Feb. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 AM
Motorcycle helmets save lives, cut costs
State Senate Bill 356 is one large step backward in trauma prevention. It basically repeals motorcycle helmet laws in West Virginia. I have been a trauma surgeon for over 20 years. I have seen federal and state regulations save lives. West Virginians are alive today because automobiles and motorcycles are safer because of these very laws.
Since mandatory helmet laws have been repealed in many states over the past decade or so, this has given trauma surgeons the unique opportunity to study whether motorcycle helmets really make a difference in survival. A recent study in Michigan compared the outcome of patients before the helmet law was repealed to those patients who presented after. The outcome was striking.
The number of significant brain injuries dramatically increased and the severity of brain injury increased. The length of stay in the hospital and in the intensive care unit was longer in patients without helmets. Significantly more patients who were not wearing helmets required prolonged rehabilitation. Finally, as expected, the cost of care was significantly more for those patients who did not wear helmets. The conclusion of this study and many others was the helmets protect the brain and save lives.
Motorcycles are inherently dangerous. Enthusiasts are extremely vulnerable to bad automobile drivers. Someone can easily pull out of a “hidden” road or stop suddenly. There is very little that even the most extremely conscientious motorcycle rider can do. We know that motorcycle helmets have been proven to save lives, reduce brain injuries, reduce the length of stay in the hospital and reduce overall hospital costs. Why would anybody, in their right mind, want to repeal this law? Senate Bill 356 is wrong-headed. If you believe in public safety and saving healthcare dollars, Senate Bill 356 must be defeated.
Dr. Errington C. Thompson
Chief of Trauma Services, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Marshall University
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Feb. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 AM
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