Skip to main content

Michigan senate approves repeal of motorcycle helmet law

AAA Michigan has said it strongly opposes legislation approved by the Michigan Senate late Wednesday (June 28) which, if approved by the House, would repeal Michigan's nearly four-decade old mandatory motorcycle helmet law.
April 19, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
4939 AAA Michigan has said it strongly opposes legislation approved by the Michigan Senate late Wednesday (June 28) which, if approved by the House, would repeal Michigan's nearly four-decade old mandatory motorcycle helmet law.

Senate Bill 291 - approved by a vote of 24 to 14 - allows individuals 21 years of age or older to ride without a helmet if they have a medical policy of US$100,000 in place. A sunset provision was also placed in the bill which would automatically repeal the helmet law four years after the effective date of the bill – unless the legislature acts again. The bill also requires the Department of State to perform a study of accidents, injuries and fatalities during those four years – if the bill becomes law.

AAA Michigan says that repealing the current law will result in more motorcycle fatalities and injuries and higher costs for all motorists. An Office of Highway Safety Planning analysis found that a repeal of the law would result in at least 30 additional motorcycle fatalities each year, along with 127 more incapacitating injuries and $129 million in additional economic costs to citizens.

The 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in the three years after Florida's repeal of its mandatory helmet law there was an 81% increase in fatalities. According to 831 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data, US states with either no helmet laws for motorcyclists or lax enforcement of helmet laws have without exception the highest fatality rates for motorcycle riders. Those US states with helmet laws and tough enforcement have the lowest fatality rates amongst motorcyclists. The previous US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters is a keen motorcycle rider and voiced her opinions on the need for helmet laws on numerous occasions, attributing her survival from one motorcycle accident to her own use of personal protective gear including a helmet.

Related Content

  • New equipment aids clamp-down on drug drivers
    October 30, 2015
    The type-approval of roadside drug testing equipment could bring about fundamental changes to the way police tackle the problem as Colin Sowman finds out. It has been almost 50 years since the first drink-driving laws were introduced but the problem persists: the European Commission estimates that 25% of road fatalities in the EU are the result of alcohol consumption. Statistics from the UK show that 20% of drivers killed in road accidents in 2012 were over the blood alcohol limit for driving.
  • Funding to speed innovation in US transportation projects
    December 22, 2014
    US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced US$5.37 million in grants from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) designed to accelerate deployment of innovative road and bridge work. The funds will be used to offset the cost of pioneering highway project delivery in six states.
  • Intersection collision avoidance system trial
    January 31, 2012
    Although much of the emphasis of research into intersection management has tended to concentrate on the needs of urban locations, there remain specific issues pertaining to rural intersections which need to be addressed. Here, Rebecca Szymkowski and Greg Helgeson, Wisconsin DOT, Todd Szymkowski, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Craig Shankwitz and Arvind Menon, University of Minnesota detail progress on an intersection collision avoidance system for more remote locations.
  • Remote remedies help US authorities identify bridge deficiencies
    September 6, 2017
    Every day 185 million vehicles – cars, trucks, school buses, emergency response units - cross one or more of America’s 55,710 'structurally compromised' steel and concrete road bridges, the highest concentration of which are in Iowa (nearly 5,000), Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. Nearly 2,000 of these crossings are located on interstate highways, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association's recent analysis of the US Department of Transportation's 2016 National Bridge Inventory.