Motorcycle deaths up after helmet law repeal: study

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study noted that some of the increase in fatalities could be attributed to alcohol use, speed and increased ridership.

In the three years after the July 1, 2000, repeal, 61 percent of the 933 fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing a helmet. In the three years before the repeal, 9 percent of the 515 motorcyclists killed in crashes were not wearing a helmet.

The data suggests helmet use has declined, even among riders younger than 21 who are still required by state law to wear helmets.

Of the 101 riders younger than 21 who were killed in the three years following the repeal, 45 percent were not wearing a helmet. In the three years before the repeal, 35 motorcyclists younger than 21 were killed in crashes and 26 percent were not wearing helmets.

“The numbers are pretty compelling that Florida has paid a high price,” said Rae Tyson, an agency spokesman. “There is enough here for any state contemplating a helmet repeal to realize there are serious consequences.”

James Reichenbach, president of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education in Florida, who lobbied to repeal the helmet law in 2000, said the federal agency is biased against riders who do not wear helmets.

He said the increase in fatalities can be largely attributed to motorcycles’ increasing popularity.