Study: DOT-approved helmet use increasing – January 22, 2007

Motorcycle helmet usage is increasing, although it’s still not close to the level it was at in 2000.
Then, 71 percent of motorcycle riders wore Department of Transportation-approved helmets. In 2006, 51 percent of riders had DOT-approved headgear. Still, that is a 3 percent increase compared to the prior year, according to the National Occupant Protection Use Survey, the only probability-based observational survey of helmet use in the nation. Surveyors observed helmet use at random roadway sites to collect the survey data.
Fourteen percent of riders wear helmets that are not compliant with federal safety regulations, the study found. That number has not changed in the past year.
Regionally, the West saw the biggest increase in helmet use with 22 percent more riders wearing head protection. The Northeast was up
4 percent while the Midwest and South were both down by 3 and 4 percent, respectively.
Not surprisingly, state laws dramatically affect the rate of helmet use. Only 37 percent of riders wear DOT-approved helmets in states that do not require their use, while 68 percent of riders wear helmets in states that do require their use. At the time of the study, 20 states and the District of Columbia required all motorcyclists to wear helmets.
Other interesting points the survey revealed include: