Florida Motorcycle Injury Attorneys: In a sober counterpoint to the Bike Week festivities recently underway in Daytona, Florida, and surrounding areas, a story in the Daytona Beach News-Journal highlights the recent Federal push to force states to standardize and enforce helmet laws nationwide. Independent-minded Florida bikers, however, continue to be hard-headed about using helmets, sometimes with regrettable results following motorcycle accidents.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called for all fifty states to enact tougher legislation requiring that all motorcyclists wear helmets. Florida is just one of several states that have weakened helmet laws in recent years. Although our state does indeed require helmets for young riders and for uninsured riders, Florida law was changed in 2000 to eliminate the mandatory-for-all requirement.
An Independent Breed Meets Hard Reality
Predictably, when the helmet requirements were lifted, Florida motorcycle-accident deaths increased, rising from 164 statewide in 1998 to over 400 during 2009, and many observers attribute the increase in deaths to the decrease in helmet use. Still, bikers are an independent breed. During countless anecdotal interviews, motorcyclists have insisted on maintaining free choice regarding helmet use. Many riders want to hold drivers more accountable for overall roadway safety, with some motorcycle groups calling for increased fines for motorists who hit motorcyclists and pedestrians, as a way of encouraging all Florida drivers to be more vigilant and more agreeable to sharing the road with motorcyclists.
Notwithstanding the joys of riding a motorcycle with “face in the wind,” after years of careful scientific studies and loud public debate, the reality remains: Helmets save lives. Florida motorcycle injury lawyers have long encouraged fellow motorcyclists to wear helmets, and the evidence is conclusive that helmets do in fact save lives and reduce the seriousness of head, neck and spinal cord injuries in motorcycle accidents.
If you or a family member has been injured in a motorcycle accident, regardless of whether a helmet was worn, you should contact an experienced Florida motorcycle injury lawyer for help. A Florida motorcycle injury attorney can fight to protect your rights, and work to win the financial relief and other long-term help you need. Call the Florida Motorcycle Injury Attorneys today at 1-800-4-BIKERS to schedule a free consultation.
