Ah, the freedom of the open road! The roar of the tiger between your legs. The wind through your hair. The sun on your face. The feeling you get while riding your motorcycle through the city or countryside. It’s an amazing sense of adventure that only a motorcyclist can understand. Perhaps wearing a motorcycle helmet dampens those feelings a bit.
Among motorcyclists, helmets are a point of contention. Some don’t care for helmets simply because they like the feeling of the wind in their hair. Some feel that helmets actually cause more harm than the protection they provide. Some bikers are adamant that helmets save lives.
What does the evidence say?
There was a study published in 1986, The Effect of Motorcycle Helmet Use On the Probability of Fatality and the Severity of Head and Neck Injuries, that concluded that motorcycle helmets may actually cause increased risk of cervical spine injury when riding beyond a certain speed. This study contributes to the debate of whether bikers should be required to wear a helmet by law.
The same study concluded that motorcycle helmets do indeed reduce the risk and severity of head injuries in a motorcycle crash. These conflicting conclusions bring into question whether wearing a motorcycle helmet will help or harm a biker when it comes down to it.
A recent study conducted at the University of Wisconsin has shown that motorcycle helmets protect bikers from both head injury and cervical spine injury. It was also demonstrated that bikers who wore a helmet while in a motorcycle crash had injuries less severe than those who did not wear a helmet. Helmet wearing bikers tend to spend less time in ICU, shorter lengths of stay in the hospital in general, and were more likely to go home after a hospital stay, rather than being sent to a long-term care or rehab facility.
A motorcycle crash is a frightening experience. Wearing a motorcycle helmet can save a rider from severe injuries and death.
If you or someone you know suffered a serious injury in a motorcycle crash, please contact Alexander Law Group, LLP immediately to discuss your rights. Call 888.777.1776 right now, for a free, confidential, and personal consultation with one of our attorneys or contact us online.
