Missouri Considers Ditching Helmet Law

By Cameron Vanderhorst - April 30, 2018

Regardless of the state senate’s decision, we strongly encourage you to continue wearing one.

Here at HDF, we take motorcycle safety very seriously. We strongly encourage helmet use. While some try to argue that being forced to wear a helmet impinges on your freedom, being confined to a wheelchair after a minor traffic accident seems like the opposite of freedom to us.

Currently, Missouri is one of over a dozen states that requires a helmet to be worn at all times. According to local news station KSHB Kansas City, Senate Bill 556 aims to remove this requirement. Riders that carry $1 million medical payment coverage on their motorcycle insurance policy would be allowed to forego a helmet if they so chose.

Expensive medical bills caused by motorcycle accidents are one of the reasons we support universal helmet laws. Although it sounds cold and callous, expensive bills from non-helmet accidents raise everyone’s motorcycle insurance rates. When you ride without a helmet, you’re not only putting yourself at risk, you’re potentially costing your fellow riders money.

To that end, not wearing a helmet is an incredibly selfish choice, to say nothing of your family, friends, and riding buddies who would be devastated by your severe injury or death. In fact, a CDC study shows that motorcycle helmets reduce the risk of dying by one third.

The road is a dangerous place for motorcyclists are cars get bigger every year and drivers grow increasingly more distracted. You’d be foolish not to take every opportunity to protect yourself, from learning defensive riding techniques, to literally armoring yourself to protect your body and brain.

One organization quoted in the KSHB article, Freedom of Road Riders, has an interesting perspective. They personally have nothing against helmets, but they believe that the choice to wear or not to wear should be on the individual, and not mandated by the government.

We can understand and respect that urge for freedom. We’re the last people to suggest that it’s the government’s job to make our choices for us. But wasting tax money and resources on arguing against a helmet law seems like a poor use of resources.