title: Motorcycle helmet laws in the United States from 1990 to 2005: politics and public health.
abstract: The passage of universal helmet legislation requiring motorcycle riders of all ages to wear helmets is a timely and controversial issue with far-reaching public health implications, especially as the number of motorcycle fatalities continues to rise. In 2008, only 20 states had a universal helmet policy, an effective safety measure for reducing motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries. We used state-specific longitudinal data for the continental United States from 1990 through 2005 to determine which industry, political, economic, and demographic factors had a significant influence on the enactment of universal helmet policies. Our findings suggest that political climate and ideology are important predictors of helmet policies.
authors.affiliation: Sociology Research Center, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124-2030, USA.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Homer
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: French
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000401:mortality; D033161:Government Regulation; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009049:Motorcycles / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011057:Politics; D011634:Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014481:United States