A bill reversing the state’s motorcycle helmet law goes before the Senate today.The measure would make helmet use optional for riders aged 21 or older.During a committee hearing last week, opponents to the bill argued that helmet use drops dramatically when they are not legally required. Vanderbilt Hospital trauma surgeon Rick Miller testified that a decrease in helmet usage puts lives at risk and increases health care costs.
“As a trauma surgeon we can fix everything from the neck down, but we can’t fix the brain, and once your brain is permanently injured, it is irreversible.”
But supporters of the bill argue that helmets are not as good a protection as many think. John Pierce is an activist for C-M-T/Abate, a motorcycle rights organization. Pierce says most helmets can only withstand impact at very low speeds, and he claims their design places the spine at risk in the event of a front-impact crash.
“The chin strap acts as a hangman’s noose, breaks the rider’s neck. That rider does not get to see the excellent care that the level one trauma centers in Tennessee provide, that individual goes directly to the morgue.”
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill today. The House version, which require insurance for riders who go without a helmet, has been put on hold until work on the budget is done.
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