Bledsoe Gregory H, Li Guohua
Department of Emergency Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
South Med J. 2005 Apr;98(4):436-40. doi: 10.1097/01.SMJ.0000154309.83339.C0.
This study aimed to assess the impact of the 1997 Arkansas helmet law repeal on motorcycle registrations, crash and fatality risks, and alcohol involvement in motorcycle crashes.
Annual motorcycle registration data for the years 1990 through 2001 were obtained from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. These motorcycle registration data were complemented by the motorcycle crash data from the Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office and motorcycle fatality data for the state of Arkansas from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The impact of the repeal on crash rates, helmet usage, and alcohol involvement was assessed through comparisons of data from before (1993 to 1996) and after (1998 to 2001) the repeal.
After the repeal, an increase in motorcycle registrations correlated with a marked rise in the total number of crashes and fatalities; however, fatalities per crash remained virtually the same. The proportion of motorcycle fatalities that were not wearing a helmet increased from 47.0% (47/100) before the repeal to 78.2% (104/133) after the repeal (P = 0.001). The overall percentage of fatal motorcycle crashes involving alcohol use remained unchanged after the repeal (37.6% [29/77] to 38.5% [40/104], P = 0.91), but the percentage of fatal crashes involving drinking nonhelmeted drivers increased from 14.2% (11/77) to 33.6% (35/104) (P = 0.003). Inebriated motorcyclists killed in crashes were overwhelmingly non-helmeted (87.5%, 35/40) after the repeal, up from 37.9% (11/29) before the repeal (P < 0.001).
These findings suggest that the repeal of the mandatory helmet law in Arkansas has had a significant adverse effect on road safety.
本研究旨在评估1997年阿肯色州头盔法废除对摩托车注册登记、撞车及死亡风险，以及摩托车撞车事故中酒精参与情况的影响。
获取了1990年至2001年阿肯色州财政与行政管理部的年度摩托车注册登记数据。这些摩托车注册登记数据得到了阿肯色州警方公路安全办公室的摩托车撞车数据以及死亡分析报告系统中阿肯色州的摩托车死亡数据的补充。通过比较废除头盔法之前（1993年至1996年）和之后（1998年至2001年）的数据，评估废除头盔法对撞车率、头盔使用情况及酒精参与情况的影响。
废除头盔法后，摩托车注册登记数量的增加与撞车事故总数及死亡人数的显著上升相关；然而，每次撞车事故的死亡人数基本保持不变。未佩戴头盔的摩托车死亡人数比例从废除头盔法之前的47.0%（47/100）增至废除头盔法之后的78.2%（104/133）（P = 0.001）。废除头盔法后，涉及酒精使用的致命摩托车撞车事故的总体百分比保持不变（从37.6%[29/77]增至38.5%[40/104]，P = 0.91），但涉及饮酒的未佩戴头盔驾驶者的致命撞车事故百分比从14.2%（11/77）增至33.6%（35/104）（P = 0.003）。废除头盔法后，在撞车事故中死亡的醉酒摩托车驾驶者绝大多数未佩戴头盔（87.5%，35/40），高于废除头盔法之前的37.9%（11/29）（P < 0.001）。
这些研究结果表明，阿肯色州强制头盔法的废除对道路安全产生了重大不利影响。
