Motorcycle helmet exemptions

In Canada, riders on motorcycles must wear crash helmets at all times. In spite of this requirement, 6% of the motorcyclists that died and 2.4% of those that were injured in crashes in Canada during 2011 were not wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the crash (Transport Canada, 2013).

Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets at preventing death and injury to motorcyclists involved in crashes (Liu et al., 2008, Brown et al., 2011). Some Canadian jurisdictions provide exemptions to motorcycle riders from wearing helmets on medical or religious grounds (i.e. Manitoba, British Columbia) while others do not. A recent request by the Canadian Sikh Association for an exemption from the motorcycle helmet wearing law in Ontario was not granted due to road safety concerns (Brennan, 2014).

One of the recommendations of a report prepared by the Vulnerable Road Users’ Expert Working Group on Motorcycles that outlined countermeasures to address motorcycling safety in Canada was the removal of motorcycle helmet exemptions for medical reasons (Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, 2012).

McKnight et al. (1994) carried out a study to assess the effect of wearing a helmet on the motorcycle rider’s ability to detect sounds when operating at normal highway speeds and to detect the presence of vehicles in adjacent lanes prior to changing lanes. The study involved 50 riders travelling over a test route and changing lanes in response to an audible signal using no helmet, a helmet that was partially covered, and a fully covered helmet. Half of the subjects were assessed for the degree of head rotation during lane changes and the other half were assessed for hearing threshold. The hearing tests showed that no significant difference was found in the rider’s ability to hear traffic, either between helmet types of between helmet and no helmet. The vision tests showed that riders compensated for the minimum amount of lateral vision that was lost by turning the head a little further. The time required for checking traffic in the adjacent lane did not increase significantly. The authors of the study concluded that wearing a helmet did not restrict the ability to hear auditory signals or the likelihood of seeing a vehicle in an adjacent lane (McKnight et al., 1994).

Studies on the outcomes of the repeal of motorcycle helmet wearing laws or on the introduction of age-specific exemptions for riders in some American States have demonstrated that the number of motorcyclists killed in those jurisdictions increased substantially following the changes in helmet wearing laws. In July, 2000, the state of Florida exempted motorcycle riders 21 years of age or older from wearing helmets provided they had $10,000 of medical insurance. Motorcyclists less than 21 years of age were still required to wear helmets. Muller (2004) analysed motorcyclist fatality data in Florida between 1994 and end of 2001. The analysis demonstrated that following the weakening of the state law on motorcycle helmet use, fatality rates increased by 38.2% and 21.3%, respectively, when increases in miles travelled and motorcycle registrations were taken into account. The results of the study showed that in 2001 only 53% of motorcyclists less than 21 years of age who were killed in crashes wore helmets, while for adults 21 years or older, the corresponding figure was 39%. The study concluded that exempting motorcycle riders from wearing helmets increased their health risk and unnecessarily increased insurance and medical care expenses (Muller, 2004).

An evaluation of the repeal of universal motorcycle helmet use laws in Arkansas and Texas in 1997 by Preusser et al. (2000) demonstrated that the numbers of motorcyclists killed the year after the introduction of the weakened helmet use law (1998) were 21% and 31% higher, respectively, in Arkansas and Texas than the death toll in those states the year prior to the change in the law (1996). Following the change in the law, motorcycle helmet use decreased from 97% in both states under the universal helmet use law to 52% and 66%, respectively, in Arkansas and Texas in 1998. In Texas, the percentage of injured motorcyclists that wore helmets decreased from approximately 90% prior to the change in the law to 57% in 1998. Helmet use among injured young motorcyclists still covered by the helmet law also decreased. Trauma data showed that the percentage of injured motorcyclists with serious head injuries increased in both states (Preusser et al., 2000).

Scope of the Problem

• Transport Canada (2013). National Collision Database. Retrieved from http://wwwapps2.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/NCDB-BNDC/p.aspx?l=en

Evidence

• Liu, B. C.; Ivers, R.; Norton, R.; Boufous, S.; Blows, S.; Lo, S. K. (2008). Helmets for preventing injury in motorcycle riders. The Cochrane Collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/userfiles/ccoch/file/Safety_on_the_road/CD004333.pdf
• Brown, C.V.R., Hejl, K., Bui, E., Tips, G., & Coopwood, B. (2011). Risk Factors for Riding and Crashing a Motorcycle Unhelmeted. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. Volume 41, Issue 4, October 2011, Pages 441-446. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736467909006519
• Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) (2012). Countermeasures to address motorcycle safety: Building a Foundation to Support Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2015. The Vulnerable Road Users’ Expert Working Group on Motorcycles, CCMTA. Retrieved from http://ccmta.ca/crss-2015/_files/Motorcycle%20countermeasures%20Sept%205%202012%20ENGLISH.pdf
• Brennan, R.J. (2014). Sikhs denied exemption from Ontario’s motorcycle helmet law. Thestar.com, August 2014. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/08/19/sikhs_denied_exemption_from_ontarios_motorcycle_helmet_law.html
• McKnight, A.J., & McKnight, A.S. (1994). The Effects of Motorcycle Helmets Upon Seeing and Hearing. (Report No. DOT HS 808 399). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/808399.pdf
• Muller, A. (2004). Florida’s Motorcycle Helmet Law Repeal and Fatality Rates. American Journal of Public Health, Volume 94, Issue 4, pages 556-558. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448295/
• Preusser, D.F., Hedlund, J.H., & Ulmer, R.G. (2000). Evaluation of the Motorcycle Helmet Law Repeal in Arkansas and Texas. Final Report. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/EvalofMotor.pdf·