MOTORCYCLE HELMET EFFECTIVENESS IN LOUISIANA
Effective 1 October 1976, Louisiana's motorcycle helmet law was revised to exclude riders over 17 years of age; the original law (1968) applied to all motorcyclists. The first two years' experience under the revised law was examined to determine if the change had a significant effect on motorcyclist deaths and injuries. Motorcycle registrations increased 127% between 1968 and 1976; motorcycle accidents increased 34% between 1973 and 1978; and fatalities increased 133% between 1975 and 1978. Motorcycle helmet use decreased almost 50% in all accidents, and about 75% among fatalities, in the first two years after the law change. Only 22% of all fatalities wore helmets in 1978, and only 8% of those fatalities under 18 years of age were helmeted (a group supposedly protected by the law). There was a 45% increase in the motorcycle fatality rate in the two years. Severe head injuries were reported in about 65% of fatalities before and after the law was changed, but the fatal head injury rate was 10.5 per 1000 crash-involved riders before and 15.2 after the law change. In 1978, this rate was 8.8 per 1000 helmeted riders but 28.2 for nonhelmeted riders.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Conference held in Washington, D.C., 18-23 May 1980. Also published in HS-029 702, International Motorcycle Safety Conference Proceedings. Volume 3, p 1311-21.
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Corporate Authors:
Motorcycle Safety Foundation
780 Elkridge Landing Road
Linthicum, MD United States 21090 -
Authors:
- Dart Jr, O K
- Publication Date: 1980
Media Info
- Features: References;
- Pagination: 11 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Fatalities; Head; Helmets; Injuries; Laws; Measures of effectiveness; Motorcyclists; Teenage drivers
- Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness; Head injuries
- Subject Areas: Law; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00390520
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Report/Paper Numbers: HS-029 718
- Files: HSL, USDOT
- Created Date: Nov 30 1984 12:00AM