[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/blog\/risk-of-not-wearing-helmet\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/blog\/risk-of-not-wearing-helmet\/","headline":"What Are The Risks of Riding Your Motorcycle Without a Helmet","name":"What Are The Risks of Riding Your Motorcycle Without a Helmet","description":"What are the risks of riding your motorcycle without a helmet? Unless you are under age 18, you do not need to wear a helmet when you ride your motorcycle in Indiana. However, just because the law allows you to go helmet-free, it does not necessarily mean that you should...","datePublished":"2023-08-08","dateModified":"2026-02-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/blog\/author\/richardtruitt\/#Person","name":"Richard Truitt","url":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/blog\/author\/richardtruitt\/","identifier":13,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/873e99ebaf9a19c98d76d750d942377a4e6f6cd1e89779c7698fb25efd30f015?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/873e99ebaf9a19c98d76d750d942377a4e6f6cd1e89779c7698fb25efd30f015?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Truitt Law Offices","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Truitt-Law-Offices-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Truitt-Law-Offices-Logo.png","width":427,"height":59}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/motorcycle-helmet-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/motorcycle-helmet-scaled.jpg","height":1709,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/blog\/risk-of-not-wearing-helmet\/","about":["Motorcycle Accident"],"wordCount":1005,"articleBody":"What are the risks of riding your motorcycle without a helmet? Unless you are under age 18, you do not need to wear a helmet when you ride your motorcycle in Indiana. However, just because the law allows you to go helmet-free, it does not necessarily mean that you should do so. The reality is that wearing a helmet could help you to avoid serious, life-changing injuries in a\u00a0motorcycle accident. Ultimately, a helmet could save your life. As we explain below, that\u2019s not an opinion. It\u2019s a fact \u2013 backed by statistics and a great deal of research on this subject.Statistics Show that Motorcycle Helmets Make You SaferAccording to the latest statistics from the\u00a0National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u00a0(NHTSA), motorcycle accidents claimed 5,286 lives in our country in 2016, which marked a 5.1 percent rise from the previous year. In Indiana alone, 101 people died in motorcycle crashes.A lack of helmet use contributed to that high number of fatalities, the agency indicates. Consider the following:Helmets are 37 percent effective when it comes to saving the lives of motorcycle riders and 41 percent effective when it comes to protecting the lives of passengers, according to the NHTSA.Despite those safety benefits, only 63.5 percent of motorcycle riders in our country wore U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)-compliant helmets in 2016. The low rate could be attributed to the fact that only 19 states have \u201cuniversal helmet laws\u201d that require all riders and passengers of all ages to wear a helmet when they ride. (Indiana is among 28 states that require helmet use for only a subset of riders such as those under age 18.)Among those who died in motorcycle crashes in the U.S. in 2016, 41 percent were not wearing a helmet. In Indiana, that figure was significantly higher. The NHTSA reports that 75 percent of the people who died in motorcycle accidents in our state were un-helmeted \u2013 basically, three out of every four.The good news is that helmet use may have saved the lives of 1,859 motorcyclists over the course of the year, the NHTSA reports. According to the agency, if 100 percent of all riders and passengers had worn helmets, an additional 802 lives would have been saved.Of course, it\u2019s not just fatalities that helmets help to prevent. A helmet can also help motorcyclists to avoid serious, non-fatal injuries. For instance, a 2017 study by the\u00a0Indiana University School of Medicine\u00a0found that traumatic brain injuries are the most frequent injury among individuals who do not wear helmets at the time of a collision.More recent research by the\u00a0University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison\u00a0indicates that\u00a0using a helmet significantly reduces the likelihood of sustaining a cervical spine injury (CSI) during a motorcycle crash. Helmets are particularly effective when it comes to prevention of cervical vertebrae (neck) fractures, the researchers concluded.Additionally, helmet use can prevent injuries such as:Facial fracturesDental injuries (loss of teeth)Ear and eye damageDisfigurement and scarring.\u201cHelmets work,\u201d the\u00a0Motorcycle Safety Foundation\u00a0(MSF) bluntly states. \u201cHelmet effectiveness has been confirmed by scientific studies, while helmet myths \u2013 \u2018helmets break necks, block vision and impair hearing\u2019 \u2013 have been consistently disproved.\u201d\ufeffHow Do Motorcycle Helmets Prevent Injuries?In a brochure that also explains how to choose the proper helmet, the MSF explains how the four components of a motorcycle helmet work to protect a rider in a crash:The\u00a0outer shell\u00a0is sturdy but designed to compress when it hits anything hard. This action disperses energy from the impact to lessen the force before it reaches the user\u2019s head. The outer shell of a motorcycle helmet is usually made from some family of fiber-reinforced composites or thermoplastics, like polycarbonate.The impact-absorbing\u00a0liner\u00a0serves to cushion and absorb shock when a rider hits an object. This dense layer is usually made of expanded polystyrene (commonly called \u201cStyrofoam\u201d).A soft foam-and-cloth layer of comfort\u00a0padding\u00a0next to helmet wearer\u2019s head makes the helmet snug and comfortable.The retention system, or\u00a0chin strap, keeps the helmet on the motorcyclist\u2019s head in a crash. A strap is connected to each side of the shell.When a motorcycle helmet is hit hard, the outer shell and the liner compress to spread the forces of impact throughout the helmet material. The more impact-energy deflected or absorbed, the less energy there is to injure the user\u2019s head and brain. Some helmet shells further absorb shock by cracking and\/or breaking apart as they take a severe hit.What Type of Motorcycle Helmet Should You Buy?Again, if you are an adult, Indiana law does not require you to wear helmet when you ride a motorcycle. You have every right to go helmet-free. However, if you want to ensure your safety on a motorcycle, you should always wear one. If you don\u2019t have a helmet,\u00a0several guides\u00a0are available online to help you choose the right. Additionally, you should check out the\u00a0NHTSA\u2019s guide\u00a0to finding a helmet that provides you with the best fit.Hurt in a Crash? Our Fort Wayne Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Can Help YouAt Truitt Law Offices, we respect the right of adult motorcyclists to ride without a helmet in Indiana. With that said, we urge you to always wear a motorcycle helmet every time you ride. It does not matter whether you are a rider or a passenger. The benefits of wearing a helmet simply exceed the risks of serious injury or death that you will face if you don\u2019t wear one.If you are involved in a motorcycle accident in Fort Wayne or elsewhere in Northeast Indiana, you can protect your legal rights by getting in touch with our law firm as early as possible. We can provide a free consultation and immediately get to work on investigating your case. Our goal will be to recover maximum compensation for you and to help you on the road to your recovery. To learn more, call or\u00a0reach us online\u00a0today.Visit Our Fort Wayne Motorcycle Accident Law Offices"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Are The Risks of Riding Your Motorcycle Without a Helmet","item":"https:\/\/www.truittlawoffices.com\/blog\/risk-of-not-wearing-helmet\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]