Motorcycle Accidents

Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Queens, Manhattan, New York City, NY

Motorcycle Helmet Laws

All motorcyclists and passengers on motorcycles in New York State are required to wear helmets certified as meeting Department of Transportation safety standards. New York also has a reflector law which requires a four-inch-square reflector be affixed to the helmet. Helmets that are federally-approved are required to have a DOT label on them. Look for the DOT label if you are ever in doubt.

Helmet use laws continue to be a controversial subject for many riders. Some claim that helmets reduce peripheral vision and the ability to hear horns and other warning signals. Several studies have shown this not to be the case. One study conducted in the late 1960's indicated that motorcyclists were at a greater risk of neck injury while wearing helmets due to the weight a helmet adds to the head area, but the vast majority of studies, and the bulk of crash data proves that helmets save lives and prevent injuries. Wherever you stand on the matter, the fact remains that if you ride on a motorcycle in New York, you must be wearing a helmet.

While they do not provide complete protection in the event of a crash, helmets do decrease the severity of head injuries, fatalities, and overall medical costs. Here are some statistics to consider:

• Crash-related head injuries are the leading cause of death in accidents where the rider is not wearing a helmet.
• Of every 100 non-helmeted riders who die in accidents, 37 of those would not have died had they been wearing a helmet.
• Non-helmeted riders are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries than helmeted riders.

There are other benefits to mandatory helmet use. Studies conducted in the US and Europe have shown that states with mandatory helmet use laws have significantly fewer motorcycle thefts. It is generally believed that thieves are less likely to steal a motorcycle and ride away without wearing a helmet because to do so would attract police attention. In Texas, for example, motorcycle thefts decreased 44 percent when their helmet laws went into effect. Several states have seen similar decreases.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please call or e-mail our motorcycle accident attorney today for a no fee consultation throughout New York.

Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C.
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