MA: More articles on the helmet law debate and proposed legislation

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http://www.wickedlocal.com/winchester/mobiletopstories/x263972225/Loosening-the-state-s-helmet-law-may-result-in-more-deaths#axzz1gJaBAGSj
Loosening the state’s helmet law may result in more deaths

.Scott Dilendick stands with his motorcycle in a photo from the public facebook group page that was set up in honor of his life.
By David Riley/winchester@wickedlocal.com Winchester Star Posted Dec 09, 2011 @ 12:00 PM
Winchester, MA — More than three-quarters of motorcyclists involved in crashes in Massachusetts last year were wearing helmets, but the vast majority wouldn't have had to under legislation to loosen a state law requiring all bikers to wear head protection.
Massachusetts crash statistics show that out of 1,150 motorcycle accidents where police noted on reports whether or not bikers wore helmets, 903 riders did, or 78.5 percent.
Advocates for helmet laws worry that number would drop under legislation proposed by state Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, which would require helmets for motorcycle drivers and passengers only if they are under 21.
Eighty-eight percent of motorcyclists involved in crashes last year were over that age limit and would not have had to wear helmets under Brewer's proposal, state data show.
A motorcyclist killed on Highland Avenue in Winchester in July 2010 was 23 years old.
Approximately 288 motorcycles are registered to Winchester residents.
“Studies show when helmet laws are weakened or repealed, helmet use usually drops to about 50 percent,” said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the national Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which supports helmet laws.
Brewer's bill is the latest salvo in a national debate stretching back to 1967, when the federal government first required states to adopt helmet laws to qualify for certain types of highway funding. Congress lifted sanctions against states without such laws in 1995.
Critics do not necessarily question the merits of helmets, but say the state law overreaches by mandating what ought to be a personal decision. They also say the law fails to address the root causes of crashes.
“A motorcyclist gets hurt and killed because of an accident. That is the cause we should go after,” said Rick Gleason, legislative director for the Mass. Motorcycle Association. “We would rather advocate (more) rider training, crash avoidance and more motorist awareness.”
Helmet law supporters say studies show bikers without helmets generally suffer more severe injuries, bringing higher costs that the government must cover if the rider has either public insurance or no coverage at all.
“It is a personal choice, but when people crash, it becomes a weight on society as a whole because there are higher health care costs associated with crash injuries,” Rader said.
The Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee held a hearing Nov. 30 on this and several other motorcycle-related bills, including one sponsored by Sen. Robert Hedlund, R-Weymouth, that would let out-of-state riders with motorcycles registered anywhere without helmet laws ride without one in Massachusetts.
A 2010 federal survey suggests the 20 states with universal helmet laws, including Massachusetts, are successful in boosting helmet use. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found 76 percent of motorcyclists in states with universal helmet laws wore protective gear that met federal safety standards.
Only about 40 percent of bikers used federally-approved helmets in other states, most of which require helmets only for minors or riders under 21. Only New Hampshire, Iowa and Illinois have no motorcycle helmet requirements.
The impact of such laws on injuries and deaths is a subject of debate.
Motorcyclists in Massachusetts clearly die at a lower rate than the U.S. as a whole. Last year, about 2.9 bikers were killed in Massachusetts crashes out of every 10,000 motorcycles registered in the state, based on Registry of Motor Vehicles data.
As of 2007, the national rate was about 7.2 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles, a number that has risen steadily since at least 1998, according to NHTSA.
Helmet law proponents say several states have lifted or eased those laws since the end of federal sanctions in 1995. They point to studies showing increased deaths in states such as Florida, which adopted a law similar to Brewer's proposal in 2000.
“In states that have reinstated or enacted universal motorcycle helmet laws, helmet use goes up and motorcycle deaths and injuries go down,” Rader said. “When states repealed or weakened universal helmet laws, the opposite happened.”
But critics of helmet laws note that New Hampshire has among the lowest motorcyclist death rates in the U.S. despite its lack of a helmet law. Gleason also questioned if the lack of such a law causes health care costs to be any higher in the Granite State.
“We don't feel we have to be told to wear a helmet,” Gleason said.
Motorcycle crashes generally made up 11 to 16 percent of traffic deaths in Massachusetts from 2005 to 2009, based on federal data. But motorcycles made up only about 6 percent of the roughly 3.1 million vehicles registered in the state as of 2009.
State crash statistics also show:
◦In the past five years, deaths in Bay State motorcycle crashes ranged from as few as 41 in 2008 to as many as 58 in 2007. Statistics for 2010 are still being finalized, but preliminary data show 55 motorcycle deaths last year, according to the RMV. ◦Roughly one in five motorcyclists killed in crashes over the last five years were not wearing helmets. ◦About two hundred or more motorcyclists sustained incapacitating, but non-fatal injuries in crashes each of the last five years. Between 420 and 500 more sustained less serious injuries each year, while 270 or so were listed as having a “possible injury,” according to RMV records based on police reports. ◦In 15 percent of about 7,500 motorcycle accidents over the past five years, police did not note or it was unclear if the people involved were wearing helmets. 

http://www.wickedlocal.com/stoneham/features/x1979695400/Would-looser-helmet-law-mean-more-motorcycle-deaths#axzz1gJaBAGS
Would looser helmet law mean more motorcycle deaths?

The debate and requirements over motorcycle helmets still continues in Massachusetts.
By David Riley GateHouse News Service Posted Dec 09, 2011 @ 04:41 PM
Stoneham — More than three-quarters of motorcyclists involved in crashes in Massachusetts last year were wearing helmets, but the vast majority wouldn’t have had to under legislation to loosen a state law requiring all bikers to wear head protection.
Bay State crash statistics show that out of 1,150 motorcycle accidents where police noted on reports whether or not bikers wore helmets, 903 riders did, or 78.5 percent.
Advocates for helmet laws worry that number would drop under legislation proposed by state Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, which would require helmets for motorcycle drivers and passengers only if they are under 21.
Eighty-eight percent of motorcyclists involved in crashes last year were over that age limit and would not have had to wear helmets under Brewer’s proposal, state data show.
“Studies show when helmet laws are weakened or repealed, helmet use usually drops to about 50 percent,” said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the national Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which supports helmet laws.
According to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, no motorcycle fatalities were reported in Stoneham in 2010. There are, however, 517 motorcycle registrations in town as of last month, according to the RMV’s statistics.
Brewer’s bill is the latest salvo in a national debate stretching back to 1967, when the federal government first required states to adopt helmet laws to qualify for certain types of highway funding. Congress lifted sanctions against states without such laws in 1995.
Critics do not necessarily question the merits of helmets, but say the state law overreaches by mandating what ought to be a personal decision. They also say the law fails to address the root causes of crashes.
“A motorcyclist gets hurt and killed because of an accident. That is the cause we should go after,” said Rick Gleason, legislative director for the Mass. Motorcycle Association. “We would rather advocate (more) rider training, crash avoidance and more motorist awareness.”
Helmet law supporters say studies show bikers without helmets generally suffer more severe injuries, bringing higher costs that the government must cover if the rider has either public insurance or no coverage at all.
“It is a personal choice, but when people crash, it becomes a weight on society as a whole because there are higher health care costs associated with crash injuries,” Rader said.
The Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee held a hearing Nov. 30 on this and several other motorcycle-related bills, including one sponsored by Sen. Robert Hedlund, R-Weymouth, that would let out-of-state riders with motorcycles registered anywhere without helmet laws ride without one in Massachusetts.
A 2010 federal survey suggests the 20 states with universal helmet laws, including Massachusetts, are successful in boosting helmet use. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found 76 percent of motorcyclists in states with universal helmet laws wore protective gear that met federal safety standards.
Only about 40 percent of bikers used federally-approved helmets in other states, most of which require helmets only for minors or riders under 21. Only New Hampshire, Iowa and Illinois have no motorcycle helmet requirements.
The impact of such laws on injuries and deaths is a subject of debate.
Motorcyclists in Massachusetts clearly die at a lower rate than the U.S. as a whole. Last year, about 2.9 bikers were killed in Massachusetts crashes out of every 10,000 motorcycles registered in the state, based on Registry of Motor Vehicles data.
As of 2007, the national rate was about 7.2 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles, a number that has risen steadily since at least 1998, according to NHTSA.
Helmet law proponents say several states have lifted or eased those laws since the end of federal sanctions in 1995. They point to studies showing increased deaths in states such as Florida, which adopted a law similar to Brewer’s proposal in 2000.
“In states that have reinstated or enacted universal motorcycle helmet laws, helmet use goes up and motorcycle deaths and injuries go down,” Rader said. “When states repealed or weakened universal helmet laws, the opposite happened.”
But critics of helmet laws note that New Hampshire has among the lowest motorcyclist death rates in the U.S. despite its lack of a helmet law. Gleason also questioned if the lack of such a law causes health care costs to be any higher in the Granite State.
“We don’t feel we have to be told to wear a helmet,” Gleason said.
Motorcycle crashes generally made up 11-16 percent of traffic deaths in Massachusetts from 05-09, based on federal data. But motorcycles made up only about 6 percent of the roughly 3.1 million vehicles registered in the state as of 2009.
David Riley can be reached at 508-626-4424 or driley@wickedlocal.com.
Motorcycle crash statistics:
· In the past five years, deaths in Bay State motorcycle crashes ranged from as few as 41 in 2008 to as many as 58 in 2007. Statistics for 2010 are still being finalized, but preliminary data show 55 motorcycle deaths last year, according to the RMV.
· Roughly one in five motorcyclists killed in crashes over the last five years were not wearing helmets.
· About two hundred or more motorcyclists sustained incapacitating, but non-fatal injuries in crashes each of the last five years. Between 420 and 500 more sustained less serious injuries each year, while 270 or so were listed as having a “possible injury,” according to RMV records based on police reports.
· In 15 percent of about 7,500 motorcycle accidents over the past five years, police did not note or it was unclear if the people involved were wearing helmets.