AAA Clubs of Tennessee, other groups urge Tennessee lawmakers NOT to repeal motorcycle helmet law...

Today the AAA Clubs of Tennessee and a number of other groups announced their strong opposition to a bill that would substantially weaken Tennessee’s motorcycle helmet law. HB2661, which will be heard by the Tennessee House Transportation General Subcommittee Tuesday, February 14, would allow people 21 and older to ride motorcycles without wearing helmets. Tennessee’s current law requires all motorcyclists to wear a helmet.  The two AAA clubs, The Auto Club Group (covering Middle and West Tennessee) and AAA East Tennessee, are calling on legislators to reject the bill.

“Multiple studies of states that have weakened their motorcycle helmet laws show marked increases in both human tragedy and financial costs,” says Kevin Bakewell, chief public affairs officer with The Auto Club Group. “We should not let this happen in Tennessee,” Bakewell says.

AAA cites a recent study of the effects of the Pennsylvania legislature’s decision to relax that state’s helmet law. The peer-reviewed study published in the American Journal of Public Health in August, 2008 shows a 66 percent increase in deaths caused by head injuries, as well as a 25 percent increase in non-head-injury deaths, after the helmet law was relaxed. Head injury hospitalizations in motorcycle crashes jumped 78 percent, while non-head-injury admissions increased 28 percent. Medical costs for treating motorcycle crash head injuries soared 132 percent, compared to an increase of 69 percent for other kinds of injuries.

“AAA is not alone in rejecting changes to Tennessee’s motorcycle helmet law” says O. T. Wright, president and CEO of AAA East Tennessee. “In a statistically representative survey of Tennessee voters conducted by AAA in December, 2011, 92 percent of Tennessee voters favor retaining the state’s motorcycle helmet law in its current form,” Wright said.

A number of other organizations have joined AAA in opposing the bill. Among them:

              American Insurance Association

             Children's Hospital Alliance of Tennessee

             Hospital Alliance of Tennessee

             Johnson City Medical Center

             Elvis Presley Trauma Center

             Rural Health Association of Tennessee

             Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians

             Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police

             Tennessee Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics

             Tennessee College of Emergency Physicians

             Tennessee Committee on Trauma

             Tennessee Emergency Medical Services for Children

             Tennessee Hospital Association

             Tennessee Medical Association

             Tennessee Public and Teaching Hospital Association

             The Neuro-Spine Committee

AAA says it will be calling on members and the public to contact legislators and urge their vote against changing Tennessee’s motorcycle helmet law.