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. 2017 Jan;107(1):166-172.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303525. Epub 2016 Nov 17.

The Impact of Michigan's Partial Repeal of the Universal Motorcycle Helmet Law on Helmet Use, Fatalities, and Head Injuries

Patrick M Carter  1 , Lisa Buckley  1 , Carol A C Flannagan  1 , Jessica B Cicchino  1 , Mark Hemmila  1 , Patrick J Bowman  1 , Farideh Almani  1 , C Raymond Bingham  1
Affiliations

The Impact of Michigan's Partial Repeal of the Universal Motorcycle Helmet Law on Helmet Use, Fatalities, and Head Injuries

Patrick M Carter et al. Am J Public Health. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of the partial repeal of Michigan's universal motorcycle helmet law on helmet use, fatalities, and head injuries.

Methods: We compared helmet use rates and motorcycle crash fatality risk for the 12 months before and after the April 13, 2012, repeal with a statewide police-reported crash data set. We linked police-reported crashes to injured riders in a statewide trauma registry. We compared head injury before and after the repeal. Regression examined the effect of helmet use on fatality and head injury risk.

Results: Helmet use decreased in crash (93.2% vs 70.8%; P < .001) and trauma data (91.1% vs 66.2%; P < .001) after the repeal. Although fatalities did not change overall (3.3% vs 3.2%; P = .87), head injuries (43.4% vs 49.6%; P < .05) and neurosurgical intervention increased (3.7% vs 6.5%; P < .05). Male gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.65), helmet nonuse (AOR = 1.84), alcohol intoxication (AOR = 11.31), intersection crashes (AOR = 1.62), and crashes at higher speed limits (AOR = 1.04) increased fatality risk. Helmet nonuse (AOR = 2.31) and alcohol intoxication (AOR = 2.81) increased odds of head injury.

Conclusions: Michigan's helmet law repeal resulted in a 24% to 27% helmet use decline among riders in crashes and a 14% increase in head injury.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Patterns of Head Injuries (n = 509) Diagnosed Among Crash-Involved Motorcyclists Requiring Trauma Care Before (April 13, 2011, to April 12, 2012; n = 233) and After (April 13, 2012, to April 12, 2013; n = 276) the Partial Repeal of Michigan’s Universal Motorcycle Helmet Law Note. Concussion = minor head injury, including concussion diagnosis; IC Cont/Lac = intracerebral contusion or cerebral laceration; ICH = intracranial hemorrhage, including epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and other; skull Fx = skull fracture; unspecified = unspecified head injury. Patients could be diagnosed with more than 1 type of head injury. There were no patients within the sample diagnosed with head injury before or after partial repeal of the helmet law based on diagnosis of superficial scalp laceration (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, code 873.0–873.9) with concurrent fatal injury. *P < .05 for comparisons of before vs after.
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