May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Tennessee, which is why the Nashville motorcycle accident attorneys at Ponce Law would like to discuss the importance of helmet use.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that using a helmet reduces a motorcyclist’s chance of death in the event of a crash by as much as 37 percent. Furthermore, helmets reduce the risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury by almost 70 percent. Helmets were also responsible for saving 46 lives and $94 million in economic damages in Tennessee during 2010 alone.
Despite these numbers, a constituency of our state’s lawmakers recently proposed a bill that would call for Tennessee’s motorcycle helmet law to be repealed for riders over age 18. Those in favor of the change believe wearing a helmet should be a personal choice, not a mandated regulation. Those in favor of the current legislation pointed to the data to show the importance of a helmet. They also cited the difficulty of enforcing helmet laws that only apply to certain riders. Luckily, according to The Tennessean, legislators rejected the proposed bill late last month.
At Ponce Law, we recognize the importance of requiring all motorcyclists wear helmets every time they ride, and our Nashville personal injury lawyers are glad to see bikers are still required to wear this life-saving piece of safety equipment.