Helmet laws save lives, but helmetless Idaho sees motorcycle fatalities decline

OFF THE WIRE

By Mac King

Boise’s Clint Hoops rides motorcycles. He climbed aboard his first bike as a young boy and since then has owned 15 different motorcycles, ridden extensively on- and off-road, presided over Idaho’s Vintage Motorcycle Club and, Monday, recalled a number of times his helmet had saved his life.
“Once in the desert at 60, 70, 80 miles an hour,” Clint said, “I hit my head. Then I got up and rode away.”
Still – somehow – Clint remained unconvinced Idaho should require helmets.
“I feel it’s kind of foolish to ride without one,” he said, “but do I feel it necessarily should be mandated? Like I said, I have mixed feelings on that.”
New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest a stronger mandate could save lives and money. That study found five times as many bikers without helmets die in states with less restrictive laws – like Idaho – and that helmet laws save $500 in medical and other costs per registered bike.
But a different study suggests Idaho may stray from that national trend: The Gem State’s actually seen motorcycle fatalities decline for two years in a row – a stat state police attribute to the economic recession.
“A lot of people bought motorcycles who had little to no experience on them,” Senior Trooper Pohanka said.
Idaho State Police recommends all bikers wear helmets and requires its officers also do so – especially now as warmer weather ushers in motorcycle season in what Clint describes as a motorcycle state.
“Idaho is fantastic,” he said. “There is riding for whatever you want to do.”
And for those older than 18, you can do whatever you want to do without a helmet.