Washington state law requires motorcycle riders to wear a helmet in nearly all cases, and according to a new study, it shows. Florida-based personal injury law firm Anidjar & Levine analyzed National Highway Traffic Safety Commission data to determine which states had the highest rates of motorcycle deaths where the driver wasn't wearing a helmet. The results were kind to Washington, which had the lowest rate in the country.
Of Washington's 510 motorcycle fatalities between 2018 and 2022, just 17 weren't wearing helmets. That 3.3% rate was a whole percentage point below the state with the second lowest rate, Massachusetts, and roughly half the rate of third place California.
For context, the median rate was just under 48%. At the top of the list, Iowa saw 72.4% of its fatalities occur in crashes where the driver wasn't wearing a helmet.
Indiana's rate was just lower at 70.8 while Ohio's was 70.1.
17 states and Washington D.C. have laws requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, while 30 states require helmets for those under a certain age and three don't require them at all.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data suggests universal helmet laws reduce motorcycle fatalities by between 22% and 42%, and brain injuries by between 41% and 69%. Helmets reduce driver deaths by 37% and passenger deaths by 41%, according to the National Safety Council. Helmet death rate doesn't tell the whole story The study was no.
