OFF THE WIRE
Information is from the House Democratic Communications Office:
State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, today reintroduced legislation to restore Pennsylvania's motorcycle helmet law, along with two new bills addressing motorcycle safety issues.
The new bills would require additional insurance for motorcycle riders who choose not to wear a helmet and provide for special motorcycle license plates for riders younger than 21.
As changed in 2003, Pennsylvania law allows motorcycle riders 21 or older to go helmetless if they have been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years or have completed a motorcycle safety course approved by the state Department of Transportation or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Anyone operating a motorcycle on a learner’s permit must wear a helmet regardless of age, according to PennDOT.
"The increase in deaths and injuries on our roads and the shattered lives of victims and their families ought to be enough to admit the 2003 repeal was a mistake, and we should fix it," Frankel said at a Capitol news conference.
For a study released in 2008, two University of Pittsburgh faculty members analyzed Pennsylvania statistics such as helmet use and motorcycle-related deaths and head injuries, comparing the two years before the repeal and the first two years after the repeal. Among their findings: head injury deaths increased 66 percent and motorcycle-related head injury hospitalization increased 78 percent.
"Many studies have shown that motorcycle helmets save lives, helmet laws save lives, and helmet law repeals lead to increased head injuries and deaths. What we found in Pennsylvania was no exception," said Dr. Kristen Mertz of the University of Pittsburgh, a co-author of the 2008 study.
Frankel said: "Studies show that we can save three times as many lives annually by returning to a universal helmet law. People say they want a choice, but our intent was that youth would comply, and that people would be responsible. If people want to ride, then they need to prepare as if they might have an accident. Most importantly, we’re sending the wrong message to our youth. They’re not complying. The license plate bill would address the difficulty in enforcing the age requirement: It’s hard to gauge a rider’s age while they’re driving. Florida already has such a law."
Patrick Steinbacher of Mill Hall, Pa., also spoke at today's news conference. He has been riding a motorcycle for 50 years. He lost his father in a motorcycle accident decades ago when his helmet, which wasn’t strapped on, flew off in a crash. Just a few years ago, he lost his son, Brandon, just months after his 21st birthday.
“I’m fulfilling a promise to my son to get the helmet law reinstated,” Steinbacher said.
Frankel said: "While preventing tragedies is the most important reason to restore the helmet law, there are several other reasons to fix this mistake, including the cost to taxpayers and insurance ratepayers of preventable deaths and head injuries, as well as the likely increase in motorcycle use due to higher gas prices.
"The requirement for additional insurance for unhelmeted riders would follow the example of states like Florida and Kentucky that already attempt to protect their taxpayers and insurance ratepayers with such a requirement. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the average cost for care and inpatient rehabilitation per head injury is approximately $165,000; a figure that does not include expenses for long-term care which may be required, or factor in lost earnings and productivity.
"Research by the University of Pittsburgh estimates that just the additional head injuries suffered since the repeal of the mandatory helmet law cost the Commonwealth approximately $18 million in hospital charges and $55 million in long-term care annually. Despite the known hazards, motorcycle riders are only required to carry the state minimum liability insurance coverage – a luxury we can no longer afford when the state budget is likely to include hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to education and health care that will cost jobs.
"Instead of cutting services to vulnerable Pennsylvanians, here is an easy way to save money."
Christopher Hart, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said: "Too many lives are lost in motorcycle crashes every year. The most important step riders can take in terms of protecting their future and ultimately their families is to wear a DOT-compliant helmet. I urge the legislators and the governor of Pennsylvania to implement a law that requires all motorcycle riders to wear motorcycle safety helmets every time they ride."
Leora Wile, government affairs chairman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Nurses Association, said the association "is a strong advocate for helmet use. We believe in prevention of unnecessary deaths that occur when there are no helmets."
http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Legislation-would-restore-motorcycle-helmet-law/SYi9gOBhk02emrmFxzAQVw.cspx