Easing the Helmet Requirement
Missouri’s governor signed into law a bill that will ease the helmet requirements. The new rule is if you’re 26 and have health insurance you don’t have to wear a helmet. The new law will go into effect on August 28.
The National Safety Council and the National Association of the State Motorcycle Safety Administrators’ Policy and Research committee both vehemently opposed the new law.
“The repeal of the all-rider helmet law will have ripple effects across the state of Missouri,” representatives for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said in a statement. “More riders will choose to leave their helmets at home, resulting in more unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities and injuries.”
The bill the governor signed also held many other provisions, including special license plates, funding for the state’s Hyperloop testing track project, vehicle registration, licensing, Real I.D., and highways named for fallen law enforcement officers, according to The Missouri Times.
I’m all for people making their own choices, but it seems to me that the opposition to this law is correct. It will result in more injuries and fatalities. The simple fact of the matter is that helmets save lives. So, even if your state doesn’t require one, you should wear one every single time you toss a leg over your bike.