Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

The Illinois Senate rejected a law today that would have required all motorcycle riders and passengers to wear a helmet. The measure failed 14-42. Illinois remains one of only three states in the entire country that does not require motorcyclists to wear a helmet.

Efforts to require helmets have stalled in the past, in part because of strong lobbying by motorcycle advocate groups that argue wearing a helmet is an individual's choice, not the government's.

It is shocking to me that this measure failed by such an overwhelming amount. The statistics regarding helmet use are grim and it is disgraceful that our state senate would not do something to proactively reduce the number of motorcyle-related deaths in our state.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Illinois reported 142 motorcyle riders killed in 2007 alone. More than 80% of these people were not wearing a helmet. By contrast, Missouri, which requires riders to wear helmets, reported only 84 motorcycle deaths in 2007; only 21% of these riders were without a helmet. The NHTSA estimated that helmets saved nearly 1800 motorcyclists' lives in 2007 and that 800 more lives could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn a helmet. Moreover, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concluded in a study that states with full helmet-use laws had consistently lower head injury-associated death rates than states without such laws, even when stratified by region.

I think the statistics are clear: helmets save lives. If the Illinois government won't force you to wear a helmet, I sincerely hope you will choose to wear one anyway. It could be the difference between life and death.