I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Helmets save lives. Hell, one saved my life about a decade ago when I decided to impact a cliff wall at 40mph and ragdoll across its jagged rocky edges leaving 1/8-inch gashes across where my temples would’ve been had I not had my Shoei on.
Wearing one anytime I get on a bike, along with my kids, is a non-negotiable. Wear one or don’t ride, even in my backyard where speeds are considerably slower. And if I’m being as honest as I should be with my audience here, I should also wear full gear even in my backyard, as I recently visited the ER after binning my Stark Varg EX in the backyard at 10 mph only for the peg to meet my foot. It wasn’t broken, but I basically made every single joint in my foot swell up, causing some serious pain.
I won’t be making that mistake again.
But that continued learning can’t always occur when you don’t wear a motorcycle helmet, as you can conceivably die from a crash. And, based on all the real-world data we have on crashes, injuries, and deaths revolving around helmet law repeals in recent years, the likelihood of you dying from not wearing a helmet becomes staggeringly high. As this recent study found out from nearly 15 years of data since the repeal of Michigan’s mandatory helmet law.
“Repealing universal motorcycle helmet laws is associated with a significant increase in crash-related inpatient costs, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS),” states the American College of Surgeons, adding, “Using Michigan’s 2012 repeal as a natural experiment, researchers found that the policy change led to a 26% increase in average inpatient costs per motorcycle crash patient.”
The ACS then goes on to explain the testing data used, including, “Researchers analyzed 19,685 motorcycle crash patients from five states using data from 2009 to 2015. They compared Michigan — which repealed its universal helmet law in April 2012 — with four control states chosen for geographic and demographic similarity: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, and Colorado.” What they found was that costs soared for acute inpatient expenses, while data for outpatient services like rehab and more, wasn’t available, but likely far greater.
Moreover, a study prior to the JACS’ found that just a year after the repeal of Michigan’s helmet laws, the state saw a 14% increase in head injuries. And based on other states which have repealed helmet laws in recent years, serious injury and death have risen dramatically. It’s almost like there’s a correlation between helmet law repeals and more motorcyclists dying? Huh, must be an anomaly. Or a figment of the WOKE media.
Anyway, not only are you more likely to be injured or die without a helmet, you’re also more likely to be paying a metric-ton more money because of your stupidity and want for “Mu Freedoms!” So sure, go without a helmet, make your family pay for your vegetable ass, make them pay for your casket. It’s your choice, after all.
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