More Motorcycle Riders are Wearing Helmets More Frequently Leading to Less Fatalities on the Road
Florida began a major motorcycle initiative in 2008 as it became aware of this startling fact:
Motorcycles make up about 6 percent of all Florida traffic accidents, but those dying in motorcycle crashes made up 18 percent of all traffic deaths. Compare that with 1997, when deaths involving motorcycles were 5 percent of traffic fatalities.
Consequently, our Florida motorcycle accident lawyers continue to be concerned about the high numbers of serious and fatal pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents that are occurring on Florida roads.
The reason being is that head injuries remain the second-most common injury requiring hospitalization for bikers, with 29 percent of Florida's motorcycle crash deaths attributed to traumatic brain injuries.
Credit state officials for making a concerted effort to increase motorcycle safety which has resulted in an increase in helmet use amount motorcycle enthusiasts.
Lawmakers approved a 2008 law that requires all bikers to take training courses before receiving a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's licenses. FDOT's decision to raise awareness of motorcycle safety among other motorists was also a smart approach in dealing with a much larger issue.
This sensible approach to motorcycle safety is also vastly different than the approach taken by lawmakers back in 2000. At that time, riding helmetless was portrayed as an American right. Personal freedom, not actuarial sense, carried the day when state lawmakers passed a bill that was later signed into law that gave motorcycle enthusiasts aged 21 and older who carried at least $10,000 in personal injury insurance the right to ride bareheaded.
While the personal injury coverage requirement helps, the median hospital charge is five times the state's minimum $10,000 mandate.
Worse yet, almost half -- 49 percent -- of those biker emergency room visits and hospital stays in 2009 weren't covered by insurance, a cost shift that fell to other Floridians (many of whom don't own motorcycles), either in the form of higher taxes or increased insurance premiums.
However, the good news is that biker fatalities in Florida have dropped, although Florida remains one of the worst states when it comes to motorcycle crash deaths. Part of the reason why the number of biker fatalities have dropped is that more motorcycle enthusiasts are wearing helmets when riding their motorcycles. Indeed, numbers tracked by the State of Florida show a noticeable uptick in helmet use among South Florida bikers, particularly in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Last year, 55 percent of the surveyed bikers in Broward said they used their helmets, up from 49 percent eight years ago. In Palm Beach County, the figure was 47 percent, an increase of three percentage points from 2002.
As more motorcycle enthusiasts embrace the idea of wearing helmets, the hope is that the Legislature will entertain the idea of restoring the universal helmet law.
