Motorcycle helmet law could be dangerous for riders

By Robby Lewis

Published March 4, 2008

While most agree it is a safety issue, there are arguments over at what age people should be required to wear helmets while riding a motorcycle.

A Missouri bill that would only require motorcycle riders who are under 21 to wear helmets when riding their motorcycles is being proposed.

The law is sponsored by Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Clay County. The current law requires all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of a crash fatality by 37 percent.

Laura Holloway, Missouri Department of Transportation Community Relations Specialist, said being older won't help those who are involved in motorcycle crashes.

"We support helmet use," Holloway said. "I think people of any age should be using a helmet. If you're in a crash of any kind, obviously a helmet will help significantly. It doesn't matter what age you are."

MoDOT statistics show that from 2003 to 2006, the most people killed in motorcycle crashes were people aged 41 to 45 years. Of 416 fatalities in the state, 54 were in that age group. Only 33 fatalities occurred for people aged 15 to 20 years old.

MU senior Robert Herz is 21 years old and said he rides his motorcycle when the weather allows it. Herz said he believes safety should always come before personal preference.

"Some people think wearing a helmet should be their personal preference," Herz said. "But having a law that enforces wearing a helmet is definitely a good thing. People are going to be reckless, especially the youth, and some aren't going to wear a helmet regardless, but if the government tells them to, most people will."

Herz said he believes the law will likely make wearing a helmet routine for new riders.

"The people who are under 21 are going to be more reckless," Herz said. "For the people who are under 21, this law is going to make wearing a helmet a regular habit for them."

Herz said the law the bill would propose is comparable to a law that requires wearing seat belts.

"Some people don't wear their seatbelts just as a personal preference," Herz said. "If they think they can get away with not wearing a helmet, they're not going to wear a helmet. Like the seatbelt law, if it's choosing between the personal preference of not wearing a seatbelt and the government making a law to enforce it, I support the idea of safety versus seeing personal preference as some sort of right."

Sen. Joan Bray, D-St. Louis said there is no evidence that supports this law.

"It will probably cause more fatalities and more injuries," Bray said. "The research is all there. They bring in the updates every year and nothing has ever pointed to the fact that removing helmets is the right thing to do."

Bray said this is a law that parts of the Senate have been trying to change for years.

"I've been here for 16 years and I think we've tried to remove the helmet law for all 16 years," Bray said. "I don't agree that it's a safety provision. The worst-case scenario, besides death, is it could leave the person severely disabled. It's a huge mistake because it could ruin someone's life."

Bray said she will keep pushing for the current law to stay the same.

"It doesn't make sense," Bray said. "There is no rationale. We've been fighting this for years. We'll just have to keep fighting."