Lawmakers consider repeal of helmet law

The governor has said he'll sign the measure if it passes.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A measure now pending in the Pennsylvania Senate would repeal the 35-year-old law that mandates helmets for motorcycle riders.
Pennsylvania is among at least 12 states over the past year to consider letting adults decide whether to wear a helmet. It's a trend that picked up momentum in 1995, the year Congress repealed a federal law linking highway funds to such laws.
Medical and insurance groups oppose the change, citing the cost of caring for trauma victims and the proven safety benefits of helmets.
Only 20 states still require all riders to wear helmets, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Three states have no helmet law at all, and the other 27 permit adults to ride bare-headed, although some require additional insurance.
Pennsylvania nearly changed its law in 1998. At the time, a measure passed both houses of the Legislature only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Tom Ridge because it also made eyewear optional, a provision not in the current bill.
Rendell favors choice
This time around, Gov. Ed Rendell will sign the measure if it makes it to his desk, he has said.
"He is not recommending that people not wear their helmets," said his spokeswoman, Kate Philips. "He just believes people should have the choice not to, if they choose to do so."
The bill's sponsor says the matter comes down to giving adults the freedom to decide whether doing without hot, cumbersome headgear is worth the risk.
Unhelmeted motorcyclists are 29 percent less likely to survive a crash, and 40 percent more likely to die from a head injury, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Improving rider training is a more effective safety measure than donning a helmet, said Charles Umbenhauer, lobbyist for the 7,000-member Pennsylvania Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education, which has sought to repeal the law since the 1970s.
"If you're traveling 60, 65 mph, and you're involved in a serious motorcycle accident, a helmet isn't going to do anything but allow you to have an open-casket funeral," Umbenhauer said.
Senate supporters hope the measure will go before the full Senate sometime this month.