Risky ride: More motorcycle deaths fuel new debate over helmet laws

Bikers, helmet advocates debate medical costs

By JOHN YAUKEY, Gannett News Service

Motorcycle helmets save lives. But do they save taxpayers money by reducing potentially unpaid medical costs?

Advocates for stricter laws — many regulations only cover young riders — argue that motorcyclists who choose to ride without a helmet cost society money in unpaid medical costs because they sustain more severe injuries than protected riders.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters walked away from an August 2005 crash with a broken collarbone but no head injuries while wearing this motorcycle helmet.

"The data clearly support the argument that helmets reduce the risk of catastrophic head injury, the cost of which in many cases is borne by the taxpayer," said Russ Radar, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "We are the only industrialized country where there is an organized effort to eliminate helmet laws."

Ride-free advocates say there's scant evidence that helmet laws save money. They say helmets can impair riders' senses and can even cause severe head injuries related to whiplash.

Jim George, who is working to loosen helmet laws in Georgia, was wearing a helmet himself when a car cut him off in 2006. He survived the subsequent accident without a severe injury.

George, director of ABATE (American Bikers Active Toward Education) of Georgia, acknowledges the helmet may have protected him. But he also says helmets can restrict peripheral vision and hearing.

"As a motorcyclist, you need those senses more than anybody," George said. "We're not against anything. We're for freedom of choice."

Researchers writing in the Journal of Trauma found that helmets protect riders and aren't linked to increased neck injuries. But they also cited findings suggesting "helmets may cause injury to parts of the head or neck because they add mass to the head."

However, studies overwhelmingly show helmet laws help limit medical costs.

It's not clear how much of those costs are borne by taxpayers. Insurance status plays a greater role than helmet use in what the public pays for motorcycle accidents.

"Only slightly more than half of motorcycle crash victims have private health insurance coverage," according to a 2002 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "For patients without private insurance, a majority of medical costs are paid by the government."

Here's what some frequently cited studies say:

• The 2002 NHTSA report said motorcyclists who wore helmets were less likely to suffer head injuries in an accident. Wearing a helmet reduced the cost of medical care, the length of hospital stays and the need for special medical treatment, the report said.

• A 2000 NHTSA evaluation found the average cost of treating motorcycle-related head injuries went from about $34,500 before the state's helmet law was weakened to nearly $40,000 after.

• A 1992 University of North Carolina study of injured motorcyclists over three years found that unhelmeted riders were 70 percent more likely to suffer a moderate or severe head injury than helmeted riders.

Ride-free advocates note the same study found motorcyclists admitted to trauma centers in general were less severely injured than other road trauma victims and accrued lower hospital charges.

• A 1990 study by the University of Southern California found that of 980 head and neck injuries sustained by motorcyclists, only four were attributed to helmets.

• A 1995 Journal of Trauma study concluded "helmets provide protection for all types ... of head injuries," and that "they are not associated with increased neck injury occurrence."

A handful of studies indicate helmets may slightly hinder sight and hearing. Some ride-free advocates say sensory impairment is subjective, and riders should have the option of not wearing a helmet.

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Originally published March 26, 2008

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» Motorcycle deaths rose as states rolled back helmet laws

» Major findings at a glance

» How we analyzed data from fatal motorcycle accidents

» Sportbikes breed culture of speed and stunts

» Bikers, helmet advocates debate medical costs

» The right helmet can save a life

» Motorcycle safety tips

» High court upheld helmet law

» Helmet laws are widespread overseas

» On the Web: Sites for more information

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» USA TODAY view: Motorcycle madness

» Opposing view: Helmet laws don't work

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