In June 2004, 58 percent of motorcyclists in the U.S. used helmets, unchanged from the usage rate two years ago. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only probability-based observed data on helmet use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The 2004 survey also found the following: * The use of helmets that are not compliant with Federal safety regulations declined from 14 percent in 2002 to 11 percent in 2004. Such helmets include novelty helmets and helmets with an insufficient coverage area; and * use rates for both helmets that do and do not comply with Federal safety regulations are statistically lower in States that do not require helmet use, compared to States that require use. In 2004, 71 percent of motorcyclists in States requiring helmet use wore compliant helmets and 16 percent wore noncompliant helmets. In States with no helmet law, 48 percent used compliant and 6 percent used noncompliant helmets. (Author/publisher)
Abstract