Publication Details

Title	Exemptions from wearing motorcycle helmets
Authors	Brazenor GA, Dan NG, Simpson DA
Year	1992
Type	Journal Article
Abstract	To the Editor: Motorcyclists who wear helmets are less likely to die of head injuries than those who do not, and they are also less likely to suffer crippling brain injury. Epidemiological studies have confirmed that helmets give head protection without significantly increasing the risk of serious injuries in other parts of the body. Of these studies, the most convincing are based on accident statistics from some 26 States in the USA which rescinded or weakened laws enforcing helmet use by motorcyclists, this astonishing legislative experiment with human lives was followed by a massive increase in motorcycle deaths in these States, and it was possible to establish that helmeted motorcyclists and helmeted pillion passengers enjoy a 27�9% reduction in risk of death, compared with those who are bareheaded. The risk of survival with severe brain damage is also much higher in unhelmeted motorcyclists, apparently with no counter balancing gain in a lower risk of spinal injury. Impressed by the consequences of repeal, the legislature of Louisiana re-enacted mandatory helmet use fatalities fell by more than 30% despite a large increase in the number of motorcycle registrations.
Journal Title	Medical Journal of Australia
Journal Volume (Issue)	156(March2)
Page Range	362
Page Count	1

Reference

Brazenor GA, Dan NG, Simpson DA (1992). Exemptions from wearing motorcycle helmets. Medical Journal of Australia, 156(March2), 362.