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Michigan Senate Committee Votes in Favor of 'Opt-Out' Option for State's Helmet Law; AAA Says Deaths and Injuries Will Increase

Thursday, October 18, 2007 General News
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DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 17 The State SenateCommittee passed legislation today (October 17) that would enablemotorcyclists to ride without their helmets on Michigan roads. In their latestbid to rid riders of their helmets, special interest groups in Lansing haveproposed an 'opt-out' solution. For a $100 fee, motorcyclists can buy theirway out of a helmet.
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The bill is expected to be voted on by the State Senate in the nearfuture. The bill was passed by the State House on Oct. 11.

American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE) conceived the bill, whichwould require riders to be 21 years or older, licensed to operate a motorcyclefor at least two years, complete a motorcycle safety course and have insuranceor security of $20,000 for first-party medical benefits in the event of anaccident.
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According to Jack Peet, manager of community safety services for AAAMichigan, the legislation would result in 22 additional motorcycle fatalitieseach year, along with 132 more incapacitating injuries, 610 other injuries and$140 million in added economic costs to Michigan citizens.

"If the mandatory helmet requirement is repealed or waived through a fee,there will be a significant increase in severe head injuries and deaths," saidPeet. "Studies show that in a crash, unhelmeted motorcyclists are three timesmore likely than helmeted cyclists to suffer traumatic brain injuries."

Motorcycle crashes account for a disproportionate share of money paid outof the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA), a fund which issupported by a surcharge on every auto insurance policy in this state.Although motorcyclists represent 1.7 percent of the assessments paid into theMCCA, they account for 6.7 percent of all claims reported.

In addition to increased medical costs passed on to taxpayers, Motorcycledeaths and injuries are on the rise after the repeal of mandatory helmet lawsin Florida, Kentucky and Louisiana. The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration found that in the three years after Florida's repeal of itsmandatory helmet law in 2000, 933 motorcyclists were killed, an 81 percentincrease.

Another study found that fatalities grew by more than 50 percent inKentucky and 100 percent in Louisiana after those states struck down mandatoryhelmet laws. Because of increased injuries and deaths, Louisiana legislatorsreinstated the motorcycle helmet requirement.

In Florida after the helmet law was repealed, the cost of hospital carefor motorcycle injuries grew from $21 million to $44 million in the 30 monthsafter the law changed.

SOURCE AAA Michigan
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