Helmet laws reduce motorcycle fatalities

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Motorcycle Accidents, on Friday, January 16, 2015

All Massachusetts motorcyclists may know that wearing a helmet can save a life should the motorcyclist become involved in a serious crash. As a result, most states, including Massachusetts, have helmet laws to encourage more motorcyclists to wear proper protective gear. It was demonstrated that helmet laws decreased the number of fatalities for motorcyclists by comparing data from states that enacted the laws after having periods of time where there were no laws in place. For example, the state of California enacted helmet laws in 1991; a UCLA study found that fatalities declined by 40.3 percent between 1991 and 1993. The results were similar in every state that later enacted the helmet laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believed that helmet use saved the lives of 490 motorcyclists in 1996. From 1984 to 1996, the NHTSA estimated that approximately 7,940 motorcyclists lived because of their helmets. Had all motorcyclists been wearing their helmets in 1996, it was estimated that 769 motorcyclists would have lived. If all motorcyclists had been wearing their helmets between 1984 and 1996, the number of lives that may have been saved was estimated to be about 14,505. Even when motorcyclists are wearing helmets, they are still at risk for becoming involved in fatal accidents. If a motorcyclist dies in a crash that was caused by another driver and there was evidence that the other driver was distracted or driving unsafely, the family of the deceased motorcyclist may be eligible to file a lawsuit. Usually, the family files the lawsuit in order to recover the cost of damages they sustained, including lost income and funeral expenses.