The Basics of Motorcycle Helmet Safety

It's not set in stone, but it is thought that the earliest motorcycle was built in 1885 by Gottlieb Daimler. A simple device, not intended for high speed, there was no thought for head protection. Indian followed suit in 1902, followed closely by Harley Davidson in 1903, with motorcycles that went faster than the predecessor. These two builders battled it out for fastest bikes in the interim of 1931 and 1953, and as their bikes got faster, so did the fatality rate from motorcycles crashes climb.

The history of the modern motorcycle helmet began in 1953 when Professor C.F. Lombard, known as "Red," of the University of Southern California (USC), applied for a patent for a motorcycle helmet that featured a dual layer of padding focused on the design of absorbing and distributing the shock of impact in the case of accident.

By 1958, California set the precedent for motorcycle safety by requiring motorcycle police officers to wear helmets; But the United States wasn't the only country beginning to understand the need for safety.

American National Safety Standard

On January, 1, 1961, Australia passed the first law mandating the use of motorcycle helmets, well that seemed to get the ball rolling. In The United States in 1966, the American National Safety Standard for Motorcycle Helmets was introduced, this organization set required performance standards for helmets that all manufacturers were required to build their helmets to

The Highway Safety Act of 1966 was introduced by the federal government which stated that helmet laws in all states were required to be eligible for federal funding for highway maintenance and construction. In 1974 the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) set safety standards that every motorcycle helmet was required to pass and all helmets must be inspected and have a DOT sticker to prove that the helmet passed the inspection and met the minimum requirements. The USC Head Protection Research Laboratories lobbied the federal government in 1997 to upgrade these standards.

Back to 1977, for reasons unknown, the federal government repealed the helmet law and within three years half of the states followed suit and repealed their own helmet laws. Motorcycle injuries and fatalities rose sharply, seems the people forgot that 80% of motorcycle accidents resulted in injury or death. Statistics show that a motorcyclist is twenty-one times per driven mile more likely to be killed than persons driving cars.

The Attractiveness of the Helmet

This risk decreases by 29% if a helmet is worn. But, opponents to helmet laws cite freedom of choice as to whether or not they should wear a helmet, regardless of what the statistics show based on the thought that it didn't hurt anyone except themselves. Wrong! The numbers showed that more likely than not, those that chose "freedom of choice" and didn't wear helmets, usually chose not to have insurance as well. When these persons were injured in accidents it was left for the taxpayers to absorb the cost of their hospitalization. Not to mention the effect on friends and family when left to care for a paraplegic or quadriplegic loved one, without the benefit of insurance to pay for their care. Currently only three states do not have mandatory helmet laws.

The Biker Lawyers are experienced Texas motorcycle accident lawyers that also love to ride. We know Texas motorcycle law and the bias against bikers; therefore, we are dedicated to aggressively winning motorcycle accident cases. We will actively fight to not only protect your rights, but also win the settlement you deserve.

The Cole Legal Group regularly represents motorcycle accident clients all over the great state of Texas, including Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Waxahachie. Call us today at 1-800-245-5539 for a free case evaluation!

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