Mindell Law Firm

Motorcycle helmet use declines, and summertime Michigan injuries on the rise as a result

As personal injury attorneys for nearly fifty years, we bring to your attention articles that can help keep you and your family safe.

This article appeared this week on the website mlive.com.

We see the tragic results of serious motorcycle, automobile, truck and other accidents every day, and if you or a loved one is injured, good legal advice is essential.

A higher percentage of motorcycle riders involved in Michigan crashes are not wearing helmets, and they are suffering a higher rate of serious and fatal injuries than those who do, according to a new MLive Media Group analysis posted on the website mlive.com.

Data provided by the Michigan State Police indicates that there have been 1,326 motorcyclists and passengers in crashes reported by state and local authorities in the three months since Gov. Rick Snyder repealed the state’s mandatory helmet law.

Police are supposed to indicate on crash reports whether a helmet was used but do not always do so. In cases where they did, the data shows that a significant majority of riders were wearing a helmet, but the rate has dropped as temperatures have climbed.

Through the first two months after the repeal, 80 percent of motorcycle riders involved in a crash where helmet use was recorded were wearing one. In the latest month, that number dropped to 68 percent.

Those who were not wearing a helmet at the time of a crash tended to be more seriously injured, a finding that is consistent with our previous analysis of crash data since the 35-year-old law was repealed.

For more information, you can click HERE to read the full article on mlive.com.