Based on a comparison of fatal crashes involving motorcycles with two riders, at least one of whom was killed, the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has estimated helmets to be about 37 percent effective in preventing fatalities. In 2003, there were 3,661 rider deaths in fatal motorcycle crashes. An effectiveness of 37 percent for motorcycle helmets suggests that an estimated 1,158 additional motorcyclists would have died were it not for the fact that they were wearing helmets. Had all motorcyclists consistently worn proper helmets, an additional 640 motorcyclists could have survived otherwise fatal crashes in 2003. Unfortunately, the potential life saving benefits of helmets are not being realized, as fatalities continue to rise in response to declining helmet usage rates. According to the most recent National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), only 58 percent of motorcyclists nationally were observed to be wearing helmets. This represents a dramatic decline since 2000, when the usage rate was 71 percent. Despite the fact that less than 3 percent of registered passenger vehicles are motorcycles, motorcyclist fatalities represent about 9 percent of all passenger vehicle rider fatalities. Considering that passenger car rider fatalities are trending downward, policies that result in raising public acceptance of the protective value of helmets can have a significant impact on reducing the total number of lives lost annually on America's highways. Periodically, NCSA publishes an estimate of lives saved by various policies and strategies. This note describes the methodology used to calculate the contribution of motorcycle helmets to the total number of lives saved. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting