Brooks Erin, Naud Shelly, Shapiro Steven
Department of Pathology, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, VT 05401-1473, USA.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2010 Jun;31(2):125-9. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e3181c6beab.
The trend in state motorcycle helmet laws has been a reduction from universal coverage requiring all riders to wear helmets, to partial coverage requiring only younger riders to wear helmets. In the current study we evaluate whether partial helmet laws reduce motorcycle fatalities and increase helmet compliance among young riders.
We compared a decade of motorcycle fatalities from the only 3 states with no helmet laws (New Hampshire, Iowa, Illinois) to 3 states with <or=17-year-old partial helmet laws (Connecticut, Indiana, Wisconsin). We excluded highway speeds, blood alcohol laws, and minimum legal drinking age as being significant variables.
Overall, there was no significant difference in the average fatality rate per 10,000 motorcycle registrations for <or=17-year-old riders in partial helmet law states versus no helmet law states (P = 0.45). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the helmet wearing rate of <or=17-year-old fatalities in partial helmet law versus no helmet law states (P = 0.79).
Partial helmet laws neither significantly reduce fatality rates nor increase helmet compliance rates among young riders. A partial helmet law is roughly equivalent to none at all; only universal helmet laws have been shown to effectively protect young motorcyclists.
各州摩托车头盔法律的趋势是从要求所有骑手都佩戴头盔的全面覆盖，转变为仅要求年轻骑手佩戴头盔的部分覆盖。在本研究中，我们评估部分头盔法律是否能降低摩托车死亡率，并提高年轻骑手的头盔佩戴率。
我们将仅有的3个没有头盔法律的州（新罕布什尔州、爱荷华州、伊利诺伊州）十年间的摩托车死亡数据，与3个有17岁及以下部分头盔法律的州（康涅狄格州、印第安纳州、威斯康星州）进行了比较。我们排除了高速公路速度、血液酒精法律和最低合法饮酒年龄等显著变量。
总体而言，部分头盔法律州与无头盔法律州中17岁及以下骑手每10000辆摩托车登记的平均死亡率没有显著差异（P = 0.45）。此外，部分头盔法律州与无头盔法律州中17岁及以下死亡者的头盔佩戴率也没有显著差异（P = 0.79）。
部分头盔法律既不能显著降低年轻骑手的死亡率，也不能提高头盔佩戴率。部分头盔法律大致等同于没有法律；只有全面的头盔法律已被证明能有效保护年轻摩托车手。
