In 2000, Florida repealed its law that required motorcyclists to wear safety helmets. As a result, helmet use dropped by half to about 52 percent of riders in 2002, reports the Sun Sentinel. Now, more than 10 years after the law’s repeal, state traffic officials say they have seen a slight uptick in the number of riders wearing their helmets.
A Department of Transportation (DOT) survey found that helmet use in 2010 was up slightly in Broward and Palm Beach counties to 55 and 47 percent, respectively. Safety campaigns that urge bikers to wear a helmet are credited with the increased use. In 2008, a state law mandated all motorcyclists take a training course before receiving the motorcycle rider endorsement on their driver’s license.
Traumatic brain injury caused 29 percent of motorcycle crash deaths in 2009. The public should care because the average cost to treat a motorcycle injury is about $53,000, with insurance picking up roughly half of the emergency room and hospital stays. [...]
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