Motorcycle Fatality Surge Renews Helmet Debate

April 4, 2007 — -- The feel of the wind whipping through your hair or the possibility of your brains splattered on the roadside.

The debate over whether the nation's nearly 6 million motorcycle riders should by law be required to wear helmets is nothing new.

In 1995, Congress repealed a policy that had withheld federal transportation money from states that did not have mandatory helmet laws. But following that action, a steady and significant increase in the number of annual motorcycle fatalities -- including in five states that since have repealed mandatory helmet laws -- has renewed interest into what for some is a civil liberties dispute.

"We have been successful in reducing the fatality rate for passenger vehicles, but that success has been negated by the increase in motorcycle fatalities," said Ray Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The number of motorcycle fatalities has more than doubled, from 2,227 in 1995 to 4,553 in 2005, according to the latest data available from the NHTSA. And while it's true there are more bikes on the road, the fatality rate has also increased by nearly 13 percent.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the majority of the deadly crashes involved riders who were not wearing helmets.

During the same period, the fatality rate among passenger cars has dipped more than 20 percent, while the percentage of deaths in light truck crashes is also down.

The problem, according to advocates of helmet laws, is that one-sided, well-organized lobbying at the state level -- where for now, this issue is primarily legislated -- have largely hampered the creation of new helmet laws or the strengthening of existing ones.

Of the 50 states, 20 maintain helmet laws for all riders, while 27 require helmets for select rider groups -- typically those under 18 years old. Colorado, Illinois and Iowa currently have no helmet laws.

"It's pretty much a single-issue lobby," said Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association. "They're very well-organized and they've become very adept at working state legislatures."