Advocates, The Skilled Motorcyclist Association – Responsible, Trained and Educated Riders, Inc. (SMARTER) and the National Safety Council strongly support Senate Bill (SB) 990 to restore Missouri’s all-rider motorcycle helmet use law.
The efficacy of all-rider helmet use laws is proven by the tragic consequences in states that have repealed all-rider helmet use laws. In addition to the fatality increase Missouri experienced after repeal of its universal helmet requirement, the motorcyclist fatality rate increased 35 percent in Florida, 50 percent in Kentucky and 100 percent in Louisiana. In Michigan, which repealed its all-rider helmet use law in 2012, there would have been 26 fewer motorcyclist deaths (a 21 percent reduction) that year if the law was still in place.23 Nebraska’s repeal took effect in 2024, and preliminary state data shows a 32 percent increase in motorcyclist fatalities relative to the five-year average.
With motorcyclist fatalities at record levels, we urge the Senate Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety to support and advance SB 990.
Read the full letter here.