Court Opinion

ID: 9706658
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:48:50.576202+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:24.286775
License: Public Domain

LARSON, Justice
(dissenting).
I dissent from Division 11(C) regarding apportionment of fault for a plaintiffs failure to wear a helmet. While not wearing a helmet does not contribute to the cause of the accident, it certainly contributes to the injuries. This case is a good example. A motorcycle rider’s decision not to wear a helmet is no different, in its effect, from a decision to operate the motorcycle itself in a negligent manner. Failure to wear a helmet should be a consideration in apportioning fault under Iowa Code chapter 668.
Despite the fact that Iowa does not have a mandatory helmet law, a person has always had the duty to act prudently with respect to his own safety. Even though the legislature has decided not to make it a crime to operate a motorcycle without a helmet, this has no bearing on the question of whether the operator is at fault for increasing the risk of his own injury. A duty to exercise care for one’s own safety is well established in our common law.
SNELL, J., joins this dissent.