COLORADO: The choice of protection and safety

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.havasunews.com/articles/2010/11/17/opinion/our_views/doc4ce43714a6306933466718.txt The choice of protection and safety
Today's News-Herald Published Wednesday, November 17, 2010 1:08 PM MST
Last week, federal safety officials called on all states to require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets.
Members of the NTSB said motorcycle fatalities have increased over the last decade even as other traffic fatalities have declined. There were 4,400 motorcycle deaths in the U.S. last year, more than in aviation, rail, marine and pipeline accidents combined — and nearly twice as many as a decade ago. Head injuries are the leading cause of death in motorcycle accidents.
Twenty states currently make all motorcycle riders wear helmets. Some states have limited helmet requirements, and three states — Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire — have no requirement.
When states were required to impose helmet laws in order to receive federal highway funding, they all did. But in the mid-1990s, Congress repealed the requirement, leaving it up to the individual states. As states began repealing helmet laws, fatalities started to rise.
Arizona’s helmet law requires anyone under the age of 18 to wear a protective helmet.
In Arizona last year between January and September, there were 98 motorcycle fatalities — unchanged from the same time period in 2008, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
California exceeds all other states in the number of motorcycle fatalities there, but those stats fell between 2008 and 2009, the data indicated. California has a helmet law on its books.
Those opposed to helmet laws when asked, point to a matter of personal choice and freedom. If every motorcyclist that has been fatally injured because they were not wearing a helmet could push a rewind button, they might say something entirely different.
The NTSB said it estimates there would be 450 fewer deaths per year if mandatory helmet laws were in effect. About 10 percent isn’t a lot, but it is a start.
The states without helmet laws and those with limited laws will doubtless take a look at whether they should make changes.
The bottom line in Arizona lies with the motorcyclist, though. Knowing the statistics for those involved in accidents with helmets and those without should make it a pretty easy choice. Taking responsibility for one’s wellbeing and safety is, for sure, a personal choice for adult riders in Arizona. When personal choice leads to increased fatality stats and possible future funding restrictions, government almost always is forced to step in to regulate.