Sturdy helmets a must for bikers

Achtung, biker. If you ride with one of those goofy toy Nazi helmets as your only brain protection, North Carolina's motorcycle safety law was written with you in mind.

Starting today, every motorcycle rider must wear a helmet that meets federal safety standards.

There is fine print at issue here, but basically we're talking about a helmet that weighs about 3 pounds -- with a hard shell, a thick polystyrene-foam liner and a sturdy chin strap that must, by law, be fastened firmly.

The new law is part of North Carolina's effort to stem a sharp and steady rise in motorcycle deaths and head injuries.

Overall highway death tolls across the country have not changed much in the past decade, but motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled -- from 2,116 in 1997 to 4,810 in 2006.

In North Carolina, according to preliminary counts for 2007, 114 motorcycle riders died in crashes through Dec. 27 compared to 74 during the same period in 2006, according to the Governor's Highway Safety Program.

The old law required a helmet approved by North Carolina's motor vehicles commissioner. But the commissioner never lived up to his end of the deal; there was no state-approved helmet list.

Even that mushy old law, seldom enforced, was resented by a motorcycling minority that opposes helmet requirements generally. Some bikers got by with salad bowls and plastic Hitler hats that would be useless in a spill.

The new law is controversial, too. Protests are planned today in Raleigh and a few other county seats across the state.

Opponents scoff at decades of studies that show helmets are effective in reducing deaths, head injuries, hospital stays and medical bills for people involved in motorcycle crashes.

These helmet-law critics show a strong libertarian streak. They are cynical about government regulators. They don't like being told what to put on their heads.

"Liberty, that's the primary focus of it," said Janice MacKay of Raleigh, who heads the North Carolina chapter of a group called BOLT (Bikers of Lesser Tolerance). She has invited picketers on foot and "freedom riders" on motorcycles to encircle the governor's Executive Mansion this afternoon in protest against the helmet law.

"Government interference is getting too ridiculous," MacKay said.

The new law requires helmets that meet a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration motor vehicle safety standard called FMVSS 218.

Helmets that qualify are marked on the outside with a "DOT" (Department of Transportation) decal. A few brands cite FMVSS 218 specifically. Some safe helmets also carry ANSI or Snell labels to show their compliance with voluntary industry standards.

MacKay says the government does a poor job of protecting consumers against helmets that are recalled because they don't meet the standard. She contends that federal agencies "cherry-pick their data" to make helmets seem safer than they are.

But the findings in university, government and industry studies are remarkably consistent. State-by-state analysis shows that motorcycle deaths and head injuries decrease after helmet laws are enacted -- and increase after they are repealed.

North Carolina is one of about 20 states that require helmets for all motorcyclists. Now that we have a stronger law, we should expect to see results.

In September, the National Transportation Safety Board added its weight to the argument for strong safety helmet laws across the country.

Motorcyclists accounted for one-third of 1 percent of road traffic last year, but 10 percent of all traffic deaths.

North Carolina's 160,000 registered motorcycle riders will receive notices about the new law when they renew their registrations. Police and court officials are receiving training in how to recognize legal helmets.

"I think once the officers understand what to look for, it'll make it easier for them to identify a compliant helmet," said Darrell Jernigan, director of the N.C. Governors Highway Safety Program.