Become a Member: Get Ad-Free Access to 3,000+ Reviews, Guides, & More

Connecticut: Wear a Helmet or Donate Your Organs

New Proposed Senate Bill No. 96 Assumes “Persons Killed in a Motorcycle Accident While Riding Without a Helmet Wish to Donate Their Organs”

A female motorcyclist enjoying a ride on her motorcycle. Media sourced from Harvard.
A female motorcyclist enjoying a ride on her motorcycle. Media sourced from Harvard.

… There has truly never been a better time to stick a lid on it, folks. 

In a shocking new bill published under the Connnecticut General Assembly‘s website, riders who do not wear a motorcycle helmet will no longer have autonomy over their organs if they lose their life in an accident. 

Janaki Jitchotvisut from RideApart tells us that this macabre munchy was courtesy of state senator Martin M. Looney of the 11th District, who “introduced the controversial bill in January, 2023 [a few days ago, during the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) Session Year 2023]… and the AMA is fighting it.”

Perhaps the toughest bit of grit to swallow is the reason for the bill, outlined simply in an understated format on CGA’s website

“To improve public health.”

Connecticut's Proposed Senate Bill No. 96, which posits that organs from expired, post-impact riders can be forfeited if the motorcyclist wasn't wearing their helmet. Media sourced from CGA.
Connecticut’s Proposed Senate Bill No. 96, which posits that organs from expired, post-impact riders can be forfeited. Media sourced from CGA.

Here’s the PDF version of the above Proposed Senate Bill No. 96.

The bill is mercifully short… more than that, it’s entirely without admittance that the same officials setting Connecticut’s non-mandatory lid rules (mandatory under 18 years of age) are the ones positing a bill “to help fix declining organ donation rates in Connecticut” (via CycleNews).

“Adult riders who are fully licensed may choose not to wear a helmet under state law… [and] if the Senator and his constituents don’t like it [then] it’s literally [their] job to propose a bill that would change that law,” adds Jitchotvisut. 

The AMA’s reaction has been swift and sure, with AMA Government Relations Director Mike Sayre putting out in a press release that “the decision to become a donor is a deeply personal one—one that this legislation would take away from motorcyclists.”

It gets better. 

Two motorcyclists looking into the sunset. Media sourced from RideApart.
Two motorcyclists looking into the sunset. Media sourced from RideApart.

When contacted by the AMA Government Relations Department, CycleNews tells us Senator Looney’s office responded as thus: 

“The staffer stated that their position was that if motorcyclists put their lives at risk by riding helmetless, they assume those riders don’t care where their organs end up.”

What do you think? Is there reason to have Senate Bill No. 96?

Let us know in the comments below to get the conversation started, subscribe for more updates as they come trickling down the proverbial Powersports pipeline, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties. 

*Media sourced from CGA, Harvard and RideApart*