http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120715/EDIT07/307159972/1147/EDIT07
Motorcycle crash costs are burden
The tragic series of motorcycle fatalities in northeast Indiana this summer should cause the state’s lawmakers to consider joining about 20 other states that require helmets.
Such proposals are nearly always met with an outcry from bikers who argue they should have the individual freedom to choose whether they wear helmets. The problem with that argument is that many of the costs of motorcycle injuries and fatalities are incurred by people other than the riders.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, nearly half of motorcyclists lack adequate insurance, and taxpayers foot most of the health care bills when those without adequate insurance are injured. In 1991 the General Accounting Office concluded that cyclists without helmets make insurance premiums higher for everyone while costing society through lost productivity, among other factors.
Though the argument that government should not force cyclists to wear a helmet sounds compelling, neither should taxpayers have to pay for those who decide not to wear a helmet.
Indiana lawmakers don’t seem likely to require helmet use anytime soon, especially in an era when Hoosiers are increasingly complaining about too much government. But there are steps legislators could take short of a mandatory law that should help improve safety, if only slightly, and help reduce the burden on taxpayers. In April, Michigan repealed its mandatory helmet law but set conditions for riding without one:
•Bikers must be at least 21 to ride without a helmet. (Indiana requires helmets only for those 17 and younger.)
•Biker must have at least two years of riding experience.
•They must pass a motorcycle safety course.
•They must carry at least $20,000 of medical insurance.
Make no mistake: Such a law in Indiana would not be nearly as effective as a mandatory helmet law. In 2000, Florida replaced its mandatory helmet law with one allowing riders 21 and older who have at least $10,000 in medical insurance coverage to ride without a helmet. Fatalities increased by 81 percent from 1997-1999, when helmets were required, to 2001-2003, when they were optional. The number of cyclists admitted to a hospital for head injuries increased by 82 percent, and the average cost of treating a head injury increased by almost $10,000.
Hoosier lawmakers should seriously consider a mandatory helmet law such as the state had from the late 1960s to 1977. At the very least, the legislature should require helmets for riders under 21 and set insurance requirements to lessen the cost taxpayers foot for cyclists without helmets.
Motorcycle crash costs are burden
The tragic series of motorcycle fatalities in northeast Indiana this summer should cause the state’s lawmakers to consider joining about 20 other states that require helmets.
Such proposals are nearly always met with an outcry from bikers who argue they should have the individual freedom to choose whether they wear helmets. The problem with that argument is that many of the costs of motorcycle injuries and fatalities are incurred by people other than the riders.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, nearly half of motorcyclists lack adequate insurance, and taxpayers foot most of the health care bills when those without adequate insurance are injured. In 1991 the General Accounting Office concluded that cyclists without helmets make insurance premiums higher for everyone while costing society through lost productivity, among other factors.
Though the argument that government should not force cyclists to wear a helmet sounds compelling, neither should taxpayers have to pay for those who decide not to wear a helmet.
Indiana lawmakers don’t seem likely to require helmet use anytime soon, especially in an era when Hoosiers are increasingly complaining about too much government. But there are steps legislators could take short of a mandatory law that should help improve safety, if only slightly, and help reduce the burden on taxpayers. In April, Michigan repealed its mandatory helmet law but set conditions for riding without one:
•Bikers must be at least 21 to ride without a helmet. (Indiana requires helmets only for those 17 and younger.)
•Biker must have at least two years of riding experience.
•They must pass a motorcycle safety course.
•They must carry at least $20,000 of medical insurance.
Make no mistake: Such a law in Indiana would not be nearly as effective as a mandatory helmet law. In 2000, Florida replaced its mandatory helmet law with one allowing riders 21 and older who have at least $10,000 in medical insurance coverage to ride without a helmet. Fatalities increased by 81 percent from 1997-1999, when helmets were required, to 2001-2003, when they were optional. The number of cyclists admitted to a hospital for head injuries increased by 82 percent, and the average cost of treating a head injury increased by almost $10,000.
Hoosier lawmakers should seriously consider a mandatory helmet law such as the state had from the late 1960s to 1977. At the very least, the legislature should require helmets for riders under 21 and set insurance requirements to lessen the cost taxpayers foot for cyclists without helmets.
