NCOM report - Michigan Helmet Law Change
Michigan is helmet free?
Whoever wrote that is effin' BLIND.
ABATE
freep.com
Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law a bill making motorcycle helmets optional.
“While many motorcyclists will continue to wear helmets, those who choose not to deserve the latitude to make their own informed judgments,” Snyder, a Republican, said in a news release today.
Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, twice vetoed similar legislation.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair, had strong support from motorcycle enthusiasts but was opposed by those who said it would increase insurance costs.
Snyder’s office said he signed the bill Thursday.
Although the law was passed with immediate effect, it sets out certain conditions that must be in place before someone can legally ride without a helmet.
It lets motorcyclists who are at least 21 years old choose whether to wear a helmet if they carry at least $20,000 in additional medical insurance. They also must have passed a motorcycle safety course or have had their motorcycle endorsement for at least two years.
The law makes Michigan the 31st state to make helmets optional. Snyder’s office said Michigan will join the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.
In a news release, the Michigan chapter of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE), which pushed for the change, said millions of tourism dollars left the state each year because of a law “which was a holdover from bygone days.”
Jim Rhoades, the group’s legislative director, said the key to motorcycle safety and accident prevention “lies in rider education, car driver awareness and license endorsement.”
Jerry Curiak, 66, a retired Ford Motor Co. mechanic who lives in Johannesburg in Otsego County, said he might take his Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic for a helmetless ride later today.
“Up here near Gaylord, I’ll ride 300 miles in a day and see maybe two cars,” Curiak said. “It’s not like I’m dodging bullets all the time.”
He said helmets – required in Michigan since 1970 – make riding a less pleasant experience. They are heavy and restrict vision and hearing, he said.
In a report to the Legislature, Senate Fiscal Agency analyst Matthew Grabowski said: “If the passage of the bill leads to more head injuries, Medicaid costs for the state could potentially increase.”
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com