The State of Michigan is trying to pass a law where it is legal for someone 21 years of age to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. Some believe that this law could do more harm than good. Our Michigan motorcycle accident lawyers in Michigan do not have an opinion on this issue but would like to provide some statistics regarding helmet safety and bike accidents. This information was provided by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

 • Head trauma is the primary cause of death in motorcycle accidents.

• Helmets help save lives by 37%.

• By wearing a helmet, the risk of getting a head injury is decreased by 69%.

 • Motorcycle related deaths have increased every year.

 • Motorcycle injuries and deaths totaled $12 billion in one year, in medical care costs and productivity losses. (…More…)

Motorcyclists in Michigan may soon be able to ride their bike without a helmet this year. Two bills pending in the Michigan Legislature will be the reason for the drastic change. Republican Richard LeBlanc, D-Westland, introduced a bill to let motorcyclists forgo a helmet under certain conditions. If you are 21 or older and carry at least  $20,000 in personal injury insurance to cover medical costs in case of an accident, you would be allowed to ride helmet-less. The other bill, Senate Bill 291, would allow riders 21 an older who have passed a motorcycle safety course or carried a motorcycle endorsement on their license for the previous two years to ride without a helmet.

Michigan is one of 20 states that require helmet use.  Health and safety advocates warn that lifiting the helmet rule would mean more serious injuries and deaths from crashes. However, some motorcyclists argue that without a helmet they are able to see and hear better on the road.

If these bills pass, things could drastically change for all motorcyclists and vehicle drivers in Michigan. Our Michigan motorcycle accident attorneys are curious to hear your thoughts. How do you feel about Michigan removing their helmet laws? Are you in favor?

Michigan law requires motorcyclists to always wear an approved, properly-fastened safety helmet on their head.  Many bikers oppose Michigan’s helmet law, including ABATE of Michigan, because they believe individual motorcycle riders can best decide what type of safety gear is appropriate for their rides. 

In fact, ABATE of Michigan is a very active non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving the rights of motorcyclists and promoting safe operating practices among motorcyclists.  ABATE of Michigan monitors current and proposed legislation, encourages its members to become politically involved, hosts thousands of safety programs throughout the State of Michigan, and donates a large amount to various charities.  ABATE and other like-minded bikers may succeed in repealing Michigan’s helmet law, either sometime soon or eventually, but for now motorcyclists are currently required to wear a helmet in accordance with the helmet law.

MCL 257.658 says: “A person operating or riding on a motorcycle, and any person less than 19 years of age operating a moped on a public thoroughfare shall wear a crash helmet on his or her head. Crash helmets shall be approved by the department of state police. The department of state police shall promulgate rules for the implementation of this section pursuant to the administrative procedures act of 1969, Act No. 306 of the Public Acts of 1969, being sections 24.201 to 24.315 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.”  MCL 257.658 (emphasis added).

One of the chief complaints with Michigan’s helmet law is that, although it requires crash helmets to be approved by the state police, the Michigan State Police have not generated a list of approved helmets.  In fact, if you visit one Michigan State Police Motorcycle Helmet webpage, you will see several statistics about the use of helmets before being directed to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office.  At the Secretary of State’s Motorcycle Helmet webpage, you will see that the Secretary of State erroneously states helmets must be approved by the US Department of Transportation.  If you visit another Michigan State Police webpage, you will find a series of guidelines that might be used in approving a helmet but no list of which helmets are approved.  At the very least, this conflicting information renders Michigan’s helmet law ambiguous, but at its worst, the helmet law as currently written may actually discourage helmet use since a motorcyclist cannot readily tell which helmet to use.

If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan motorcycle accident, you can order our FREE book, “The Ultimate Michigan Motorcycle Accident Handbook” by calling our law firm.  We will send it along with other important information.

For more information about Michigan motorcycle accident cases, visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com.  If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan Motorcycle accident attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

Welcome to our Michigan Motorcycle Lawyer Blog site.  Our Michigan law firm specializes in representing injured bikers in Michigan motorcycle accident cases.  We created this blog to provide motorcycle enthusiasts with a resource on important legal issues affecting the rights of bikers in Michigan ranging from safety issues to insurance issues. 

Unlike other lawyer websites, this blog will be updated daily with new information on all types of legal issues and with reports of serious motorcycle accidents in Michigan.  Our blog site should be the “go to” resource for all Michigan bikers. 

We want michigan motorcycle riders to know their rights and understand the important issues affecting their lives after an accident.  We also want bikers to understand the important issues, especially with respect to insurance coverage, even before they take their bike to the roadways.  Our FREE BOOK and FREE REPORT should be read by every biker visiting this blog site. 

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We encourage all visitors to comment on our posts and ask important questions that we can answer so that all other visitors can benefit from that information.  We also encourage any biker to pick up the phone and call our lawyers to ask your legal questions.  We enjoy speaking with you!