To helmet or not to helmet?

April 27, 2013

 Winter seems to be lingering around a lot of the country, but motorcycle riders like the rest of nature are springing up all over. Weather or not, my ride came out of hibernation a week ago. I’m sure ‘soon’ is welcome news for colder regions of the states. The bad news is, as with the first snow of the season and car accidents, we’ve already had several serious cycle accidents.

A sobering tally, reports this week that motorcycle deaths last year increased across our nation. It also investigated the severity of injuries with and without wearing helmets.

No surprise really, proponents of legislating helmet use, including emergency room and trauma physicians, tell legislators on an ongoing basis that helmet laws make sense. Who more than our hospital doctors have witnessed firsthand the body and facial damage a motorcycle accident can result in?

The latest buzz stems from a new report that says motorcycle deaths in the United States rose by 9 percent in 2012, continuing a trend that has seen increases in 14 of the past 15 years. That even while overall traffic fatalities have declined. 

The Governors Highway Safety Association, based in Washington, D.C., said more than 5,000 motorcycle fatalities occurred last year.

The issue is a significant for at least two reasons:

* In the next few months, the popular bike rallies return to cities and towns all over the country like Johnstown, PA’s Thunder in the Valley, Laconia, and Sturgis bringing an estimated 200,000 – 800,000 motorcycle enthusiasts together. While, fortunately, many can go relatively accident and trouble free, the risks obviously are increased greatly with the large number of participants.

* State Sen. John Wozniak of PA., was the prime sponsor of legislation that led to Pennsylvania’s mandatory helmet law being repealed in 2003. The state now requires them only for riders younger than 21 and for older riders in the first two years of having a license, unless they complete a safety course.

During his re-election campaign last fall, Wozniak told us that he’s constantly reminded of his role in repealing the law, while being encouraged to change his mind. He says that won’t happen.

We have supported Wozniak’s helmet legislation, meaning we have supported riders’ rights to choose whether to go helmetless. But we wish that choice would be to wear one.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this:

* Helmets save lives, reducing the risk of head injury by 69 percent.

* An undeleted rider is 40 percent more likely to die from a head injury than someone wearing a helmet.

An eye-opening statistic.

Charles Umbenhauer, a longtime lobbyist for Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education, notes that motorcycle registrations in the U.S. are increasing annually.

“It’s common sense. If you put more motorcycles on the highway, you’re going to have more accidents and more fatalities,” he told the Post-Gazette.

There’s no question that traveling by motorcycle comes with added risks. We urge riders to wear proper clothing, travel within the speed limit, take a rider-safety course – and, above all, avoid consuming alcohol while riding.

Few things are more sobering than being thrown from a motorcycle and sliding or rolling along a busy highway. Doing so without the protection of a helmet can be much worse.

Didn’t want to go there, only did it because we care. 

-Ride safe, MCM.