How did Michigan’s motorcycle helmet repeal law impact injuries, insurance and travel this year? According to MLive.com today, there is a mixed bag of results from the change.
Did you expect injuries to skyrocket? What would happen to the cost of insurance requiring $20,000 minimum Medical Expense coverage? Would repeal of the law encourage more motorcycle tourism in the state?
The actual results show an increase in deaths and serious injuries:
“Through Nov. 19, there were 748 deaths and serious injuries as a result of motorcycle crashes in Michigan. That’s up from 680 for the same period in 2011, a 10 percent increase. The rise also occurred during a 1.6 percent increase in registered motorcycles, from 255,367 in November 2011 to 259,558 last month, according to the Michigan Secretary of State. It’s still likely Michigan will see a shift toward more severe injuries as data is collected,” said Lidia Kostyniuk, a research scientist with U-M’s transportation institute.
On the insurance front, there was not a great change. After an initial rush to change coverage for current riders, our agency saw a no great increase in riders requesting the extra coverage. Also, we saw no large premium increases.
More data is needed to see how the law plays out, and I am interested in seeing the results after another riding season.
