I recently read a KSL article discussing a crash last weekend titled "Motorcycle crash puts hospital in awkward position over helmet use."  What struck me as interesting was the reporting and the comments section to the article.

Let's talk about the reporting first.  There is little doubt that we live in an age of sound bites.  Because most people receive their news from the television or the radio and increasingly more through the internet and always being pressed for time people glom onto sound bites.  Sound bites are very short pieces of a speech taken from a longer speech or an interview in which someone with authority or the average "man on the street" says something which is considered by those who edit the speech or interview to be the most important point.

In the KSL article there are sound bites scattered throughout.  For example on paragraph states "The Utah Safety Council says Utah riders are 84 percent more likely to die in a crash if they are not wearing a helmet."  I wonder if this is correct because all the research I have done does not show anything like that.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is probably the leading authority in helmet use across the United States.  The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) is probably the most definitive research organization that considers the use of helmets by motorcyclists in the United States.  NOPUS just released a recent study that shows that helmet use is on on the increase and this is good news.  However, despite my research I cannot find any statistical evidence that shows Utah riders are 84 percent more likely to die in a crash if they are not wearing a helmet.  Do not get me wrong.  I do think that wearing a motorcycle helmet can increase our chance of survival in a crash but am I really 84 percent more likely to die if I do not have helmet on - I doubt it!

The comments section to the KSL article are brutal.  They call people who do not wear helmets stupid, irresponsible and plain idiotic.  Some try to explain why helmet use may be a bad thing but they are shouted down.  Some comments are just funny like the one comparing a motorcycle helmet to a condom - FUNNY!  The overall theme however is that of personal choice versus governmental interference with personal liberties.  I have blogged a lot about helmet use - pros and cons - if you are really interested in the facts on helmet use read my past articles on motorcycle helmet use in Utah.

In the mean time I personally will continue to wear a helmet because last year riding on the highway I think I struck a dragon fly at about 80 mph.  It struck me on my forehead just above my eye.  Full face helmet from now on....

Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City. Utah Bike Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.

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