OFF THE WIRE
Kathryn Lynch-Morin
mlive.com
A line of motorcycles are displayed at the tent sale entrance of Great Lakes Harley- Davidson, 3850 S. Huron, in Bangor Township Friday afternoon. the sale continued through Friday and Saturday including motorcycles, parts and accessories.
Some say it’s about the freedom to choose, while others say it’s about safety, but the yearslong fight on Michigan’s motorcycle helmet law wages on.
Two bills repealing the state’s helmet law have been introduced in the state Legislature.
House Bill 4608, sponsored originally by Peter Pettalia, R-Presque Isle, and co-sponsored by Rep. Kenneth Horn, R-Frankenmuth, would allow riders 21 or older to go without helmets if they carry at least $20,000 in personal liability insurance.
Senate Bill 291, sponsored by Sen. Phillip Pavlov, R-St. Clair, would not require helmets on riders 20 or older if they have passed a safety course or carried a motorcycle endorsement the previous two years.
For 42 years Michigan law has required riders to wear an approved U.S. Department of Transportation helmet when riding on public roads. There are 20 other states with laws requiring all bikers to wear helmets.
Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed similar repeal bills in 2006 and 2008. Some bikers’ rights advocates are hoping a new administration will change things.
Gov. Rick Snyder hasn’t taken a public stance on the issue but recently declared May as Motorcycle Safety Month, saying that while motorcycles represent only 3.25 percent of all registered vehicles in Michigan, 11.8 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities occur as a result of motorcycle use, and with more than 555,000 licensed motorcycle operators in Michigan, motorcycle safety education and training is vital.
Opponents of the repeal say the issue isn’t about choice but about the safety of the growing number of motorcycle riders.
Motorcycling continues to grow in popularity across the state. Since 2007, the number of endorsed riders has jumped almost 50,000, to 553,000, according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates for every 100 motorcycle riders killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets. A rider without a helmet is 40 percent more likely to suffer a fatal head injury and 15 percent more likely to incur a nonfatal head injury than a helmeted motorcyclist, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Michigan Traffic Safety Information Council reports hospital stays are longer for unhelmeted riders, and the cost to taxpayers is significantly higher since many motorcyclists are uninsured.
Helmet laws didn’t necessarily determine whether a state would have few or many fatalities.
In Illinois, a state with no helmet law, 121 people people died in motorcycle accidents in 2008, the same as Michigan, while 48 deaths occurred in Iowa, another state where there is no helmet law. A total of 537 motorcycle accident fatalities happened in California, where more than 824,000 motorcycles were registered with the DMV and where the law requires all riders to wear a helmet.
