Posted On: January 9, 2006, 4:29 pm CST

Posted By: Shell Summerlin

If the insurance companies would look at the real figures, instead of making up their own, they would see that the 30 states that have optional or no helmet laws have LOWER fatality numbers than the 20 states that have mandatory helmet laws. Florida DOT released a report in 2005 that showed since they amended their helmet law, more bikers are dieing with helmets ON than off. The reason insurance companies are opposed to a helmet optional law is because the drivers (car/truck/SUV) they insure are causing 80% of the motorcycle accidents/fatalities on the road by being inattentive (cell phones/news papers/make-up/ect...) and not seeing the motorcycle. NHTSA's own figures prove this. A 5lb. helmet strapped to your head becomes a 200lb. weight in a front end collision at 50mph which the neck can not support. The vertabre in your neck snap, killing the rider. Motorcycle awareness programs are the answer, not helmet laws. Iowa & Oklahoma have NO helmet law for any age, and have the LOWEST motorcycle fatality rates in the country. Seat belts save lives, helmets don't.