The body count is hard to ignore. Across the state, motorcycle riders are dying in increasing numbers since the Legislature repealed Florida's helmet law. They are suffering horrendous injuries that leave them hospitalized for long periods of time. And they are not the only ones who are injured. Public-health coffers are drained almost every time a biker is seriously injured.
Unhelmeted riders are three times more likely to incur severe brain injuries.
States that repeal helmet laws show immediate increases in the number and severity of injuries resulting from motorcycle wrecks. In the six months since the helmet-law repeal took effect, those numbers are hitting home in Florida. This experiment has failed. It will be difficult in the short-term for lawmakers to reverse course and reinstate helmet laws, but it won't take them long to be proved right. From July 1, when the repeal took effect, through Dec. 31, there were 11 motorcycle-related deaths in Volusia County.