economic costs to Michigan citizens. And, according to OHSP, the number of registered and unregistered motorcycles in Michigan is increasing, which means more riders on the road and more injuries and deaths virtually guaranteed in the future at an even greater cost to the public.

A 2004 study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) has determined that 44 percent of motorcyclists involved in a crash are not legally licensed to operate a motorcycle. In Michigan, where a valid license is required for insurance coverage, that means the vast majority of this number are also uninsured.

Nationwide, motorcycle fatality rates have been rising. The total number of fatalities is up 73 percent between 1997 (2,116 deaths) and 2003 (3,661 deaths). In addition, the fatality rate per 100,000 registered motorcycles is up -- from 55.3 in 1997 to 65.3 in 2002.

SB 297 could move to the Senate floor for a vote as early as this week. House passage and the governor's signature are necessary before the bill becomes law. AAA will be actively opposing this legislation that would lead to unnecessary deaths and injuries on our highways at a cost that would be mostly borne by the citizens of Michigan.

MOTORCYCLE FACTS

The number of motorcycles registered in the state over a six-year period has increased by 45 percent. The largest increase in licensed motorcyclists was among those aged 45-64.

Michigan also experienced a 20-percent increase in the number of motorcycle crashes during the same timeframe.

Approximately 44 percent of motorcyclists involved in a crash were not legally licensed to operate a motorcycle. In Michigan, where a valid license is required to purchase insurance coverage, that means the vast majority of this number are also uninsured.

The largest increase in crash rates was among motorcyclists age 30-44, which increased by 52 percent.
Nearly 80 percent of motorcycle crashes result in death or injury.