In 2013, an estimated 1,630 lives were saved in the United States by motorcycle helmets; an estimated 715 additional fatalities could have been prevented if all motorcyclists1 had worn helmets. The lives saved resulted in an estimated $2.8 billion saved in economic costs, and $17.3 billion in comprehensive costs,2 by helmet-wearing motorcyclists. An additional $1.1 billion could have been saved in economic costs, and $7.2 billion in comprehensive costs, if all motorcyclists had worn helmets. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration annually provides information on the number of lives saved by the use of DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets, as well as the potential number of lives that could have been saved at 100-percent helmet use. In addition, the economic costs saved by those wearing helmets, and how much could have been saved had all riders worn helmets, are also estimated. This information is provided for each State as well as the nation as a whole. A recently published report, The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010 (Revised) (Blincoe, Miller, Zaloshnja, & Lawrence, 2015), updated the cost information used with these estimates. This Research Note provides information on how NHTSA determines estimates of lives and costs saved by the use of motorcycle helmets, principally presenting updated economic cost estimate data. The Appendix details the process for calculating these estimates. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting