Mandatory Helmet Use and the Severity of Motorcycle Accidents: No Brainer?

The Effectiveness of Motorcycle Helmets and Mandatory Helmet Laws

The effects of a mandatory motorcycle helmet law on helmet use and injury patterns among motorcyclist fatalities.

BACKGROUND The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that motorcycle helmets are 37% effective in preventing death and 65% effective in preventing brain injuries in a crash. Unfortunately, in 1995 Congress lifted federal sanctions against states without helmet laws and since then there have been a number of primary motorcycle helmet laws repealed or weakened. More liv...

Helmet use and motorcycle fatalities in Taiwan.

Motorcycle deaths accounted for more than half of total traffic fatalities in Taiwan in 2002. This study uses the police-reported crash data from Taiwan between 1999 and 2001 to estimate the effectiveness of helmets, simultaneously taking into account of sample selection bias. Sample selection arises because helmet usage will affect the probability of death or injury, which in turn influences w...

Helmet Use for the Prevention of Brain Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents

The results of numerous studies show the effectiveness of helmets in avoiding or reducing the severity of injuries in a motorcycle accident (Hundley et al., 2004; Keng, 2005; La Torre, 2003; León & Hernández, 2004; Liu et al., 2004). Despite the proven effectiveness of helmets in avoiding or reducing the severity of brain injuries and legislation requiring their use by both motorcycles drivers ...

Motorcycle helmet use in Rhode Island.

Motorcycle crashes are a major public health concern and place economic stresses on the health care system. Helmets have been shown to reduce both motorcycle-related fatalities and head injuries. Universal motorcycle helmet laws in other states have shown to be effective at increasing helmet use. The current Rhode Island motorcycle helmet law does not require every motorcycle rider to wear a he...