Speed and lack of helmet use are being blamed for a fatal motorcycle accident in Houston last week. The accident apparently involved a motorcyclist traveling at high speeds on the 610 South Loop when the motorcycle crashed into a car. Witnesses at the scene have said that the motorcyclist had been speeding, and was also not wearing a helmet. The motorcyclist died at the scene of the accident.
Investigations into the causes of this crash are still going on, but If an old rule mandating helmet use for motorcyclists in Texas had still been in force, there was a chance this motorcyclist could have survived this crash. A study by researchers at the University Of Arkansas Clinton School Of Public Service has found that the repeal of a Texas law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets has contributed to an increase in the number of fatalities in motorcycle crashes in the state.
The researchers analyzed fatalities in these accidents between 1994 and 2004. They found a spike in fatalities since 1997, when the mandatory helmet law was repealed. Among other things, the study found that the numbers of motorcycle crash deaths spiked by approximately 30 percent after the law was revoked. The numbers stayed high even after factoring in the increased number of registered motorcycles. There was also a spike in the number of fatalities per 100,000 registered motorcycles, from 89 in 1994 to 101 fatalities in 2004.
The researchers are calling on Texas authorities to re-examine the repeal law. As an accident lawyer in Houston, I would strongly advise every motorcycle rider to wear a helmet. A helmet does not guarantee that you will escape injuries or death in a crash. It does however, significantly increase the chances that you will avoid a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle crash.
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Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.
For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.
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