Universal Motorcycle Helmet Laws

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Should all states require motorcyclists and passengers to wear helmets?
Carla Lockhart
Dr. Wayne Marshall
ENG 215
May 20, 2018 Introduction
All states should require motorcyclists and passengers to wear helmets: Some states by law do need riders and passengers to wear helmets. Why would riders and passengers not want to wear helmets? Can all states reach an agreement to have the same helmet law? Why would some states not pass the law for motorcyclists to wear a helmet?
History and Status
The Department of Transportation states that motorcycle rider fatalities have risen from 1,742 in 1997 to 4,155 in 2006, an increase of 138 percent. Illinois, New Hampshire, and Iowa do not require motorcyclists to wear helmets. Alaska, Florida, Oklahoma and 24 other states require minors to wear helmets when on motorbikes. Only 20 states – among them Alabama, California, Louisiana and New York – universally mandate helmets for every person no matter the age. Helmet critics in Louisiana have frequently challenged the state’s universal helmet requirement as unconstitutional. It was repealed in 1976 and again in 1999 but was reestablished again in 2004. “All states have the power to pass the law for motorcyclists and passengers to wear helmets to help prevent severe injuries” (Universal Motorcycle Helmet Laws Reduce Costs to Society, 2006). …show more content…

*19 states have the Universal Law, which requires all motorcyclists to wear a helmet
*28 states have the Partial Law, which requires some motorcyclists to wear a helmet, there are stipulations in place for this law such as horsepower and age.
*2 states have No Law, Iowa, New Hampshire and Illinois, there is no law in these states for helmet usage (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute,

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