As a motorcycle rider I know first-hand the importance of wearing helmets, not only for the driver but the passengers too. Last august I was in a motorcycle accident just down the road from my house. Not only have I been riding motorcycles for the past six years, but I have also had multiple safety driving courses from college and military. I never thought I would get into an accident especially just down the road from my house. I was driving at the speed limit and I had the right away when a woman pulled out in front of me and nearly took my life. I was air lifted to cooper hospital. I believe that the only reason I am still alive today is thanks to my helmet. Every state should require all motorcyclist and passengers to wear helmets because it will help the visibility of the driver, prevent head injury in case of accident and save millions in medical bills associated with head trauma.
Motorcycle accidents deaths vary yearly. According to J. Homer the average number of deaths per year is about 4,000 in America in the couple of years preceding 2009. Not every accident leads to a fatality, but too many per year do. “One study estimated that motorcycle helmets lower the risk of death by 42% and head injury by 69%” (J.Homer, 2009). A study done by Am J health assed changes in motorcycle laws in Pennsylvania related to helmet use. According to Mertz (2009) helmet use decreased from 82% to 52% when changes in the law were made and helmet use was not mandatory for everyone in early 2000s. “Head injury deaths increased 66%; non head injury deaths increased 25%” (Mertz 2008). Accidents happen all the time but wearing a helmet decreases the chance of the accident leaving fatalities behind instead of injuries. The solution to saving some l...
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McGill, N. (2013). Rate of uninsured Americans remains steady, census finds. (Cover story).
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Mertz, K. J., & Weiss, H. B. (2008). Changes in Motorcycle- Related Head Injury Deaths,
Hospitalizations, and Hospital Charges Following Repeal of Pennsylvania's Mandatory Motorcycle Helmet Law. American Journal Of Public Health, 98(8), 1464-1467.
Naumann, R. B., & Shults, R. A. (2012). Helmet Use Among Motorcyclists Who Died in
Crashes and Economic Cost Savings Associated With State Motorcycle Helmet Laws – United States, 2008-2010. (Cover story). MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 61(23), 425-430.
In Title 23, Chapter 316.211 of Florida’s constitution, the law states that “A person may not operate or ride upon a motorcycle unless the person is properly wearing protective headgear securely fastened upon his or her head which complies with Federal Motorcycle Vehicle Safety Standard 218 promulgated by the United States Department of Transportation.2” The Florida statue is actually more stringent on helmet laws than Vermont’s statue. In Florida, a person cannot operate/ride a motorcycle without helmet, while in Vermont it’s only regulated while riding a motorcycle on
Millions of people all over the United States choose motorcycles over automobiles for the thrill, speed, and high performance capabilities. On the other hand, motorcycles are not at all the safest way of transportation. Motorcycles do not provide the passenger with the outer protection that cars provide, therefore, when one crashes, the results are usually much more serious. Injuries to the head are responsible for 76% of fatalities when dealing with motorcycle crashes many of which could have been prevented had the rider been wearing a helmet. For this reason, many states have adopted the motorcycle helmet law. The law states that every passengers must wear a helmet at all times when riding on a motorcycle. This law has created a great deal of controversy. One side supports the law, believing that it protects motorcyclists from danger and saves the economy a great deal of money. The other side argues that the law is unconstitutional and it violates our right to freedom. However, statistics show overwhelming support in favor of the motorcycle helmet law. Although wearing helmets cannot prevent motorcycle crashes, they can greatly reduce the number of deaths caused by head injury as well as lowering taxes, insurance rates, and health care costs. Therefore, the helmet law should be put into effect in every state across the United States.
Bicycle helmets are a form of passive protection and have been proven to reduce both severity and incidence of bicyclist head injuries. Countless studies have proven the effectiveness of helmets to reduce the severity of a head injury [14], with the probability of fatal injury occurrence also greatly decreased [3]. Tests revealed that the helmet reduced the resultant peak of acceleration by 29% when compared to the unprotected form [13]. Despite these findings only a minor proportion (4%) of bicycle crash victims wore helmets at the time of incident [14]. Another study reported that 94% of cyclists involved in an accident did not wear a helmet [3]. At least 50% of the cyclist with recorded head injuries scored of 3 or 4 on the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) did not wear a helmet at the time of accident [13]. Interestingly pedal cyclists suffered more frequent head injuries than those riding a
An enormous division currently exists between the people who believe that automobile safety should be an option and those that feel it must be a requirement. The federal government feels the morally obligated to create the safest driving environment possible. On the other end of the spectrum, opinions exist that the average driver has ability to make the choice of safety on their own. Editorials, political assemblies, debates, and conversations have arrived on the concept of click it or ticket. This idea refers to ticketing any motor vehicle driver and passenger that is not fastened by a seat belt. Arguments have been made for both sides, and have been reviewed in multiple states.
People do not realize how much of a problem drinking and driving can cause, not only in the United States but all over the world. In 2009, 1.4 million drivers have been arrested, but the influenced by alcohol or drugs. There is a very high percentage of motorcycle fatalities and about a third of them are alcohol accidents and there levels are above legal
Strong evidence was found that the occurrence of head injuries were reduced for riders who utilized helmets with facemasks while performing in bull riding events. Also, research showed that wearing a protective vest would also reduce the risk of severe puncture injuries. However, little evidence was found in reducing the risk of crush-type injuries that occur from the massive weight and strength of a 2000 pound bull. From these studies, protective headgear will likely become mandatory in professional rodeo within the next few years to reduce some of the severe head, neck and facial trauma experienced by bull riders. Protective vests will still remain an option for riders. Therefore, protective gear does reduce the number and severity of injuries sustained in bull riding. Regardless of the gear a rider choses to wear, bull riding is still considered the most dangerous eight second
For children in this group, a helmet can save you or reduce the severity of the damage via 53%. The same studies, cited using the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, show a forty-four% prevention and reduction in injury among adults.
Should bicycle helmets be made mandatory for all cyclist? That is what two elementary students asked for from their city council, an ordinance enforcing the use of Bicycle Safety helmets for children under 12. So on April 25, 2002, in Richardson, Texas, the city council had decided against an ordinance requiring bicycle helmets for children under 12. Of course they had their reasons for not passing the request made by two young girls. If they would have taken a serious look at the issue, they may have viewed it differently.
While the use of helmets does aid in protecting players from brain trauma, they also increase the risky behavior of players; this is called risk compensation. Risk compensation is the adjustment of individual behavior, responding to the perceived changes in risk (TheFreeDictionary.com). Most people that wear helmets have a pre-conceived idea that, because they have a helmet on, they can possess more daring behaviors and be fine. The helmet is basically thought of as a tool to hit harder, or improve performance in today’s culture. Adventure writer and pilot, Lane Wallace (2011) accurately understands the dangers of helmets being used incorrectly, and how they are used as weapons instead of safety. Wallace also theorizes like the NFL, a change in football culture and of viewpoints towards helmets would vastly reduce trauma to the
Allstate insurance is the second largest property and casualty insurance company by premiums in the United States. Allstate insurance handles about 12% of the U.S home and auto insurance market. (Allstate, 2014). Many of Allstate’s customers fall under what one could refer to as a traditional selection of insurance for automobiles. Recently, Allstate has noticed a major shortcoming in lifestyle insurance, which includes coverage for motorcycles, boats, and other recreational vehicles, in comparison to its competitors. The motorcycle insurance sector is a 10.4 billion dollar industry and growing (PRWEB, 2012). The U.S. Department of Transportation website reports some astounding figures, including that 5,370,035 motorcycles were registered three years before the article, 7,138,476 motorcycles registered at the time of the article, and grew to 9,477,243 registered motorcycles at the end of 2012 (NHTSA, 2013). It is obvious as to why Allstate would identify motorcycle insurance as a worthy lifestyle product to devote marketing research dollars into in order to develop new strategies for cornering a share of the market.
The opponents of helmet laws seem to have a good argument. Helmet use cannot prevent an accident and Department of Transportation statistics indicate seventy five percent of bicycle related deaths are in collisions with motor vehicles (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2), which implies the real problem is with automobile drivers causing accidents with bikes.
Next, many people have either died or have been injured in motor vehicle accidents, each year there are about 5 million people injured in vehicle related accidents (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles). Although this all m...
4. Helmets are required in many places so you should check with the police in your area.
One of the first factors that contribute to bicycle and helmet safety is learning how to ride a bicycle. Many people learn how to ride a bicycle when they are four or five years old and some do not learn until they are older (Donaldson). Learning how to ride a bicycle is the first and most important step because you must be able to operate and control the bicycle.
Helmets are used to protect the head from falling objects or hot embers. Helmets started out as nothing more than a leather hard hat made for construction which doesn’t provide much protection or safety for the people