303
Views
35
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Florida's Weakened Motorcycle Helmet Law: Effects on Death Rates in Motorcycle Crashes

&
Pages 55-60 | Received 19 May 2005, Accepted 27 Sep 2005, Published online: 15 Aug 2006
 

Objectives: Effective July 1, 2000, Florida's universal helmet law was amended to exclude riders ages 21 and older with insurance coverage providing at least $10,000 in medical benefits for injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash. Observed helmet use in Florida was reported to have declined from nearly 100% in 1998, before the law change, to 53% after. This study examined the effects of the law change on the likelihood of death, given involvement in a motorcycle crash.

Methods: Rates of motorcyclist deaths per crash involvement in Florida for 2001–2002 (after the law change) were compared with those for 1998–1999 (before the law change). Before/after death rate ratios (95% CIs) were examined, and logistic regression models estimated the effect of the helmet law change on the odds of death in a crash, while controlling for rider gender, age, and seating position, and number of vehicles.

Results: The motorcyclist death rate increased significantly after the law change, from 30.8 to 38.8 deaths per 1,000 crash involvements. Motorcyclist death rates increased for single- and multiple-vehicle crashes, for male and female operators, and for riders of all ages including those younger than 21. After controlling for gender and age, the likelihood of death given involvement in a motorcycle crash was 25% higher than expected after the law change. It is estimated that 117 motorcyclist deaths could have been avoided during 2001–2002 if Florida's universal helmet law had remained in place.

Conclusions:This study provides evidence of the life-saving benefits of universal helmet laws. The results also suggest that age-specific helmet laws are not effective in protecting the youngest drivers. This is not surprising, as these laws are largely unenforceable.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Notes

1Difference in before vs. after death rates is statistically significant, p < 0.05.

1Difference in before vs. after death rates is statistically significant, p < 0.05.

1Statistically significant at p < 0.05.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 61.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 331.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.