USA considers compulsory helmet use
This one's going to go down like a cup of cold sick
COMPULSORY helmet use could be introduced in the USA but not is the American Motorcyclist Association has anything to do with it.
A government group has been setup to study motorcycle helmet use and it is thought that they are on the verge of recommending that all states adpot a universal helmet law.
However, the American Motorcyclist Association says that "Adults should have the right to voluntarily decide when to wear a helmet. The AMA does not oppose laws requiring helmets for minor motorcycle operators and passengers."
"The AMA strongly advocates helmet use, but helmet use alone is insufficient to ensure a motorcyclist's safety. There is a broad range of measures that can be implemented to improve the skill of motorcycle operators, as well as reduce the frequency of situations where other vehicle operators are the cause of crashes that involve motorcycles."
In 2012, a US government study claimed that if motorcyclists wore helmets, it would save the economy £1.9bn annually.
Last year Governer Rick Snyder signed into law a bill that will allow Michigan riders over 21-years old to ride without a helmet, a decade after the state introduced a compulsory helmet law.
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring anyone on a motorcycle to wear a helmet. Twenty-eight states have laws requiring helmet use by only some people, and three states have no helmet law. In states without helmet laws, 79% of the motorcyclists killed weren't wearing helmets, compared to 12% in states that require all riders to wear helmets.
