A Helmet, The Brain’s Best Friend
When combining the fact that “Per mile traveled in 2005, a motorcyclist is approximately 34 times more likely to die than someone riding in an automobile” (NHTSA 78), along with estimates from the Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System(CODES) that “motorcycle helmets are 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries“(Max 45) and it is clear that a mandatory helmet law is needed. Arizona does not require any person over the age of eighteen to wear a helmet when operating a motorcycle, in fact according to the Arizona Department of Transportation(ADOT) the law states:
“An operator or passenger of a motorcycle or motor driven cycle who is under eighteen years of age shall wear at all times a protective helmet on the operator's or passenger's head in an appropriate manner that is safely secured while operating or riding on the motorcycle or motor driven cycle. . .” Lawmakers have tried to pass mandatory helmet laws, however they have failed in the past. The past lawmakers strategies’ were focused at helmets and how they save lives which while very important, does not necessarily rank high with all voters especially the majority of which have never rode a motorcycle themselves. Also the fact is that the number of fatalities between helmeted and non helmeted states aren’t as staggering as most would think. in fact almost as many helmeted riders die as non helmeted riders every year because in many crashes the speed is so great that that regardless if the rider is helmeted or not the impact is too great to withstand. All in all it isn’t that the voters don’t care about human life, just that a helmet law does not rank in comparison to topics such as homeland security, education, and school safety on most state ballots. However people tend to care when there is money to be saved, and a mandatory helmet law would reduce the number of brain injuries resulting from motorcycle crashes, lower insurance premiums, and drastically reduce healthcare cost resulting from motorcycle accidents.
Helmets greatly reduce the number of brain injuries suffered in motorcycle accidents. Many who oppose a helmet law make claims similar to those stated earlier claiming that many accidents involve speeds and impacts so great that fatality was inevitable regardless if the rider was helmeted or not. However that is not always the case, in many cases where the rider is hit and survives it has been found that “motorcycle helmets are 67% effective in preventing brain injuries that an un-helmeted rider would have suffered.”( Yoganandan 16) That fact alone shows that helmets could prevent over two-thirds of all brain injuries suffered as a result of a motorcycle accident! Many groups are recognizing that these facts are alarming and are taking a stand such as the Brain Injury Association of America who will be supporting up and coming bills and holding educational events to get the information out to the voters.
While reducing brain injuries in motorcycle accidents, a mandatory helmet law, simultaneously can help reduce automobile insurance premiums in Arizona. Often times motorcycle accidents max out the insurance companies coverage’s and to compensate the insurance companies increase there rates. In a public survey it was determined that “ the government pays, with tax dollars, nearly 23 percent of inpatient charges of all motorcycle crashes…In addition, private insurance pays 63 percent of the costs. This means the public pays 86 percent of the charges for inpatient care of injured motorcyclists.” ( Max 552) Many against the law claim that no great reductions were received in states that added mandatory helmets laws but there no facts on this subject published as each individuals drivers record is different and so are individual coverage’s. There are however facts to prove that helmets reduce brain injuries and that less injuries to those in an accident results directly in less money being spent by the insurance companies of those involved. The less money the insurance companies spend, the less our rates get increased.
While the reduction in brain injuries and the possibility of saving on insurance premiums are excellent reasons to support a mandatory helmet law, the single most selling point of this bill may be the amount of money that can be saved in healthcare costs. According to CODES on average initial inpatient care costs “ was $27,000 for those who sustained a brain injury, more than twice the average $12,000 charge for non-brain injured motorcyclists.”( Langstaff 63-64) That does not include any care costs after the initial hospital stay such as rehab, therapy, and follow up appointments. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis says that a patient surviving a motorcycle crash with a head injury incurs an average of $171,000 in medical and rehab costs in the first year following the injury alone.(Max 556) We know already that the insurance companies do not cover all the expenses and the left over expenses are paid with public funds, yes that includes our tax dollars! We already have facts proving that helmets can reduce up to 67% of brain injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents and knowing that in Arizona in a conservative year there would be 150 non helmeted riders who will suffer a brain injury. If a helmet had been used a shocking 101 of these brain injuries could have been prevented. Consequently if the average savings between the brain injured and non brain injured healthcare cost is $15,000, and we multiply that by 101 injuries that could have been prevented and as a state Arizona could save over $1.5 million dollars in healthcare costs alone in one year. That does not even touch on the long term costs that would be much greater for somebody with a brain injury as opposed to those without one.
Being a motorcycle rider, I have struggled with the thought of a mandatory helmet law. A part of me feels that a mandatory helmet law is too invasive and we as a nation should have the freedom to choose; The other half of me that knows that the majority of head injuries I see working as an ortho-tech at a local trauma hospital are a result of the rider being non-helmeted. It became obvious that many people struggle with this topic and many simply choose to look the other way while the majority of people voicing their opinion on this are the minority who oppose a statewide mandatory helmet law. There is no denying that helmets can help save lives and there is even more evidence to support the fact that helmets greatly reduce head injuries and can save Arizona tax payers millions of dollars each year. The U.S. Department of Transportation in 2005 released a statement stating that in “2004 motorcycle helmet use saved $1.5 billion in economic costs” and that “from 1984 through 2004 has saved a total of $20.3 billion dollars.”(DOT HS 809 112) There is fact after supporting helmet use and in a democracy we are able to vote and make a change if something isn’t right, and now is our time. We need to have a mandatory helmet law in Arizona, and we as citizens need to stand up and take charge or we will keep paying inflated insurance premiums and continue to pay the increased medical bills of strangers who suffered injuries while riding a motorcycle without a helmet. Regardless how unfair it may seem, if we don’t vote for a mandatory helmet law we will continue to be financially responsible for those people who choose to ride un-helmeted and while they choose to ride un-helmeted, we are forced to pay and the only way to avoid paying is to take away their choice! So lets unite, enough is enough it is time for Arizona to adopt a statewide mandatory helmet law.
