OFF THE WIRE
http://wpln.org/?p=34588
Annual Bill to End Motorcycle-Helmet Requirement Stalls
by Joe White
The push to allow motorcyclists to ride helmet-free in Tennessee has been set aside for another year. The proposal would have ended the requirement that adults must wear helmets to ride, but it was idled today in a state House committee.
Cyclist argue that when states make motorcycle helmets optional, they make money from the influx of motorcycle enthusiasts who want to ride free.
State Representative Judd Matheny, a Coffee County Republican, has tried to get that bill passed for years. But he took it off the table today, saying the message is just too difficult to get across in what’s left of this year’s legislative session.
“We are gonna work more on refining our message about the positive economic impact. At the same time we want to try to continue to work on ways to make sure that the taxpayer and the state are protected against uninsured individuals that are hurt in accidents.”
The opposing argument is that without helmets, more riders are hurt in accidents, particularly with head injuries.
Matheny says one possibility is to require helmet-less riders to carry major medical insurance.
WEB EXTRA The bill is HB 2661 Matheny / SB 2541 Bell. Matheny had 28 co-sponsors in the House.
In prior years, the bill often passed in the state Senate, once in front of a disbelieving group of police chiefs who had accidentally shown up on the same day the bill was on the floor. They were attending a conference. The bill usually hit a roadblock in the state House.
Concerned Motorcyclists of Tennessee has lobbied for the bill for at least six years.
http://www.dnj.com/article/20120228/NEWS/302280036
Bill fails to kill motorcycle helmet law 1:07 PM, Feb. 28, 2012
NASHVILLE (AP) — Motorcyclists will have to wait another year to renew their efforts to do away with Tennessee’s helmet law.Republican Rep. Judd Matheny of Tullahoma on Tuesday told the House Transportation Subcommittee that he’s withdrawing his bill seeking to end helmet requirements for adult riders.
Supporters question the safety benefits of helmets and argued that ending the law would boost motorcycle tourism to Tennessee. But a legislative analysis of the measure projects that changing the law would lead to an increase in traumatic brain injuries, carrying a $1.1 million price tag for TennCare. The state’s expanded Medicaid system spent $3.1 million to treat motorcycle accidents in the most recent budget year, including $1.8 million on brain injuries.
