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Motorcycle Deaths, Injuries Increase In Texas, Arkansas

20 September 2000

Motorcycle Deaths, Injuries Increase In Texas, Arkansas Following Helmet Law Repeal

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 Motorcycle deaths and injuries
increased following the repeal of mandatory helmet laws in Texas and Arkansas,
according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
    "Helmets help protect motorcycle riders from head injury in a crash, and
this data demonstrates once again the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets,"
U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said.  "Helmet laws increase
use of motorcycle helmets and thus improve safety, which is President Clinton
and Vice President Gore's highest transportation priority."
    The mandatory helmet law was repealed in Arkansas on Aug. 1, 1997, and
Texas' law was rescinded on Sept. 1, 1997.  Both states had helmet use rates
of 97 percent before the laws were repealed.  By May 1998, helmet use dropped
to 52 percent in Arkansas, 66 percent in Texas.
    "If you ride a motorcycle, here's some simple life-saving advice: Always
wear protective gear, including a helmet," said NHTSA Administrator Sue
Bailey, M.D.
    In Arkansas, motorcycle fatalities rose 21 percent in the first full year
following repeal, while deaths rose by 31 percent in Texas during the same
time period.
    In Arkansas, medical data show that the percentage of head injuries among
injured motorcyclists rose from 18.5 percent from January to July 1996 (prior
to helmet law repeal) to 31.6 percent for the same time period in 1998.  In
Texas, police data show that the total number of injured motorcycle riders
increased slightly in 1998 compared to period from 1994 to 1996 while serious
injuries declined during the same time period.
    A 1991 U.S. General Accounting Office study concluded that "helmet use
reduced fatality rates and reduced injury severity among survivors of
motorcycle accidents."
    Twenty states and the District of Columbia require helmets for all
motorcycle riders; another 27 states require helmets under a specific age,
usually 18.
    A summary of the NHTSA helmet study is available on the agency's web site:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov or visit http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm.