Motorcycle Helmet Use & Accidents: Articles and Studies l Bellevue Lawyer

• The association of helmet use with the outcome of motorcycle crash injury when controlling for crash/injury severity
  Many studies have reported that helmet use by motorcycle riders significantly decreases their risk of head injury, death, and disability in the event of a crash. The results show that in crashes where the overall degree of injury was comparable, the risk of head injury in hospitalized motorcyclists was nearly twice as high for unhelmeted riders as it was for helmeted riders, thus confirming the protective effects of helmet use.
• Motorcycle helmet use and injury outcome and hospitalization costs from crashes in Washington State  
  The 2090 crashes included in this study resulted in 409 hospitalizations (20%) and 59 fatalities (28%). Although unhelmeted motorcyclists were only slightly more likely to be hospitalized overall, they were more severely injured, nearly three times more likely to have been head injured, and nearly four times more likely to have been severely or critically head injured than helmeted riders. The average hospital stay for unhelmeted motorcyclists was longer, and cost more per case; the cost of hospitalization for unhelmeted motorcyclists was 60% more overall ($3.5 vs $2.2 million).
• Relationship of helmet use and head injuries among motorcycle crash victims
  Motorcyclists not wearing helmets were 2.4 times as likely to sustain head injuries (95% confidence limits: 1.23, 4.70) than motorcyclists wearing helmets. Alcohol intoxication and severity of motorcycle damage were also associated with significantly elevated odds ratios related to sustaining a head injury.