The Michigan Department of State Police is warning citizens not to be fooled by House Bill 4749, the motorcycle helmet opt-out bill.  Although the bill restricts who can ride without a helmet, enforcing the restriction would be impractical, in effect, eliminating Michigan's helmet requirement altogether. 

Short of stopping every motorcyclist not wearing a helmet, a police officer would have no way to know whether the motorcyclist was at least 21, had two years' riding experience and had completed a motorcycle safety course, or if he/she carried the requisite $20,000 insurance coverage.

"Motorcycle helmets are designed to cushion and protect riders' heads from the impact of a crash and, by doing so, they save lives and help to prevent serious injury," stated Col. Peter C. Munoz, director of the Michigan State Police.  "While helmets cannot provide total protection, they do reduce the incidence of both injury and death.  The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that helmets reduce the risk of incapacitating injury by 40 percent and the risk of death by 37 percent."

While helmet usage is at or near 100 percent in states that have mandatory helmet laws, it is typically at about 50 percent in states without a universal helmet requirement.  The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning estimates that if Michigan's helmet law were to be repealed, the state should expect to see an annual increase of at least 30 fatalities, 127 incapacitating injuries, and $129 million in economic costs.