Risky ride: More motorcycle deaths fuel new debate over helmet laws

Essential reading

Motorcycle deaths rose as states rolled back helmet laws

By JOHN YAUKEY and ROBERT BENINCASA, Gannett News Service

An increasing death rate for motorcyclists has sparked renewed debate over helmet laws. Safety advocates say such laws save lives and money, but bikers who oppose the laws say they represent a threat to personal freedom.

» Major findings at a glance

» How we analyzed data from fatal motorcycle accidents

Sportbikes breed culture of speed and stunts

By JOHN YAUKEY, Gannett News Service

As motorcycles have become more nimble and powerful, stuntriding has gained in popularity. "Stunters" acknowledge that what they do is dangerous, but they say their sport is moving off the street and into arenas and other venues where traffic isn't an issue and medical services are close at hand.

Bikers, helmet advocates debate medical costs

By JOHN YAUKEY, Gannett News Service

Motorcyclists who oppose helmet laws say helmets impair vision and hearing and can make riding a motorcycle more dangerous. But studies overwhelmingly show that requiring bikers to wear a helmet reduces medical costs.

The right helmet can save a life

By JOHN YAUKEY, Gannett News Service

There's an overwhelming variety of motorcycle helmets out there, but focusing on some essential criteria makes it easier to narrow the field. Above all, don't forget to look for that DOT sticker on the back.

» Motorcycle safety tips

» High court upheld helmet law

» Helmet laws are widespread overseas

» On the Web: Sites for more information

USA TODAY editorials

USA TODAY view: Motorcycle madness

If you ride a motorcycle, you're 37 times more likely to die in a crash than someone in a passenger car. Motorcycle deaths have more than doubled in the past 10 years, and motorcycle accidents kill more Americans each year than all the nation's much higher-profile plane crashes, ship disasters, pipeline explosions and railway accidents combined.

Opposing view: Helmet laws don't work

By Jeff Hennie,vice president of government affairs for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.

Government officials will tell you that motorcyclists make up 2 percent of the vehicles on the road and 10 percent of the fatalities, and they would be correct. That sounds like a major problem. But what they don't tell you paints a very different scenario.

Discussion center

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