Georgia Injury Law Blog
According to recently released statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there was a significant 6% drop in the number of people killed in motorcycle accidents across the country in 2013.There was also a perceptible drop in the number of people injured in these accidents.
Data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds a total of 4,668 motorcyclist fatalities in accidents in 2013. That was a drop from 4,986 fatalities the previous year. There were 88,000 motorcycle injuries reported in 2013, which was a 5% drop from the 93,000 motorcyclist injuries recorded the previous year. In Georgia, there were 116 motorcycle accident fatalities in 2013.
The data also seems to prove the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets in saving lives in accidents. In 2013, helmets helped more than 1,000 motorcyclists get home safely. However, if all motorcyclists involved in accidents that year had been helmeted, at least 750 deaths could have been prevented. According to the data, helmets are approximately 37% effective in helping reduce the risk of fatality to motorcycle riders, and 41% effective in preventing deaths of motorcycle passengers.
Out of the 116 motorcycle accident fatalities in 2013 in Georgia, 92% were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, while 4% were non-helmeted. It’s also important to remember that these statistics don’t make any mention of whether the persons were wearing helmets that met specifications set by the Department of Transportation. It’s important to wear a helmet that has the “DOT-approved” label certifying that the helmet adheres to guidelines for motorcycle helmet and testing set by the Department Of Transportation.
Wearing a novelty helmet may do nothing to protect your head from injuries in an accident. Unfortunately, far too many motorcyclists wear novelty helmets, not realizing that these helmets do not meet any stringent manufacturing and testing standards, and therefore, may not be very effective in preventing deaths and injuries. Look for the “DOT-approved” label or “Snell-approved” sticker which signifies that the helmet has been certified and tested by the Snell Memorial Foundation.