Changes in Motorcycle-Related Head Injury Deaths, Hospitalizations, and Hospital Charges Following Repeal of Pennsylvania's Mandatory Motorcycle Helmet Law

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) Vol. 98; no. 8; pp. 1464 - 1467
• Main Authors: Mertz, Kristen J, Weiss, Harold B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Am Public Health Assoc 01.08.2008; American Public Health Association
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic - mortality; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Classification; Codes; Costs; Craniocerebral Trauma - epidemiology; Craniocerebral Trauma - prevention & control; Databases, Factual; Disease control; Disease prevention; Fatalities; Head injuries; Head Protective Devices - utilization; Helmets; Highway construction; Hospital Charges; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Law; Legislation as Topic; Mandatory Programs; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Motorcycles; Motorcycles - legislation & jurisprudence; Motorcycles - statistics & numerical data; Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology; Pennsylvania - epidemiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Rehabilitation; Rescission; Research and Practice; State Government; Trauma; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Traumatic brain injury; Trends; United States; North America; America; Pennsylvania; Human; Nervous system diseases; Costs; Craniocerebral; Legislation; Mortality; Motor cycle; Traffic accident; Hospitalization; Motor vehicle; Change; Individual safety equipment; Helmet; Health economy; Death; Safety; Head trauma; Public health
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.123299

To evaluate the 2003 repeal of Pennsylvania's motorcycle helmet law, we assessed changes in helmet use and compared motorcycle-related head injuries with non-head injuries from 2001-2002 to 2004-2005. Helmet use among riders in crashes decreased from 82% to 58%. Head injury deaths increased 66%; nonhead injury deaths increased 25%. Motorcycle-related head injury hospitalizations increased 78% compared with 28% for nonhead injury hospitalizations. Helmet law repeals jeopardize motorcycle riders. Until repeals are reversed, states need voluntary strategies to increase helmet use.