Pa. drops helmet requirement and motorcycle deaths drop, too In the year after a new law permitted Pennsylvania motorcyclists to ride helmetless, the number of deaths has decreased enough to maybe let some Big Ben critics breathe a sigh of relief. The number of motorcyclists killed on Pennsylvania highways dropped to 157 last year from 171 in 2003, the state Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger created a furor earlier this month when he acknowledged that he rides without a helmet. Neither Roethlisberger nor his spokesman could be reached for comment. Helmets became optional in September 2003 for riders at least 21 years old who either have been licensed for two years or have completed a motorcycle safety course.
The numbers were welcome news for the 6,000-member Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education, which lobbied to end the mandatory helmet law. The Pennsylvania chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration opposed the move for safety reasons. "Our critics predicted mayhem and carnage all over the highway. Everyone said the number of fatalities would climb dramatically," said ABATE spokesman Jeff Harris. "The number of fatalities is still too high, our goal is zero. That may be difficult, but we are doing everything in our power to reduce it." Rae Tyson of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said motorcycle deaths have increased in other states -- such as Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida and Kentucky -- where new laws permitted helmetless riders. "It's inevitable," Tyson said. "It defies common sense to say you are safer without a helmet on than you are with one." Motorcycle fatalities nationwide increased between 1997 and 2003, according to agency statistics. In 2003 in the U.S., 3,661 motorcyclists were killed and 67,000 were injured. That's up from 3,270 fatalities and 65,000 injuries in 2002. More recent numbers are not yet available.
NJ Law revised Starting on Friday, August 15th, the price of a ticket for 39:3-29 (Failure to show your driver's license, registration, or insurance card at the time you are stopped) is going from $44.00 to $173.00. Please make sure your vehicles have the proper documents in them. If you jump on your bike to run to the store and forget your wallet with your license in it and are stopped....oh well...you just spent $173! And the fine for not having all 3 is $519!!!
New Hope continues motorcycle crackdown By: Linda Seida , Staff Writer 12/17/2003 Police issued 35 citations in one day, including illegal mufflers, expired inspections, no inspections and unlicensed drivers.