Karwowski 1

Michael Karwowski

English Composition 1

Professor Myers

20 November 2018

Should motorcycle riders be required by law to wear a helmet?

A man was in a serious motorcycle accident on christmas eve of 2016. He said that he

would not be alive if it was not for the helmet he was wearing. This sparks the discussion on

whether the government should create laws that require motorcycle riders to wear a helmet. A lot

of people think that it should be the rider’s decision on whether they should wear a helmet or not

because it is them taking the risk, not us. There have been studies done that prove that wearing a

helmet helps prevent brain damage and death. There is also evidence that proves that the rider is

not the only person who has to pay if they get in an accident. I do believe that the government

should create laws that require motorcycle riders to wear a helmet.

There was a statistic that came out in 2004 and it said that “in the 31 states that didn’t

have mandatory helmet laws, an estimated 135 (or 5.8%) fewer fatalities would have occurred if

there would have been laws that enforced the riders to wear helmets” (Sullum, 3). 5.8% is not a

huge percentage difference and that is why legislators have had trouble passing the laws. I think

that if laws can prevent lives being lost, then they should absolutely be created and enforced.

Deaths from motorcycle accidents are becoming a real issue. “From 2014 to 2015, motorcycle

deaths grew by 8.3 percent across the U.S.” (Lowman, 4). There needs to be something done to

lower this number and enforcing motorcycle helmet laws would do just that.

People that oppose the idea of there being laws that require motorcycle riders to wear a

helmet often argue that the rider is the only one at risk and they should be able to make their own
 Karwowski 2

decisions. But actually, the rider is not the only one that suffers if they get into an accident. The

Advocates of Highway Safety say “our country would save 25 billion dollars in medical bills per

year if every state adopted motorcycle helmet laws” (Lowman, 6). Not only does the rider suffer

from the accident, but so does the whole country. “Motorcycle crashes are placing a lot of

economic concern on the U.S. healthcare system” (Eltorai, 1). Having motorcycle helmet laws

would help save lives and our country’s money.

Motorcycle helmets are effective at preventing injury and death. There have been many

tests and studies done that prove this too. There was a study done by BMC Public Health and

they “used a trauma registry system and found that helmets greatly reduce injury in motorcycle

accidents” (Eltorai, 1). They also found that “the mortality rate for the motorcyclists who use

helmets was much lower than the motorcyclists that did not use helmets” (Eltorai, 1). Again, I

strongly believe that motorcycle helmets work and they should be required by law. There is a

statistic that says “two out of every three riders killed in motorcycle crashes did not have helmets

on” (Chapman, 4). Also, “helmets are 67 percent effective in preventing brain damage” (IIHS,

2). There would be so many more people alive to this day if there would have been a law in their

state that required them to wear a helmet.

Riding a motorcycle is a very dangerous thing. “Motorcycle riders are 29 times more

likely to be killed in a crash compared to someone in a car” (IIHS, 1). The government must

make laws that require helmets so that they can at least try to lower the amount of people killed

from motorcycle crashes. If people choose to put their life at risk by riding motorcycles,

I could see another side to this discussion that argues why motorcycle helmets should not

be required. For example, if you are driving in a car, does that make you safer if the guy on the

motorcycle next to you is wearing a helmet? The rider is the one taking the risk, so they should
 Karwowski 3

be the one that gets to decide on whether they should wear a helmet or not. “Motorcycle helmets

are about 37 percent effective in preventing motorcycle deaths” (IIHS, 2). This shows that

motorcycle helmets are not perfect and it gives another reason on why they should not be

required. People say that if you are traveling fast on a motorcycle, wearing a helmet would make

no difference if you were to get into a crash. I can agree with that statement in a way because

there is not any protection around the body to help with impact. But a helmet protects the most

important part of your body. Also, some people might put a helmet on and think they are totally

safe, and that causes them to become reckless.

It is time that we all fight for what is right. Somebody could start a fundraiser that is pro

helmet. All of the money donated could go towards research to improve the motorcycle helmets

that are on the market. If we could improve the helmets, a lot more people would start wearing

them. So even if we could not get helmet laws created, the number of deaths from motorcycle

crashes could still go down. There are people out there with family members that refuse to wear

helmets because they don’t have to. Having motorcycle helmet laws would make it a lot easier

for family members to see their loved ones ride motorcycles. Having motorcycle helmet laws

would save our country a lot of money and the lives of many people.
 Karwowski 4

Works Cited

Eltorai, Adam. “Federally Mandating Motorcycle Helmets in the United States.” Sinclair College

Off-Campus Authentication Form, 2016,

https://doaj-org.sinclair.ohionet.org/article/feba863bc2b946cd89c09f74aedc8aea

Kuo, Spencer C.H. “The Protective Effect of Helmet Use in Motorcycle and Bicycle Accidents.”

Sinclair College Off-Campus Authentication Form, 2017, BMC, https://doaj-

org.sinclair.ohionet.org/article/d3bdb4d777ec490bacdc9774abc50b30

Lowman, Joe. “Personal Injury Blog.” Motorcycle Helmets: To Wear or Not to Wear, Which Is

Safer, 14 Apr. 2017, www.lowmanlawfirm.com/blog/bid/63144/motorcycle-helmets-to-wear-or-

not-to-wear-which-is-safer.

“Motorcycles.” IIHS, 2016, www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/motorcycles/fatalityfacts/motorcycles.

Sullum, Jacob “Motorcycle Helmet Laws Save Lives, but Not Very Many.” Reason.com, 1 Apr.

2008, https://reason.com/blog/2008/04/01/motorcycle-helmet-laws-save-li