Louisiana oftentimes is found wanting when it comes to state-by-state comparisons of important public health measures.
We rank 49th in overall health, according to the United Health Foundation; we’re referred to as the least peaceful state by the Institute for Economics and Peace; and we’re second-to-last in the Kids Count Data Book’s child welfare survey.
But when it comes to one critical lifesaving law, we’re among the leaders of the pack.
Laws requiring all motorcyclists to wear a helmet are in place in 19 states — including Louisiana — and the District of Columbia.
And for that we’re considered role models — especially by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which found in a recent study that states that require motorcyclists to wear helmets have fewer motorcycle road fatalities.
CDC researchers looked at a government tally of fatal traffic crashes from 2008 through 2010 and counted 14,283 deaths of motorcyclists. That count included 6,057 bikers who did not wear helmets. Only about 12 percent of those deaths occurred in states that required everyone on motorbikes to wear helmets.
“These laws save lives,” said Rebecca Naumann, an epidemiologist and the CDC study’s lead author.
According to the CDC, motorcycles account for about 3 percent of the registered vehicles on the road, but about 14 percent of the people who die in traffic accidents are on motorcycles.
Laws requiring only some motorcyclists to wear helmets are in place in 28 states
There is no motorcycle helmet use law in Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire.
The state of Louisiana should be praised for keeping a law designed to make its highways safer on the books.
For a while, it looked like we were going to cut the rule.
Motorcycle enthusiast and former Gov. Mike Foster got the Legislature to allow no-helmet biking. His successor, Gov. Kathleen Blanco was successful in having the requirement reinstated. Gov. Bobby Jindal supports giving bikers a choice, but attempts to repeal the helmet law during his tenure have not been successful.
The need for more states to have helmet laws is obvious. Helmets save lives.
This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the Board, whose members include Bobby Dower, Ken Stickney,
Jim Beam, Dennis Spears, Crystal Stevenson and Donna Price.