You can always count on the Center for Disease Control to shed a bright light on issues and statistics that are important but that many of us rarely consider. Take motor vehicle accidents, for instance. The average person naturally considers them solely in personal terms-how they affect us and our families, accident injury recovery, accident medical expenses. But the CDC has done a study on motorcycle accidents that looks at the big picture, entirely in terms of dollars. From 2008 to 2010 they examined biker accidents across the nation in order to establish how much each state saves when motorcycle riders and passengers wear helmets. The numbers are staggering.
According to the study, over $3 billion was saved in 2010 alone, with total costs saved due to helmet use ranging from $2.6 million in New Mexico to $394 million in California. Economic costs saved from helmet use per registered motorcycle ranged from $48 in New Mexico to $1,627 in North Carolina, with a median of $286. In Connecticut, the savings was approximately $300 per registered motorcycle. Since motorcycle accident liability is typically attributed to reckless driving or inattentive driving by those operating cars and trucks, it makes sense for Connecticut bikers to wear helmets, even though Connecticut law only requires them for bikers under 18 year old.
