Motorcycle Helmets Save Lives

Running head: Motorcycle Helmets Save Lives

I would change my opening sentence to : Although thousands of motorcycle injuries take place each year, motorcycle helmets can save lives.

Although thousands of injuries take place each year, Americans enjoy riding motorcycles for either transportation or pleasure. Riders love to have a great time whether it is to sight see or just riding in their own community. Why do we ride? Maybe for the pure thrill of the ride even though we know the risks that are involved? Perhaps Robert Pirsig, from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, says it best, "You're completely in contact with it all. You're in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming." (Pirsig, 1974) For those who love to ride, they know the risks involved but to what expense can this thrill seeking activity cost us... a trip to the emergency room, broken bones, horrific face lacerations, head and brain injury, or possibly death? You might Ask yourself, would a helmet save me from one of these injuries? In an article in USA Today, April 1, 2008, Motorcycle Madness explores when mandated helmet laws are repealed, death and injuries increase. (Today, 2008)

When congress rescinded its helmet policy in 1995, free choice groups started advocating for the right not to wear helmets. Therefore, many states began repealing their helmet laws. In 2010, just twenty states have helmet laws for all riders, Twenty-seven have partial helmet laws (usually for riders under the age of 18), and three have no helmet laws. While statics show that helmets save lives, others may argue that it is not helmet use that saves lives but rider education and driver awareness.

I would add more research and back it up in the above paragraph.

Running head: Motorcycle Helmets Save Lives

I needed to add the source of the picture here even though it is in my bibliography and explain the picture better for the reader.

Let us consider why one may want to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle. Death and head injuries from motorcycle accidents have more than doubled in the last decade. A non-helmeted rider, in the event of a crash may face an unacceptable morbidity and mortality. A disabled riders may place an emotional and financial burden on their loved ones or society through astronomical medical cost. "Data clearly shows that helmet use reduce the risk of catastrophic head injury, and cost of which in many cases is borne by the taxpayer," according to

Running head: Motorcycle Helmets Save Lives

Russ Radar, for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. A rider who wears a helmet has only about a 30% chance of not suffering a moderate to severe head injury if in an accident. Helmets can be the single most effective means of preventing a serious head injury; therefore it is imperative to follow two specific guidelines. First, individuals must wear a helmet at all times when