Many people may not be aware that in 1967 the federal government began requiring states put in place a universal motorcycle helmet law in order to qualify for specific highway safety funds. Still not every state enacted those laws and in 1976 the federal authority to give out penalties for states who did not comply was revoked by Congress. After that, a lot of states began removing their helmet laws altogether or applying them to only young or new riders.
It has been proven that motorcycle helmets reduce both fatalities and devastating head injuries. This bar chart put together by the team at Parker Waichman LLP shows the amount of motorcycle crashes and fatalities in 2017 in all 50 states. The information based on the National Traffic Safety Administration statistics shows how many lives could have been saved with the use of a helmet. The chart also shows which states have a universal helmet law and which do not.
