Missouri helmet laws may be changing
The Missouri House and Senate have both passed a bill that would allow motorcycle riders to ride without a helmet except on highways. The law will go into effect if Gov. Jay Nixon doesn’t veto it.
Under the current law, all riders must have a helmet at all times to protect themselves from motorcycle injury accidents.
If the new law is put in place, anybody over 21 will have the option to wear a helmet when they ride their motorcycle. According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, 30 other states have similar partial helmet laws or no helmet laws.
Supporters of the change say riders should have the freedom to choose without the government becoming a nanny-state and legislating personal safety.
Opponents say that the costs associated with fatal and serious injuries sustained in Missouri motorcycle accidents are passed along to non-riders by increased insurance premiums and taxes.
In 2007, over 2,300 accidents involving motorcycles occurred in Missouri. 93 people were killed in these accidents and over 2,000 were injured. According to the Post Dispatch, Arkansas and Texas both saw sharp declines in helmet use after they loosened helmet laws in recent years. Fatalities in both states increased by 25 percent in the year after the laws were passed.
