Nixon vetoes bill that repeals helmet law
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed a bill today that would have allowed many Missouri motorcycle enthusiasts to ride without a helmet.
The bill had passed both the Missouri House and Senate and had been waiting on Nixon’s approval for several weeks. We commented on the bill in a post last month about motorcycle safety laws.
The bill would have repealed many of Missouri’s existing helmet laws and allowed anybody over 21 to ride a motorcycle without a helmet if they so choose. Under Missouri law, all motorcyclists must wear a helmet at all times to protect themselves from motorcycle injury accidents.
Nixon said he made the decision that was the most safe and cost-effective one for Missouri. He believes that more motorcyclists would die in accidents and treating the additional injuries would cause health care costs in the state to rise.
A similar bill was vetoed by former Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan in 1999.
Several studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have shown that personal injuries and fatalities related to motorcycle accidents increased in states that have limited or repealed helmet laws.
Overall, motorcycle crashes are on the rise across the country. Over three thousand people die each year due to injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents. Sometimes these are wrongful death cases where another driver doesn’t see the smaller motorcyclists and pulls his vehicle into the path of the bike causing the tragic incident.
Supporters of the bill to repeal the helmet laws say they will continue to push for their cause.
