InsuranceSpecialists Blog » motorcycle insurance

In Brief: Oregon Helmet Law Modifications?

Iris — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:28:18 +0000

The state of Oregon currently requires all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, regardless of age or type of bike.

Twenty members of the Oregon legislature want to change that. Specifically, they believe only bikers under the age of 21 should be required to wear helmets.

State Representative Andy Olson (R) sponsored a bill to relax motorcycle helmet law in just that way, House Bill 2141, because he feels that without helmets riders will be able to better see and hear what is around them on the road.

The measure is headed to the House Transportation and Economic Development Committee.

West Virginia Sees Decline in Motorcycle Deaths

Iris — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:33:40 +0000

Fatalities related to motorcycle accidents are declining in the state of West Virginia. In fact, there have been only seven so far this year.

According to Barbara Lobert, manager of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, this is a marked improvement over last year, which had a total of 25 motorcycle-related fatalities, which, in turn, was less than half of the number – 52 – from 2008.

What’s improving the life expectancy of West Virginia bikers? Lobert suggests that more of them may be wearing helmets.

According to Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker, and Clarksburg Police Chief Marshall Goff, two of this year’s fatal accidents took place in Harrison County, where there has also been a spate of non-fatal accidents involving motor bikes.

Goff and Walker believe that most such accidents are due to increased speed, lack of attention, and a greater number of bikers on the road.

Kansas Senate wants to Penalize Adults for Helmetless Teens

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:36:49 +0000

Motorcycle insurance may pay medical bills if you get into an accident on your bike, but it can’t protect you from a new bill being considered by the Kansas State Senate. It’s already illegal for teen drivers to drive or ride upon on a motocylce sans helmet in the “Sunflower State,” but the bill under consideration wants parents to face the law as well, if they allow their teens to go unhelmeted.

As reported in the Insurance Journal, the bill was introduced roughly a month ago, on January 14, and it would make it illegal for owners of a motorized bicycle or motorcyle to permit any person under 18 years old to drive or ride on their vehile without wearing a helmet.

According to Hutchinson Police Sergeant Brian Hurt, if the bill passes, “…adults could be ticketed for that now, too.”

According to Sgt. Hirt, teens between the ages of 14 and 17 can already be cited for not wearing helmets, with the average ticket costing $25 in fines, and $75 in court costs.

Hirt suggested to the press, “”Maybe (the bill) is a way to encourage people under 18 to wear a helmet, and for adults to say, ‘If you want to ride my motorcycle, you need to have a helmet.”’

According to numbers provided by the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration), 4,810 people were killed and 88,000 were injured in motorcycle accidents in 2006. In the same year, in Kansas, 64 riders were killed in motorcycle crashes, of which 43 weren’t wearing helmets.

Overall, motorcycle helmet use has been increasing across the country, the NHTSA says, with 67 percent of bikers wearing headgear in 2009, a compared with only 48 percent four years before, in 2005.